ISTANBUL

Ukraine’s president said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unable to say yes for nearly a week to a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire.

“It is very important that tomorrow marks one week since the US proposal for a ceasefire in the sky, at sea and on the front lines has been on the table,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted in a video message.

“The implementation of this proposal could have begun long ago. Every day in wartime is a matter of human lives. Now, almost a week later, it’s clear to everyone in the world – even to those who refused to acknowledge the truth for the past three years – that it is Putin who continues to drag out this war. For a week now, Putin has been unable to force out a simple ‘yes’ to the ceasefire proposal,” he underlined.

- Ukraine successfully tests drone capable of 3,000 km

Ukraine meanwhile successfully tested a long-range drone capable of flying 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), Zelenskyy said.

“Today, I held a Staff Meeting. Several issues were discussed, but the key topic was drones – all types that we need. There is good news regarding long-range drones: our 3,000-kilometer-range drone has successfully passed testing. I am grateful to the developers and manufacturers. We are advancing a line of long-range capabilities that will help guarantee the security of our state.

“There was also a report on the use of Ukrainian missiles – the long Neptune, and we can say we are satisfied with the strike results. However, we need to produce more missiles, more drones, and this week, we will discuss this with our partners,” he added.