Full story
Kostiantynivka truce rejected
Russia said Ukraine rejected a proposed six-hour ceasefire in and around Kostiantynivka to facilitate the handover of the bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, after Moscow told Kyiv it had until 0900 GMT on Sunday to respond.
“Russian officials say the Ukrainian army has rejected a six-hour ceasefire”
The Russian Defence Ministry also said Ukraine refused to halt shelling of the town of Kostiantynivka in the east of the country, while Russia’s defence ministry claimed its forces had taken control of the town and Ukraine denied the claim.
Ukraine’s defence ministry and general staff did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment, and the dispute unfolded as fighting continued amid competing claims over whether Kostiantynivka was under Russian control.
The Nightly reported that Russian army commanders told President Vladimir Putin on Friday that Russian troops had taken control of Kostiantynivka, even as Ukraine said its forces remained in control of the town.
In parallel, The Nightly said Russia’s Gvardeyskoye military airfield on the occupied Crimean Peninsula was attacked during the night, and it described the airfield as the most important base in Crimea for the Russian military.
Zelensky and Peskov clash
Al Jazeera quoted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying on X, “Of course, that is not true,” about Russia’s claim that Russian forces now controlled Kostiantynivka.
Al Jazeera also reported Zelenskyy added, “It is just another Russian lie, an attempt to generate some kind of a news story.”
On Russian radio, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mocked Zelenskyy’s suggested meeting, with Al Jazeera saying Peskov stated Kostiantynivka was already a part of Russia and that the Kremlin’s invitation for Zelenskyy to meet President Vladimir Putin in Moscow still stood.
The Kyiv Independent said the Kremlin responded to Zelensky’s suggestion earlier on July 4 by telling him he could come to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin rather than meeting in the embattled city.
The Kyiv Independent further said Russia proposed suspending hostilities in Kostiantynivka from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Moscow time on July 6 and required Ukraine to notify the Russian military of its decision by noon Moscow time on July 5.
Diplomacy and battlefield stakes
The Nightly said US President Donald Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a NATO summit on Wednesday afternoon, with the two-day summit beginning on Tuesday in the Turkish capital Ankara.
““So the president feels a real sense of urgency to try to bring this to a stop,””
The Nightly reported that a senior US official told reporters, “So the president feels a real sense of urgency to try to bring this to a stop,” and said the US was confident progress could be made when Trump and Zelensky meet.
Al Jazeera said the latest attacks came after Zelenskyy and Putin spoke with Donald Trump on ending the war, and it quoted Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov saying Trump offered to help Putin find a solution to the war.
Al Jazeera also said Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that they agreed to continue talks at the NATO summit this week and that “There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning.”
The Nightly described immediate battlefield consequences around the ceasefire dispute, saying Ukrainian troops attacked key transport routes for Russian resupply and that “two road bridges in the Donbas were destroyed.”
