‘Russia doesn’t share desire for peace,’ says Macron after drone barrage against Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said that Russia has demonstrated a lack of seriousness in achieving peace in Ukraine, following Moscow’s launch of a new drone attack against its neighbour despite US efforts to resolve the conflict.

“Last night, Russia demonstrated once again that it genuinely does not share the desire for peace. I offer my full support to the Ukrainian people,” Macron wrote on X.

Macron’s comments came as Russian drones unleashed a relentless assault on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight, igniting fires and highlighting Moscow’s determination to persist with aerial attacks despite a temporary agreement to pause strikes on energy infrastructure.

Videos shared on social media depicted multiple blazes across Odesa.

Regional governor Oleh Kiper reported that the drones hit a high-rise residential building, a shopping center, and various infrastructure targets.

On Friday, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of blowing up a Russian gas pumping station in a border area where Ukrainian troops have been retreating, amid talks over a proposed US-backed moratorium on attacks on energy infrastructure.

Video footage showed a blaze at the Sudzha facility, located inside Russia near the Ukrainian border. This area had been captured by Ukrainian forces last year but has mostly been regained by Moscow in recent weeks, with Russian troops pushing Ukrainians out of Sudzha last week.

Russia’s defense ministry claimed Ukraine blew up the pumping station during its retreat, calling it a violation of the energy infrastructure moratorium agreed upon in a call between Presidents Putin and Trump.

In response, Kyiv accused Russia of staging the explosion as a provocation and labeled Moscow’s claims as false.

Putin had previously agreed to pause attacks on energy facilities during the call, rejecting a proposal for a broader 30-day ceasefire, which Kyiv said it would consider if formalized in talks.

Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a case for what it termed “an act of terrorism” that caused significant damage to the facility, which once transported gas to Europe. The Ukrainian military alleged that Russian forces shelled the facility in a false flag operation.

Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, dismissed Russia’s narrative, asserting that attempts to mislead the international community would fail.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the notion of Russia destroying its own infrastructure “absurd,” while reaffirming that the temporary halt on energy attacks remained in effect, suggesting Ukraine cannot be trusted.

With inputs from agencies