Putin Accuses Ukraine of Bridge Attack After Spurning Peace Talks

(The Post News)- Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4 cast doubt on the viability of ongoing peace talks with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of orchestrating deadly attacks on Russian infrastructure that killed seven people and wounded at least 115 others.

In a televised meeting with senior officials, Putin pointed to the overnight collapse of two bridges in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions on May 31, which Russian authorities have labeled as terrorist acts. One of the explosions reportedly occurred just as a passenger train carrying nearly 400 people passed beneath a bridge in Bryansk.

“The current Kyiv regime does not need peace at all,” Putin said. “What is there to talk about? How can we negotiate with those who rely on terror?” He further claimed that Ukraine is “degenerating into a terrorist organization,” accusing Western backers of becoming “accomplices of terrorists.”

Putin’s remarks appeared to close the door on Kyiv’s recent push for an immediate and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, proposed during peace talks in Istanbul on June 2. Ukraine has maintained that a full cessation of hostilities is necessary to avoid further civilian casualties and to create space for meaningful dialogue.

Russia, however, countered with a limited offer: a temporary two-to-three-day truce in select front-line areas to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers, according to Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the proposal as inadequate. “They are ready for a 2–3-day ceasefire to retrieve the dead… I think they’re idiots,” Zelensky said during a virtual press conference. “Fundamentally, a ceasefire is meant so that there are no dead.”

Putin rejected any long-term pause in the fighting, arguing that it would only allow Ukraine time to rearm with Western-supplied weapons and intensify mobilization efforts. “Why reward them by giving them a break from combat,” he asked, accusing Kyiv of exploiting ceasefires for tactical advantage.

Interestingly, during the same cabinet meeting, Putin made no mention of Ukraine’s recent successful drone strikes deep inside Russian territory. On June 1, Ukrainian forces reportedly targeted four strategic airfields Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo, and Belaya damaging or destroying dozens of long-range bombers and surveillance aircraft as part of the covert Operation Spiderweb.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) confirmed that 41 aircraft were hit, including rare A-50 spy planes and heavy bombers used in missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. The damage, estimated at $7 billion, marks one of the most significant blows to Russia’s air capabilities since the start of the full-scale war.

Bryansk and Kursk, the Russian regions hit by bridge explosions, both border Ukraine and have frequently come under attack since the war began. The recent incidents have further intensified the security crisis, raising concerns that the window for meaningful diplomatic negotiations may be closing fast.