Things to know about the limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine brokered by the US

KYIV: Ukraine accused Russia of committing a “war crime” during its weekend attack on the city of Kharkiv, as the US-backed ceasefire efforts continue to prove elusive.
Six strikes hit the northeastern border city overnight Saturday into Sunday, wounding personnel undergoing treatment at a military hospital and killing at least two people in a residential building, according to Ukrainian officials.
A spokesperson for the Kharkiv regional prosecutor’s office, Dmytro Chubenko, confirmed two deaths and said another 30 people were wounded, including children.
According to the emergency medical services, the “massive attack” reduced one home to a fiery ruin and damaged other houses, office buildings, cars and garages.
The Ukrainian army said that a military hospital building and nearby residential buildings “were damaged by a Shahed drone.”
“According to preliminary reports, there are casualties among the military personnel who were undergoing treatment at the medical center,” it added.
Kyiv does not typically reveal information on military casualties and did not say how many soldiers were wounded.
It accused Russia of having carried out a “war crime” and “violating the norms of international humanitarian law.”
'Real pressure'
The latest deadly strikes come as US President Donald Trump’s administration pushes for a speedy end to the more than three-year war, holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine.
Moscow has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire, while Ukraine has accused Russia of dragging out talks with no intention of halting its offensive.
“For too long now, America’s proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table without an adequate response from Russia,” Zelensky said in his evening address on Saturday.
“There could already be a ceasefire if there was real pressure on Russia,” he added, thanking those countries “who understand this” and have stepped up sanctions pressure on the Kremlin.
Both Moscow and Kyiv agreed to the concept of a Black Sea truce following talks with US officials earlier this week, but Russia said the deal would not enter into force until the West lifted certain sanctions.
Rapprochement between Washington and Moscow since Trump’s return to office and his threats to stop supporting Kyiv have bolstered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s confidence.
On the battlefield, his defense ministry claimed Saturday to have captured two Ukrainian villages: Shchebraki in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Panteleimonivka in the eastern Donetsk region.
Putin has meanwhile called for a “transitional administration” as part of the peace process, reiterating his long-standing desire to oust Zelensky and install a more Moscow-friendly government in Kyiv.
Putin, in power for 25 years and repeatedly elected in votes with no competition, has repeatedly questioned Zelensky’s “legitimacy” as Ukrainian president, after his initial five-year mandate ended in May 2024.
Under Ukrainian law, elections are suspended during times of major military conflict, and Zelensky’s domestic opponents have all said no ballots should be held until after the conflict.

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that he “couldn’t care less” if automakers increase car prices for Americans in the wake of his imposition of import tariffs.
There have been reports that Trump threatened auto executives with reprisals if prices jump, but he told NBC News that increasing prices would simply help US-based manufacturers.
“I couldn’t care less. I hope they raise their prices, because if they do, people are gonna buy American-made cars. We have plenty,” he told NBC host Kristen Welker.
On Thursday, Trump imposed a blanket 25 percent import tariff on cars and light trucks made outside the United States, due to take effect on April 3.
Tariffs will be delayed for car parts from countries covered by US trade pact with Mexico and Canada as officials try to disentangle the mixed supply chain.
But otherwise Trump intends for the import levy to be permanent, in order to boost US production and, in his view, save the American auto industry.
Despite his boosterism, however, share prices of the biggest US automakers have suffered and experts have warned that price rises will hit American consumers.
Asked by NBC News what his message would be to worried auto executives, Trump said: “The message is ‘congratulations.’“
“If you make your car in the United States, you’re going to make a lot of money.”