Ukraine claims Russia launched its largest strike this month, sending 270 drones and 10 missiles overnight. Air defenses intercepted 230 drones and six missiles, but 40 drones and four missiles struck 16 locations, with debris falling at three more, according to military officials.
The Energy Ministry said oil and gas facilities in Poltava were struck, sparking “large-scale fires.” Regional Gov. Volodymyr Kohut said administrative sites were hit and power was cut to almost 1,500 homes and more than 100 businesses in the Lubny area. He confirmed no injuries.
Kremenchuk’s mayor, Vitalii Maletskyi, said on Telegram that repeated explosions damaged energy and transport facilities, cutting power to residents. He argued Putin does not want peace, “he wants to destroy Ukraine.”
Russia’s response
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported downing 23 Ukrainian drones in the Volgograd, Rostov and Crimea. Gov. Andrey Bocharov said wreckage ignited fires at a refinery and on a hospital roof, but no injuries occurred.
Strikes timed with peace talks
The attacks coincided with White House talks, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump and European leaders met to discuss steps toward ending Russia’s 2022 invasion.
After the meeting, Trump said he phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin and began arranging a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, which a trilateral summit would follow if both sides agreed.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is “ready” for such talks. The Kremlin has not confirmed Putin will attend.
Top aide Yuri Ushakov said Trump and Putin “expressed their support for the continuation of direct negotiations,” suggesting talks could be raised to higher-level representatives.
Competing visions for peace
Trump promised Zelenskyy that Ukraine would receive “very good protection, very good security” under potential guarantees. He later said Putin would accept such guarantees, though Russian officials ruled out NATO troops in Ukraine. Zelenskyy and European leaders emphasized a ceasefire must come before peace talks.
Trump said he favored the concept but added, “I don’t think you need a ceasefire … I can also understand strategically” why one side may reject it.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he doubted Putin’s willingness to negotiate. “As long as he thinks he can win through war, he will do so,” Macron said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said any deal must respect Kyiv’s sovereignty, comparing the situation to “the U.S. having to give up Florida.”
“A sovereign state cannot simply decide something like that. It is a decision that Ukraine must make itself in the course of negotiations,” Merz said.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Craig Nigrelli
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://straightarrownews.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
