Russian Strikes Kill Four in Ukraine Hours After Putin Meets US Envoy
Russian Missile Barrage Follows US-Russia Talks
Russian ballistic missiles struck a dozen Ukrainian regions overnight, killing at least four civilians including two women in a crowded market and wounding dozens more, hours after US envoy Steve Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin to discuss resuming peace talks. [5] The strikes hit residential houses, energy sites, shops, cafes and a monastery in Kyiv, where two people were killed and more than 30 wounded. [1] Additional deaths occurred in Kharkiv region and a man was injured in Bucha district. [5] The attacks began almost immediately after Witkoff and Putin held hours-long talks in Saint Petersburg. [2] The Kremlin expressed willingness for trilateral talks next month but dismissed new ideas from Witkoff. [1]
Zelenskyy: Strikes Show No Change in Kremlin Position
Zelenskyy stated the attacks showed there has been no real change in Russia’s attitude toward the war and accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians, including with cluster munitions. [1] He scoffed at the US envoy’s description of the Russian leader as a humanitarian. [2] Zelenskyy warned of more strikes to come and said Moscow is taking advantage of slowed air-defense supplies from partners. [1] The Ukrainian leader accused Russia of failing to change its position on the war. [2]
Civilian Impact Across Multiple Regions
The strikes hit residential houses, energy sites, shops, cafes and a monastery in Kyiv, where two people were killed and more than 30 wounded. [1] Two women aged 50 and 60 were killed and dozens more people were wounded in an attack on a crowded market in the eastern city of Lozova. [2] Another person was killed in other strikes on Kharkiv region. [5] A man was injured in a strike near a shop in the Bucha district. [3] All families and children were ordered to evacuate frontline towns Kramatorsk and Sloviansk after recent attacks killed dozens of civilians. [1] Power cuts are scheduled for Friday in some regions due to damage to energy facilities. [4]
Diplomatic Developments and Russian Demands
The Kremlin expressed willingness for trilateral talks next month but dismissed new ideas from Witkoff. [1] Putin said talks would focus on security arrangements for a final peace deal rather than a short truce. [1] Trump sought an optimistic tone and said negotiators were maybe now the closest they have been to ending the war. [2] Russia is demanding Ukraine pull out of territory in the eastern Donetsk region that it still controls and wants sweeping political and military restrictions on the size of its army and Western alliances. [1] Ukraine rejects the demands as tantamount to a capitulation that would leave it exposed to a fresh attack. [2]
Ukrainian Retaliation and Calls for More Air Defenses
Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack that wounded two in the Moscow region. [1] Zelenskyy warned of more strikes and said Moscow is taking advantage of slowed air-defense supplies from partners. [2] Ukraine has repeatedly called on its allies to supply it with advanced US-made Patriot interceptors. [1] In Brussels, NATO said it was allowing Ukraine to buy weapons through the alliance’s central procurement agency on a case-by-case basis. [2]
Broader War Context
Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in what it hoped would be a swift attack to topple Zelensky and seize land. [1] Instead it has become bogged down in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II. [2] Hundreds of thousands have been killed, millions forced from their homes and much of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed. [1] Several rounds of trilateral talks over the last 18 months have failed to move the sides closer to a deal. [2] Putin has consistently rejected face-to-face talks with Zelensky and insisted Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine either through a deal or on the battlefield. [1]
What to watch next: Moscow said a summit between Trump, Putin and China’s Xi was being prepared in China for next month, while technical-level talks would continue between all three sides.
