Russia bombards Ukraine as US says progress made in talks with Kyiv

Russia has launched a significant aerial bombardment in opposition to Ukrainian infrastructure targets as talks between the US and Ukraine in Florida are set to enter a 3rd day.

In a single day Russia launched 653 drones and 51 missiles, most of which have been downed, authorities stated. One strike hit a railway hub on the city of Fastiv exterior Kyiv, destroying the primary station constructing and damaging rolling inventory.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the assault had been “meaningless from a army viewpoint, and the Russians couldn’t have been unaware of this”.

Earlier US and Ukrainian negotiators urged Russia to point out a “critical dedication to long-term peace” after talks in Moscow failed to supply a breakthrough.

Moscow has intensified assaults on Ukraine’s vitality sector and infrastructure in current weeks.

On Saturday Ukraine’s vitality ministry stated Russian assaults had hit vitality amenities in eight areas, inflicting blackouts.

In the meantime the UN’s nuclear watchdog stated the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant briefly misplaced all exterior energy in a single day – the eleventh time this has occurred since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.

The Russian defence ministry stated it had launched a “huge strike” in response to what it known as Ukrainian assaults on civilian targets.

“Russia continues to ignore any peace efforts and as a substitute strikes essential civilian infrastructure,” Ukrainian International Minister Andrii Sybiha stated.

“This reveals that no selections to strengthen Ukraine and lift stress on Russia will be delayed. And particularly not beneath the pretext of peace course of,” he added.

In Florida, a press release posted by US particular envoy Steve Witkoff stated two days of talks with Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s nationwide safety council, had been “constructive”.

Witkoff and Umerov “agreed on the framework of safety preparations” that would such an settlement and “mentioned crucial deterrence capabilities to maintain a long-lasting peace”, their assertion stated with out giving particulars.

The prospect of ending the battle relied on Russia’s readiness to take “steps in the direction of de-escalation and cessation of killing”, the assertion added.

The negotiations, that are additionally attended by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, will proceed for a 3rd day on Saturday.

The Florida talks noticed Ukraine’s workforce briefed on a current assembly between Witkoff, Trump’s most senior abroad envoy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Witkoff spent nearly 5 hours with Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, after which the Kremlin stated “no compromise” had been reached on a draft US peace plan.

The Kremlin stated Putin was able to proceed assembly the People “as many occasions as wanted”, however Ukraine and its allies in Europe have known as into query the Russian chief’s dedication to ending the battle.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated he needed to “acquire full details about what was stated in Moscow and what different pretexts Putin has provide you with to tug out the battle”.

Kyiv pushed for revisions to the preliminary US peace plan, which was broadly seen as beneficial to Moscow when an preliminary model leaked to the media. An up to date model has not been shared publicly.

Main factors of rivalry stay between the 2 sides, together with safety ensures for Ukraine post-war and territorial concessions.

Russia presently controls roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, together with swathes of the Donbas space within the east – made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk areas.

In an interview with India Right this moment on Friday, Putin warned Ukrainian troops to withdraw absolutely from the area this week, saying Russia would in any other case “liberate these [Donbas] territories by power”.

Kyiv and its European allies consider the best option to deter Russia from attacking once more sooner or later could be to grant Ukraine membership of Nato, or to supply complete safety ensures.

Russia is staunchly opposed, whereas Trump too has repeatedly signalled he has no intention of letting Ukraine be a part of the army alliance.

The prospect of Ukraine becoming a member of Nato was a “key query” that was tackled in Moscow, the Kremlin stated on Wednesday.

Trump stated these talks have been “fairly good”, but it surely was too quickly to say what would occur as “it does take two to tango”.