KYIV, Ukraine — Russia and Ukraine traded heavy aerial blows in a single day, with either side on Saturday reporting greater than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories.
The assaults comes lower than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to debate particulars of the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire within the warfare with Ukraine.
What You Want To Know
- Russia and Ukraine have traded heavy aerial blows with either side reporting greater than 100 enemy drones over their respective territories in a single day
- In Russia, falling drone particles sparked a blaze near a Lukoil oil refinery within the Volgograd area early Saturday, whereas Kyiv mentioned it had additionally repelled a barrage of greater than 175 drones
- The assaults comes lower than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to debate particulars of the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire within the warfare with Ukraine
Putin advised a press convention on Thursday that he supported a truce in precept however set out a number of particulars that should be clarified earlier than it’s agreed. Kyiv has already endorsed the truce proposal, though Ukrainian officers have publicly raised doubts as as to whether Moscow will decide to such a deal.
Talking to reporters in Kyiv on Saturday, after digital talks between Western allies hosted by U.Okay. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelenskyy voiced Ukraine’s assist for the 30-day full ceasefire proposal to debate a longer-term peace plan, however mentioned Russia would try to derail talks with circumstances and “buts”.
Starmer has advised allies to “preserve the stress” on Putin to again a ceasefire in Ukraine, hailing Ukraine because the “occasion of peace.” Starmer mentioned Putin will “eventually” must “come to the desk.
In a press release earlier on Saturday, Zelenskyy had accused Moscow of increase forces alongside the border.
“The construct up of Russian forces signifies that Moscow intends to maintain ignoring diplomacy. It’s clear that Russia is prolonging the warfare,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, Zelenskyy confused that if Russia didn’t agree with the U.S. proposal there could be “particular, harsh and simple” response from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
He additionally mentioned that Kyiv’s troops have been sustaining their presence in Russia’s Kursk area after Trump mentioned Friday that “1000’s” of Ukrainian troops had been surrounded by the Russian navy.
“The operation of our forces within the designated areas of the Kursk area continues,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “Our troops proceed to carry again Russian and North Korean groupings within the Kursk area. There is no such thing as a encirclement of our troops.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke Saturday with Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov. Within the name, they mentioned subsequent steps to observe up on current conferences in Saudi Arabia and agreed to proceed working in the direction of restoring communication between the US and Russia, State Division spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned in a press release.
Ukraine’s air pressure mentioned Saturday that Russia had launched a barrage of 178 drones and two ballistic missiles over the nation in a single day. The assault was a mix of Shahed-type drones and imitation drones designed to confuse air defenses. Some 130 drones have been shot down, whereas 38 extra failed to succeed in their targets.
Russia attacked vitality services, inflicting important harm, putting vitality infrastructure within the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa areas, Ukraine’s non-public vitality firm DTEK mentioned in a press release on Saturday. Some residents have been left with out electrical energy.
“The harm is important. Power staff are already engaged on the bottom. We’re doing every thing doable to revive energy to properties as quickly as doable,” the vitality agency mentioned.
Falling drone particles in Russia’s Volgograd area sparked a fireplace within the Krasnoarmeysky district of the town, near a Lukoil oil refinery, in response to Gov. Andrei Bocharov, who offered no additional particulars. Close by airports briefly halted flights, native media shops reported. No casualties have been reported.
The Volgograd refinery has been focused by Kyiv’s forces on a number of events since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine greater than three years in the past, most not too long ago in a drone assault on Feb. 15.
