Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Kharkiv kill four, injure 20
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for an end to the war and suggested direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, with the United States and Europe actively involved.
A fresh wave of Russian missiles and drones tore into Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, killing four people and injuring more than 20, officials said, as authorities in Russia-annexed Crimea reported they were fending off drone attacks.
The bombardment comes after weeks of heavy cross-border strikes by both Russia and Ukraine.
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Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for an end to the war and suggested direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, with the United States and Europe actively involved.
The newest attacks unfolded as Mr Zelensky was on his way back to Kyiv following talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, who said they were prepared to back ceasefire negotiations.
Rescuers survey a business centre damaged in Kharkiv
In the latest strikes on Ukraine, two men and two women were killed in the northeastern town of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram, where he also posted an image of a burning, heavily damaged apartment block.
He said an overnight drone assault on the regional capital, Kharkiv, also left 15 people seeking medical treatment, among them three children.
In a separate Telegram post, Chuhuiv mayor Galina Minaeva said six people in the town had been injured.
In Sevastopol, in Russia-annexed Crimea and home to Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet, air defences were working to repel a drone raid, the local Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said on Telegram.
Reuters could not independently confirm the reports.
CCTV shows the moment of the strike on Zaporizhzhia
Elsewhere, a missile strike on Zaporizhzhia killed two people and wounded 23 others, according to the regional governor.
Over the past month, Russia has struck Ukraine with Oreshnik missiles, while Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have said that improving their positions on the battlefield strengthens their hand diplomatically.
Careful moves to restart peace talks
US-led peace efforts between Ukraine and Russia have largely lost momentum, with Washington focused on finding a resolution to the Iran war.
US and Ukrainian officials are still discussing a possible trip to Kyiv by Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner, potentially in the coming weeks, a source familiar with the matter said.
It would mark the first official visit to Ukraine by the two envoys, who have previously travelled to Moscow for discussions with Russia.
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Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen also told the UN Security Council yesterday that Nordic countries backed Mr Zelensky’s call for an immediate ceasefire and direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In London, Mr Zelensky told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that Ukraine needed additional missiles for its air defence systems.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin was quoted as saying this morning that NATO countries were expanding their presence in areas near Russia and Belarus.
“We remain in a constant state of readiness to employ all means, including nuclear ones, to ensure the security of the Union State,” he told the Izvestia newspaper, referring to apolitical, security and economic alliance between Russia and Belarus.
