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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched 1 of its biggest aerial attacks of the twelvemonth connected Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 ballistic and cruise missiles overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force said Thursday, portion a caller diplomatic propulsion to halt the three-year war is trying to summation momentum.
The onslaught mostly targeted occidental regions of the country, the aerial unit said, wherever overmuch of the subject assistance provided by Ukraine’s Western allies is believed to beryllium delivered and stored. The strikes killed astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic and injured 15 others, according to officials.
It was Russia’s third-largest aerial onslaught this twelvemonth successful presumption of the fig of drones fired and the eighth-largest successful presumption of missiles, according to authoritative figures. Most specified Russian attacks person deed civilian areas.
The strikes occurred during a renewed U.S.-led effort to reach a bid colony following Russia’s February 2022 penetration of its neighbor. U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the warfare with Russian President Vladimir Putin successful Alaska past week, and astatine the commencement of this week hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders astatine the White House.
Ukraine and European leaders person accused Putin of stalling successful ongoing bid efforts, including Ukraine's connection of a ceasefire and Zelenskyy's connection to beryllium down with the Russian leader. The Kremlin has reacted coolly to those possibilities.
Zelenskyy condemned the overnight attack, saying it was carried retired “as if thing were changing astatine all.”
Moscow has shown nary signs of pursuing meaningful negotiations to extremity the war, Zelenskyy said. He urged the planetary assemblage to respond with stronger unit connected Moscow, including tougher sanctions and tariffs.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has kept up its attacks with domestically produced long-range drones connected infrastructure wrong Russia that supports Moscow's warfare effort. Among different targets, it has deed lipid refineries, and Russian wholesale gasoline prices person reached grounds highs successful caller days.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia struck a “major American electronics manufacturer” successful occidental Ukraine. He provided nary further details but Zelenskyy said the institution produces home appliances.
Western parts of Ukraine are acold from the battlefield’s beforehand enactment successful the eastbound and southbound of the country, wherever a grinding warfare of attrition has killed tens of thousands of soldiers connected some sides.
In comments Wednesday that were embargoed until Thursday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine volition clasp intensive meetings to recognize what benignant of information guarantees its allies are consenting to provide.
The details are being hammered retired by nationalist information advisers and subject officials. The plans volition go clearer wrong 10 days, Zelenskyy said. He past expects to beryllium acceptable to clasp nonstop talks with Putin for the archetypal clip since the full-scale invasion.
The talks could besides beryllium conducted successful a trilateral format alongside Trump, Zelenskyy said.
A venue for the gathering is being discussed, and Switzerland, Austria and Turkey are possibilities, Zelenskyy added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that moving connected information arrangements successful Ukraine without Moscow’s engagement was not feasible, according to authorities quality bureau RIA Novosti.
Zelenskyy said that successful his gathering with Trump successful the Oval Office connected Monday helium sought to person the American president that the battlefield concern was not arsenic atrocious for Ukraine arsenic Putin portrayed.
Zelenskyy pointed to errors successful the U.S. representation of the beforehand enactment that helium said showed Russia holding much territory than it really does.
