Russian Strikes in Donetsk Leave Three Dead
At least three individuals lost their lives in Russian strikes in Donetsk, according to the region’s governor. While significant portions of the territory along the Russian border remain under Moscow’s military control, Ukraine continues to hold crucial defensive positions in the area. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently demanded that Ukraine relinquish full control of Donetsk as part of a potential peace agreement, reports 24brussels.
In a separate incident in Zaporizhzhia, local authorities reported that a child was killed and several others sustained injuries in a Russian attack. Meanwhile, an overnight bombardment in Odesa ignited a fire at an energy facility, exacerbating the ongoing crisis.
This wave of assaults occurred just two days after Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska to discuss possibilities for ending the conflict, marking the first face-to-face meeting between the Russian leader and a U.S. president since the onset of full-scale hostilities in February 2022.
“We have always considered and continue to consider the Ukrainian people our brothers and sisters,” Putin stated during the summit, labeling the war he initiated three and a half years ago—a conflict responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainians—as a “tragedy.”
As these events unfold, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to arrive in Washington on Monday for discussions with Trump, accompanied by a notable delegation of European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
On his social media platform, Trump urged Zelenskyy to accept a negotiated resolution to the conflict, proposing the cession of Crimea and the exclusion of NATO membership from discussions, notably without mentioning Putin. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump asserted.