Russian attacks kill six in Ukraine as Kyiv and Moscow hold to opposing ceasefire positions
Strikes hit Kyiv infrastructure and the Donetsk region after Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump discussed a possible energy ceasefire, but reached no agreement.
Russian attacks killed at least six people in Ukraine on Wednesday, according to local and regional officials: two in Kyiv and four in the front-line Donetsk region. Officials also reported more than 30 people injured in Kyiv.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a drone hit a nine-storey non-residential building, a business centre and warehouses. Ukrnafta said one of its petrol stations was struck, while the railway operator’s chief executive said railway infrastructure was attacked and one worker injured.
The strikes followed Tuesday’s meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. They discussed a possible ceasefire covering energy-related targets, but Zelenskyy said no agreement was reached.
Zelenskyy said he was open to any format for an energy ceasefire if Russia stopped attacking Ukrainian infrastructure. He also sought more US Patriot air defence missiles ahead of an expected increase in Russian attacks on energy infrastructure during winter.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were no current prerequisites for peace negotiations. He said a summit would be premature before expert-level groundwork and reiterated that any meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy would require Zelenskyy to travel to Moscow. Ukraine has rejected Moscow as a venue and called for talks in a neutral country.
The attacks came hours after the leaders’ discussion; the supplied reporting does not establish a connection between the two.
