The drone strike comes forward of a extremely anticipated name between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia on Could 18 launched its most vital and widespread drone assault on Ukraine because the begin of the struggle, leveling houses and leaving not less than one lady lifeless, mentioned Ukraine officers.
Ukraine’s intelligence service mentioned it believes Russia had deliberate to fireside an intercontinental ballistic missile in a while Sunday as a present of power towards the West forward of potential peace talks. Moscow didn’t provide an instantaneous response to Ukraine’s allegation.
In an effort to clean over relations with the US following February’s disastrous conflict within the Oval Workplace, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Rome on Sunday throughout Pope Leo’s inauguration at Vatican Metropolis.
Zelenskyy described it as a “good” assembly between the 2 nations’ officers and launched photos of all of them sitting at an out of doors desk whereas smiling. The sit-down lasted 40 minutes, in accordance with Ukrainian media.
“I reaffirmed that Ukraine is able to be engaged in actual diplomacy and underscored the significance of a full and unconditional cease-fire as quickly as attainable,” Zelenskyy mentioned.
After Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass at Vatican Metropolis, Zelenskyy met the brand new pontiff.
On Friday, Ukraine and Russia had their first in-person negotiations after greater than three years of struggle, dealing with strain from Trump to ratify a cease-fire. Trump has repeatedly vowed to convey the pricey struggle to a fast conclusion.
Each nations supplied to trade 1,000 prisoners however didn’t attain a remaining settlement following Moscow’s insistence on situations {that a} Ukrainian delegation member described as “non-starters.”
“Definitely, the primary peace provide that the Russians placed on the desk, our response was, ‘You’re asking for an excessive amount of.’ However that is how negotiations unfold,” Vance mentioned.
European Leaders to Speak With Trump Forward of Putin Name
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz mentioned on Sunday that he and the leaders of Britain, France, and Poland deliberate to talk with Trump earlier than the U.S. president’s Monday cellphone name with Putin.
Final week, the 4 European leaders visited Kyiv and known as for making use of new sanctions on Moscow except Putin agrees to a cease-fire. Zelenskyy mentioned the leaders joined him throughout a Friday cellphone name with Trump after the Russia–Ukraine negotiations wrapped.
“The themes of the decision will likely be, stopping the ‘massacre’ that’s killing, on common, greater than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian troopers every week, and commerce,” Trump wrote in a social media publish.
Tom Ozimek, Andrew Thornebrooke, and Reuters contributed to this report.