Russian forces launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine early on Monday following Kyiv’s alleged assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin last week, officials said amid a diplomatic summit in France. The drone strikes killed two people and injured three others, Kyiv’s state emergency services said.
According to sources, the latest attacks caused power disruptions in several areas with backup systems activated to maintain heating supplies as temperatures plunged to minus 8 degrees Celsius in Kyiv.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a peace deal to end the war with Russia was 90 per cent ready. Security advisers from 15 countries, including Britain, France and Germany, as well as representatives from NATO and the European Union, gathered in Paris over the weekend to discuss possible security guarantees for Ukraine.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff also joined the talks virtually, a Ukrainian official said. However, the US’s large-scale military operation against Venezuela had overshadowed the proceedings. Another meeting between the chiefs of staff of these countries is scheduled for later on Monday.
According to recent estimates, Russia currently occupies almost 20 per cent of Ukraine’s territory and is pushing to establish full control over the Donbas region. Last week, Zelenskyy said he was ready to sign a peace accord with Russia, but that ceding territory would not be on the agenda. In response, Russia has threatened to annex more of Ukraine by military force if Kyiv does not agree to the territorial concessions.
Asked about it on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that "something" had happened near Putin's residence, but that, after reviewing the evidence, American officials did not believe it had been targeted by Ukraine. "I don't believe that strike happened," Trump said in response to a reporter's question aboard Air Force One.
Russia has also accused Kyiv of firing drones at a hotel and café in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region early on Thursday, killing what it claimed were 28 people celebrating the New Year. Ukraine says it was a legitimate military target.
Also read: Russia alleges more drone attacks by Ukraine on NYE
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