In upcoming discussions with Ukraine in Turkiye, Russia has understated any outcome, despite reports that more than 20 people have been injured and one child has been killed in overnight Russian attacks.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, “we don’t have any reason to hope for some miraculous breakthroughs,” this was “hardly possible in the current situation.”
We have the words “we intend to pursue our interests,” “we intend to ensure our interests,” and “we intend to accomplish the goals we have set for ourselves from the beginning.”
Some people were optimistic that negotiations would help bring an end to the conflict that began with Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, following Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement late on Monday that talks would begin. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been holding off on holding talks, which have stalled as a result of Donald Trump’s continued pressure on the United States.
On Wednesday, Istanbul is expected to host the third round of discussions in a while. Prior negotiations resulted in numerous exchanges of dead soldiers and prisoners of war, but no agreement on a ceasefire was reached.
Rustem Umerov, the former defense minister and current security council secretary, will lead Ukraine’s delegation, Zelenskyy announced on social media on Tuesday.
He also outlined potential discussion points and suggested Ukraine was prepared to “secure the release of our people from captivity and the return of abducted children, to stop the killings, and prepare a leaders’ meeting.”
Russia has not yet disclosed the team’s lineup for the discussions. At the previous round, Vladimir Medinsky, the current head of the Russian Union of Writers, led the group, which Ukraine described as not having a real decision-making role.
Peskov, who was questioned on Tuesday if he could provide an idea of the potential timeline for a possible peace agreement, said he could not provide any information on timing.
A day after Zelenskyy called for a meeting with Putin, Peskov continued, “There is a lot of work to be done before we can talk about the possibility of some top-level meetings.”
Russia’s offensive continues despite the upcoming discussions, with its forces battling to pass through the 1, 000km (620-mile) front line at eastern and northeastern locations.
One of Russia’s biggest aerial assaults in months was reported by the Ukrainian air force, which revealed 24 missiles and 426 drones launched overnight. At least 224 Russian drones and missiles were downed or jammed, according to the report, and 203 of them vanished from radars.
According to Mayor Alexander Goncharenko, a 10-year-old boy was killed and five people were hurt in one of the attacks when guided glide bombs struck a residential building in Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine.
Three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, a metropolitan area in Donetsk named Kramatorsk is a part of that region.
In the capital city of Kyiv, a barrage of Russian bombings were also reported, igniting several fires and causing damage to an underground air raid shelter for citizens. No casualties were immediately reported.
Regional authorities claim that the Sumy region of Ukraine has experienced numerous attacks in recent years. Four people were hurt when a drone struck a petrol station in Putyvl, including a five-year-old boy, according to the regional military administration. Seven people were hurt when a second drone hit the same location less than two hours later, injuring another seven.
At least 13 people were hurt in separate attacks by two powerful Russian glide bombs, including a six-year-old boy, and five apartment buildings, two private homes, and a shopping center were all damaged in the attack. According to acting mayor Artem Kobzar, the blasts shattered windows and destroyed balconies in residential buildings.
Putin made a few weeks ago, effectively by occupying the Ukrainian border areas, to declare his intention to establish a “buffer zone” in the Sumy region.
Initial reports of drone attacks in Odesa, a port city in southern Ukraine, claimed the lives of at least one person. According to regional media, fires broke out in a number of locations throughout the city.
Ukraine also launched attacks, with the Ministry of Defense of Russia reporting that 35 Ukrainian long-range drones fell over several areas overnight, including three over the Moscow region.
Source: Aljazeera
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