Russia pounds Ukraine, kills more civilians before White House meeting

Russian attacks connected large Ukrainian cities person killed astatine slightest 12 radical arsenic President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits Washington, DC, supported by European leaders, for high-stakes bid talks with United States President Donald Trump that could find Ukraine’s aboriginal and its destiny successful the war, present successful its 4th year.

An full family, including a toddler and a 16-year-old, were among 7 radical killed successful an overnight drone onslaught connected a residential neighbourhood successful the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv, authorities said connected Monday. The onslaught besides injured 20 people, including six children.

Russian forces killed 5 radical and injured 4 successful attacks successful eastbound Ukraine’s Donetsk region, wherever immoderate of the fiercest warring connected the crushed rages connected and wherever Russian President Vladimir Putin, feeling Moscow has the precocious hand, seeks Ukraine’s withdrawal from the 3rd of the portion Kyiv inactive controls.

In Zaporizhzhia, a metropolis successful the southeast, 17 radical were injured successful an attack, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov. Russian aerial raids besides targeted the northeastern portion of Sumy and the confederate portion of Odesa.

Ukraine’s aerial unit said Russian forces launched 140 drones and 4 missiles astatine Ukraine overnight, adding that 88 drones had been downed.

Russia has been intensifying its combat successful Ukraine. According to the United Nations monitoring ngo connected Ukraine, astir 2,600 drone attacks were recorded successful the past month, the highest complaint since the opening of the war, and much than 300 civilians were killed.

The Russian drone onslaught connected a residential neighbourhood successful Kharkiv besides injured 20 people, six of whom were children [Handout/State Emergency Service of Ukraine successful Kharkiv via Reuters]

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s subject said connected Monday that its drones had struck an oil-pumping presumption successful the Tambov region, a onslaught 1,923km (1,195 miles) from Ukraine, starring to the suspension of supplies via the Druzhba pipeline.

“As a effect of the strike, a occurrence broke retired astatine the facility. Oil pumping done the Druzhba main lipid pipeline was wholly stopped,” the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said successful a statement.

In Russia’s borderline portion of Belgorod, 4 radical were injured successful a Ukrainian drone onslaught portion Russian officials reported shooting down hundreds of drones and munitions.

Negotiating an extremity to the war

Zelenskyy called the latest attacks connected Ukraine “demonstrative and cynical”. “Putin volition perpetrate demonstrative killings to support unit connected Ukraine and Europe, arsenic good arsenic to humiliate diplomatic efforts,” helium wrote connected X.

Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Kyiv, said Zelenskyy saw the sidesplitting of civilians arsenic a strategy aimed astatine giving Trump much bargaining chips with which to unit Ukraine into accepting an unfavourable bid deal.

“This shows however overmuch unit Zelenskyy is nether arsenic helium goes into … perchance the astir captious diplomatic effort to extremity this war,” Stratford said.

Zelenskyy connected Monday was expected to conscionable Trump for talks astatine the White House alongside a cadre of heavyweight European leaders, including European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. On the array for treatment are imaginable onshore concessions arsenic good arsenic NATO-like information guarantees that Ukraine requires for immoderate bid woody with Russia.

To date, Zelenskyy has refused to consider the anticipation of ceding Ukrainian territory to bring astir peace. It is besides forbidden nether the Ukrainian Constitution,

The gathering comes connected the heels of a summit betwixt Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Friday that ended with nary wide breakthrough connected the warfare successful Ukraine.

Military expert Sean Bell said helium had small anticipation that a bid woody would travel retired of the talks successful Washington, DC, either. “The harsh world is that unless Putin has achieved his objectives, he’s got nary appetite for negotiations,” Bell told Al Jazeera.

“If President Zelenskyy is doing each the giving, that’s successful effect a surrender. Zelenskyy can’t bash that,” helium continued. At the aforesaid time, Bell said helium did not expect Russia to judge a woody that entails NATO-like information guarantees for Ukraine.

Bell said a “catalyst” was needed to bring the warfare to a close, the astir effectual of which helium believed to beryllium Trump’s stiff tariffs connected buyers of Russian lipid and gas, similar India. The US president threatened to enact these secondary sanctions but has truthful acold refrained from putting caller unit connected Russia’s fossil substance export revenues.

“The information that Trump has avoided doing that means the sidesplitting is going to continue,” Bell said.

Strength and information successful numbers look to beryllium factors successful the radical sojourn by European leaders with memories inactive caller astir the hostile reception Zelenskyy received successful February from Trump and US Vice President JD Vance successful a nationalist White House dressing-down. They castigated the Ukrainian person arsenic being ungrateful and “disrespectful”.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies