Ukraine hit by multiple Russian strikes amid US-led push for end to war

As diplomatic efforts to extremity the grinding warfare successful Ukraine accelerate successful Washington, determination has been nary let-up successful the warring arsenic Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles successful an overnight onslaught connected the country, the Ukrainian aerial unit said.

Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said Russia had targeted vigor facilities successful the cardinal Poltava region, location to Ukraine’s lone lipid refinery, causing large fires connected Tuesday.

The onslaught was the largest this month, and came a time aft United States President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders astatine the White House for talks connected his bid efforts.

Russia and Ukraine besides said they swapped much bodies of their fallen soldiers connected Tuesday arsenic portion of deals reached during bid talks successful Istanbul earlier this year.

“Today, we handed implicit 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers to the Ukrainian side. They gave america 19,” Russian statesmanlike adjutant Vladimir Medinsky, who led Russia’s delegation during the 3 rounds of talks facilitated by Türkiye, said connected Telegram.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War confirmed receiving the bodies of 1,000 of its servicemen, expressing gratitude to the International Committee of the Red Cross for assisting successful the swap.

Moscow and Kyiv conducted 3 rounds of renewed bid talks successful Istanbul – connected May 16, June 2, and July 23 – which produced large captive swaps, but small other too draught memorandums outlining positions of some sides, that the different wouldn’t accept, for a imaginable bid deal

Peace efforts reached an precocious signifier aft past week’s summit betwixt Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin successful Alaska, and past a follow-up betwixt Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders successful Washington connected Monday.

Major sticking points of the bid talks are said to beryllium imaginable onshore swaps and information guarantees for Ukraine.

Ukraine and its European supporters person repeatedly called for a ceasefire portion bid talks are held.

Putin has balked astatine that prospect. With his forces inching guardant successful Ukraine, helium has small inducement to frost their movement.

Ahead of his gathering with the Russian person past week, Trump threatened Russia with “severe consequences” if it didn’t judge a ceasefire. Afterward, helium dropped that request and said it was champion to absorption connected a broad bid woody – arsenic Putin has pushed for.

Security guarantees?

To hold to a bid woody with Russia, Ukraine wants assurances that it tin deter immoderate aboriginal attacks by the Kremlin’s forces. That means, Zelenskyy says, a beardown Ukrainian service that is provided with weapons and grooming by Western partners.

It could perchance besides mean offering Ukraine a warrant resembling NATO’s corporate defence mandate Article 5, which stipuilates an onslaught connected 1 subordinate of the confederation arsenic an onslaught connected all. How that would enactment is not clear.

Additionally, Kyiv’s European allies are looking to acceptable up a unit that could backstop immoderate bid statement successful Ukraine. A  “Coalition of the Willing”,  30 countries, including European nations, Japan and Australia, person signed up to enactment the initiative, though the relation that the US mightiness play successful specified a unit is inactive to beryllium determined.

European leaders, fearing Moscow’s territorial ambitions won’t halt successful Ukraine, are keen to fastener America’s subject mightiness into the plan.

Trump said he’ll assistance supply extortion but stopped abbreviated of committing American boots connected the crushed to the effort, alternatively promising US “coordination”.

Russia has repeatedly rejected the thought of specified a force, saying that it volition not judge NATO troops successful Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron co-chaired an online gathering Tuesday of the conjugation countries. Once officials person discussed proposals successful much detail, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said, a virtual gathering volition instrumentality spot with Trump and European leaders.

Zelenskyy and European leaders said that Putin has demanded that Ukraine springiness up the Donbas, an concern portion successful eastbound Ukraine comprising Donetsk and Luhansk, that has seen immoderate of the astir aggravated warring but that Russian forces person failed to seizure completely.

Moscow’s forces besides inhabit Crimea arsenic good arsenic parts of six different regions it annexed– each adding up to astir one-fifth of Ukraine. The planetary assemblage broadly rejects Russian beingness successful these areas.

Anna Mateveya, a visiting probe chap astatine Kings College London, says a breakthrough successful offering information guarantees to Ukraine is indispensable to pave the mode for territorial swaps.

“Security guarantees was a mode to springiness thing to the Europeans … truthful that they person immoderate benignant of nutrient to chew portion Trump is making immoderate existent advancement with Zelenskyy and Putin connected a abstracted track,” Mateveya told Al Jazeera.

“Putin, apparently, has agreed connected immoderate Western information guarantees, and I deliberation that is simply a breakthrough,” she added.

Meanwhile, Trump said connected Tuesday helium hoped Putin would determination guardant connected ending the warfare successful Ukraine but conceded that the Kremlin person whitethorn not privation to marque a woody astatine all, adding this would make a “rough situation” for Putin.

In an interrogation with the Fox News “Fox & Friends” programme, Trump said of Putin’s people of action: “We’re going to find retired astir President Putin successful the adjacent mates of weeks … It’s imaginable that helium doesn’t privation to marque a deal,” said Trump.

Russia has made nary explicit committedness to a gathering betwixt Putin and Zelenskyy, thing Trump projected astatine the talks connected Monday. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said connected Tuesday that Moscow did not cull immoderate formats for discussing the bid process successful Ukraine but immoderate gathering of nationalist leaders “must beryllium prepared with utmost thoroughness”.

Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javid, reporting from Moscow, besides said that Russia has not ruled retired the anticipation of a “bilateral oregon trilateral meeting”, thing that was discussed with European leaders and Zelenskyy.

Moscow said the White House is “sincere successful its efforts”, Bin Javid said. “It appears … everybody does not privation to choler the Trump White House, they each privation to play along,” helium added.