Russia attacks Ukraine again – the new plan seems much more positive for Kiev
Despite diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Russia launched another serious attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. According to authorities, seven people were killed in the attack on Tuesday night. Discussions regarding US plans for Ukraine, first presented last week, continue. Knowledgeable Ukrainian government circles report that the latest version is much more accommodating towards Kiev.
Russia has launched another massive attack on the Ukrainian capital. Among other things, a multi-storey residential building was hit and a fire broke out. Residents sought shelter in subway stations, AFP journalists reported. According to police and rescue workers, 19 people were injured.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said there had been a “massive” attack on energy infrastructure. In total, Russia attacked Ukraine during the night with more than 460 drones and 22 missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Russia, for its part, reported massive airstrikes against Ukraine. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said nearly 250 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight. At least three people died in Russia’s Growth region, according to the local governor. The governor of the neighboring Krasnodar region spoke about one of the worst attacks in Ukraine since the start of the war.
This latest attack comes amid diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine. US President Trump expressed optimism about an imminent breakthrough. “I think we’re close to a deal,” he said at the White House at the traditional turkey pardon before the family holiday of Thanksgiving. Trump later said on the online service Truth Social that he had sent his special envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia again.
Trump spokesman Leavitt wrote on the online service X that the US had made “substantial progress towards a peace agreement”. At the same time, he referred to “complicated but not insurmountable” points that still need to be clarified.
According to information from Ukrainian government circles, the latest draft of the agreement is now much more favorable for Ukraine than the first version presented a week ago. As the AFP news agency learned from a senior Ukrainian representative, the future Ukrainian army will be allowed to have a troop size of 800,000 – “roughly what it is now.” The first draft of the US plan included an upper limit of 600,000 troops.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, talks between representatives of Russia and the United States that began on Monday continued in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. A spokesman for the US Defense Secretary involved, Dan Driscoll, said things were going “well” and the US side remained “optimistic”. A senior Ukrainian government official explained that, as he understood it, the US side was presenting a “draft revised framework” for the Ukraine agreement to the Russian representative in Abu Dhabi.
According to information from the Financial Times, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, also traveled to Abu Dhabi. The Kremlin initially would not confirm or deny the talks.
Delegations from the United States, Ukraine and several European countries, including Germany, held talks in Geneva on Sunday on America’s proposed 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine. They agreed to change the plan. The original version went a long way in meeting Moscow’s key demands.
Against this backdrop, the “Coalition of the Will” consisting of Ukraine’s European allies and other state partners met for a videoconference. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also took part in the meeting. “We need strong transatlantic cooperation,” added von der Leyen.
French President Emmanuel Macron said after the broadcast that the exchange showed, among other things, that Russia is currently “clearly not ready for a ceasefire.” Macron cited information from “several participants” who reported at the conference about their “direct exchanges with Russia, especially with President Putin.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine at a “Coalition of the Will” meeting in Istanbul. Türkiye is already in contact with both parties for this purpose, the Turkish presidency said.
Erdogan received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara last week, and on Monday he called Russian President Putin. Türkiye has repeatedly mediated between the warring parties since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began in February 2022.
AFP
