Russia bombards Kyiv as war ramps up
France reports first human death linked to Shamonda virus
Saudi Aramco evacuates headquarters, asks staff to WFH
Government and firms rush to patch critical hacking flaw
Russia bombarded Kyiv with ballistic missiles in an hours-long nighttime barrage, while the Russian military said Thursday that its air defences intercepted over 800 drones fired by Ukraine at Moscow and other cities.
At least four people were killed in Ukraine and dozens of others were wounded, officials said, in the attacks that began only hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
The aftermath of a Russian strike on Cherkasy, in Ukraine. Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP
“Russia has not changed the way it wages this war, and it is taking no steps that would signal a genuine desire to end it,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the latest large-scale barrage.
Putin’s consent came in talks in St. Petersburg with US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who had spoken of a “new momentum” toward peace after meeting Tuesday with Zelensky in Norway. No date was set for the tripartite talks.
Representatives of the three countries held rounds of “technical” talks in the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland in January and February, seeking to lay the groundwork for detailed negotiations. But they reported little progress beyond exchanges of prisoners of war. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their terms for stopping the fighting despite US efforts.
Zelensky says only a meeting of leaders can end the deadlock.
