Russian attacks on Ukraine kill three; Zelenskiy upbeat on talks with U.S. envoys
By Jekaterina Golubkova
KYIV, June 9 (Reuters) – Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed a pregnant woman and two more people, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, while Russia-annexed Crimea repelled drone attacks.
The attacks follow major Russian airstrikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, while Kiev has intensified long-range drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, leading to fuel shortages in Crimea and elsewhere.
Late Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had a “positive” phone call with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. He welcomed their willingness to work actively towards resolving the war in the coming weeks.
Last week, Zelenskiy published an open letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, proposing face-to-face talks on ending the war, which is now in its fifth year. Zelenskiy’s proposal was immediately rejected by Putin.
“There are different people around Putin. Half of them want this war to continue, the other half want to stop it,” Zelenskiy said in an interview with the Guardian and published in X. he said. “Businessmen understand that the Russian economy is in a terrible state.”
Putin told the annual business forum in St Petersburg last week that although the Ukrainian attacks had caused damage, there was no threat to the Russian economy.
The latest attacks took place as Zelensky was returning from talks in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, who said they were ready to support ceasefire talks.
Three people, including a 22-year-old pregnant woman, were killed in an overnight missile attack on the town of Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region, regional prosecutors said on Telegram. It was stated that residential buildings, garages and stores were damaged in the attack, and six more people were injured.
Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said that the Russian drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, caused 16 people to seek medical help. Authorities released photos showing a building engulfed in fire and firefighters battling flames and extinguishing burnt cars.
Russian-appointed local governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said in a statement on Telegram that defense systems repelled a drone attack in Sevastopol, which hosts Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet in Crimea annexed by Russia.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
CAREFUL STEPS TO CONTINUE PEACE TALKS
US-led peace efforts between Ukraine and Russia have stalled as Washington focuses on finding a solution to the Iran war.
A source familiar with the matter said that US and Ukrainian officials continue to discuss a possible visit to Kiev by Witkoff and Kushner. This will be the first official visit to Ukraine by the two ambassadors, who previously went to Moscow to meet with Russia.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told the UN Security Council on Monday that the Nordic countries support Zelenskiy’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire and direct talks with Putin.
Zelenskiy noted that he met with Roman Abramovich in Kiev on Sunday and that the Russian tycoon offered to convey a message to the Kremlin about hopes for peace.
“I told this businessman who came to give a message about the potential framework for diplomatic negotiations that we were ready to talk from the very beginning. We did not want this war and we want to stop it,” he told the Guardian in an interview. he said.
Zelenskiy reiterated that Ukraine will not give up its territory.
A Ukrainian official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Reuters that Zelenskiy published his open letter to Putin when he did not receive a response to the message sent through Abramovich.
(Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo and Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Edwina Gibbs)
