Russia, Ukraine continue attacks despite Trump’s promise of quick peace. russia-ukraine war news
Trump says Zelensky ‘wants a peace deal’ and Putin has to accept it; Moscow says there is ‘no specific proposal’ from Washington.
Russia and Ukraine have continued to exchange air strikes, despite Donald Trump saying he would end the war within 24 hours of becoming US president.
While Trump was inaugurated on Monday afternoon, neither Kiev nor Moscow have shown signs of slowing down the drone and missile strikes they have been launching against each other in recent months. Both launched the barrage throughout Tuesday night.
Russia said it shot down 55 Ukrainian drones, more than half of which were intercepted in areas along the border.
Kiev said it struck an oil depot near the city of Liski in the Voronezh region, causing a fire at the facility for the second time in less than a week.
The region’s governor, Alexander Gusev, said the fire was caused by debris from a downed drone and that no one was injured.
Kiev also said its forces attacked an aviation plant producing “fighter planes” in the western Russian city of Smolensk, causing an “explosion.”
Ukraine’s Air Force claimed it shot down 93 of the 141 drones launched by Russia overnight, noting that others were “lost” while two returned to Russia.
Russian troops have taken control of the village of Vovkov in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday, quoting the Defense Ministry.
Vovkov is about 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) south-west of the city of Pokrovsk, a key front for Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine. Kiev has not yet commented on the Defense Ministry’s claim.
‘No special offer’
Trump told reporters on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had told him he wanted a peace deal and expressed hope that Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would follow suit.
The newly appointed US President pointed to Russia’s economic problems, including high inflation, and said Putin would destroy Russia by failing to make any compromises.
The same day, Putin said Moscow was ready for talks with the Trump administration on the conflict, and stressed the need to respect Russia’s interests.
Trump has repeatedly said he would end the war “in 24 hours”, yet he has never provided any details of his plan.
However, his team has hinted that Trump might let Russia annex part of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and four Ukrainian regions.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday that Moscow had not received “any specific proposals” from Washington regarding the Ukraine deal.
Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, Putin had a long phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In their talks on Tuesday, the pair reaffirmed their mutual support and dedication to achieving a multipolar geopolitical environment.
“The joint work of Russia and China plays an important stabilization role in international affairs,” Putin said in the call.
“The two sides should continue to deepen strategic coordination, firmly support each other and safeguard the legitimate interests of the two countries,” Xi said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
