(BBC News) Russia has launched 574 drones and 40 missiles on Ukraine in one of the heaviest bombardments in weeks, Ukrainian officials say.
One person was killed in a drone and missile strike on the western city of Lviv, while 15 others were reported wounded in an attack on the southwestern Transcarpathia region.
The attacks came as US President Donald Trump spearheads diplomatic moves to halt the war. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strikes highlighted why efforts to bring it to an end were “so critical”.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine was ready to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin “in neutral Europe” – mooting Switzerland or Austria – adding that he was not against Istanbul either.
Zelensky has stated his willingness to meet Putin in “any format”, although he has poured cold water on the idea of talks taking place in Budapest, which he said “is not easy today”.
The prospect of direct talks emerged after Trump met Putin in Alaska, and then hosted Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on Monday.
The US president initially suggested trilateral talks involving him, Putin and Zelensky, but has since suggested he might not take part: “Now I think it would be better if they met without me… If necessary, I’ll go.”
Ukraine’s air force counted 614 drones and other missiles fired by Russia overnight into Thursday and said it had stopped 577 of them. It is the biggest air attack since July.
While Russian strikes tend to focus on eastern regions close to the front lines, the latest attacks hit western areas as well.
