Ukraine-Russia war: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday and plans to meet with US military officials as they discuss US proposals for peace terms with Russia amid Moscow’s drone strike and fresh rocket fire on the city of Ternopil that killed at least 25 people.
Zelensky met with President Erdogan after visiting Greece, France and Spain.
Erdogan greeted Zelensky in the presidential complex.
“Bringing the end of the war closer to the end of the war is Ukraine’s top priority,” the BBC said, referring to Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president added that efforts will also focus on resuming the exchange of prisoners.
Despite renewed efforts, there have been no direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow since the July meeting in Istanbul, and Russia’s demands remain unchanged.
Kyiv has received “signals” about a set of US proposals to end the war that Washington has been discussing with Russia, Reuters reported, citing a senior Ukrainian official.
Washington is secretly working on a plan to end the war in consultation with Russia, Axios reported Tuesday.
Asked about the report on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “There are no innovations on this matter yet that we can report to you.”
Putin has long demanded that Kiev abandon plans to join the US-led NATO military alliance and withdraw its troops from four provinces that Moscow claims as part of Russia. Moscow has given no indication that it will back down from any of these demands, and Ukraine says it will not accept them.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Russia launched more than 470 attack drones and 48 missiles of various types against Ukraine overnight, and work is underway to deal with the consequences of the attacks in many of our regions.
“Nine-story residential buildings were hit in Ternopil, which caused fires. Unfortunately, there is considerable destruction and people may be trapped under the debris. All the necessary rescue services are on site and trying to save every life,” Želesnký added.
The night attack hit two nine-story apartment buildings in Ternopil,
According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, at least 19 of those killed were burned alive, including three children aged 5, 7 and 16. Two dozen people are still missing.
He further added that every brazen attack against ordinary life proves that the pressure on Russia is still insufficient. Effective sanctions and aid to Ukraine can change that.
