On Tuesday, Russia carried out a series of assaults on Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of at least seven individuals due to missile strikes on urban structures and energy facilities overnight. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian operation in southern Russia led to three fatalities and caused damage to residential properties, according to officials.
These extensive attacks coincide with a renewed effort from the U.S. to bring an end to the conflict, which has persisted for nearly four years, alongside discussions regarding a peace plan facilitated by the U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who joined the U.S. negotiation team just under two weeks ago, engaged with Russian representatives for several hours in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
“Late on Monday and throughout Tuesday, Secretary Driscoll and his team have been in dialogue with the Russian delegation to work towards a sustainable peace in Ukraine. The discussions are progressing positively, and we remain hopeful. Secretary Driscoll is in close coordination with the White House as these negotiations unfold,” stated U.S. Army Lt.-Col. Jeff Tolbert, a spokesperson for Driscoll.
The specific details of the conversations were not immediately available, and the identities of the members of the Russian delegation were also unclear.
A Russian assault on Kyiv involving a barrage of missiles and numerous drones resulted in at least seven deaths overnight, disrupting power and heating systems. Concurrently, U.S. and Russian officials are engaging in peace talks in Abu Dhabi, while a coalition of nations supporting Ukraine is convening for a separate virtual meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported via Telegram that Russia launched 22 different types of missiles and deployed over 460 drones against Ukraine overnight.
In response to the drone encroachment, NATO fighter jets from Romania and Germany were deployed near Romania’s border with Ukraine. Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu indicated that NATO pilots nearly engaged the drone but refrained from doing so due to concerns about potential ground damage.
This incident marks the 13th occurrence since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that Romania reported an airspace violation.
Ukraine allies to meet virtually
The recent hostilities followed a series of discussions between U.S. and Ukrainian representatives in Geneva regarding a peace plan brokered by the U.S. and Russia.
Oleksandr Bevz, a participant from the Ukrainian side, shared with The Associated Press that the discussions had been “very constructive,” allowing both parties to address most points of contention.
There is a looming U.S. deadline for a peace agreement in Ukraine, but despite ongoing negotiations, major issues remain unresolved — including the question of whether Ukraine will concede territory to Russia.
Over the weekend, confusion emerged, highlighting the fluctuating U.S. stance on the war in recent months. However, the White House has consistently asserted that Europe needs to enhance its contributions to collective defense, and the Trump administration has not provided new military or humanitarian assistance to Ukraine from federal resources.
A 28-point strategy that surfaced last week took many in the U.S. Congress, Kyiv, and Europe by surprise, raising new concerns that the Trump administration might be inclined to pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace deal heavily favoring Moscow.
On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron remarked that a U.S.-facilitated peace proposal for Ukraine “is moving in the right direction,” but he also warned that it should not allow Russia to resume hostilities later on.
Macron emphasized that any agreement with Moscow must include strong security guarantees for Ukraine and that there should be no limitations on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces.
The French leader made these comments during an interview with broadcaster RTL prior to a video conference involving nations, led by France and the U.K., that may oversee any ceasefire with Russia. Canada was also confirmed to be part of this meeting by the Prime Minister’s Office to CBC News.
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“We desire peace, but not a peace that amounts to capitulation,” he expressed. “In other words, it would place Ukraine in a dire position, ultimately granting Russia the freedom to continue its aggression,” Macron stated.
On Tuesday morning, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated that Moscow had not yet received the revised peace proposal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia had welcomed an initial version of a U.S. peace proposal for Ukraine, which Kyiv and its allies considered excessively favorable to Moscow, but was awaiting a revised “interim” version after Washington had concluded its coordination with Ukraine and Europe.
A police officer walks in front of a Kyiv apartment building that was hit by a drone Tuesday. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)
Should the amended proposal not align with the discussions held between Putin and Trump during their meeting in Alaska in August, Lavrov remarked that Russia would perceive the initiative in a significantly different light.
The original plan had explicitly ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine, limited its military to 600,000 personnel, suggested transferring control of the remaining Donbas region to Russia — albeit as a demilitarized zone — and mandated that Kyiv conduct elections within 100 days.
All of these provisions are reported to have been subsequently amended or set aside for the time being.
‘Putin won’t stop’
In Ukraine, the Russian strikes caused disruptions to water, electricity, and heating services in various parts of the capital, Kyiv. Videos shared on Telegram depicted a large blaze engulfing a nine-story residential building in the eastern Dniprovskyi district of the city.
Liubov Petrivna, a 90-year-old resident of the Dniprovskyi district, recounted to the AP that “absolutely everything” in her apartment was destroyed by the strike, with “glass raining down” on her.
Petrivna expressed her skepticism regarding the peace proposal currently being discussed: “No one will ever take action on it. Putin won’t stop until he finishes us off.”
People take shelter inside a Kyiv metro station during Tuesday’s attack. (Yan Dobronosov/Reuters)
The fatalities among Ukrainians occurred in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi and Sviatoshynyi districts. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, around 20 other individuals in Kyiv were also injured in the assaults.
The Russian Defence Ministry stated that its targets included military-industrial facilities and energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian drones hit Russian city
In a separate incident, Russia experienced casualties in its southern Rostov region overnight, with three deaths and eight injuries reported due to a Ukrainian drone strike. The incidents occurred in Taganrog, a city close to the Ukrainian border, as stated by Governor Yuri Slyusar in an online announcement on Tuesday.
People gather Tuesday in front of an apartment block damaged in what local authorities called a Ukrainian overnight drone attack in Taganrog, in the Rostov region of Russia. (Reuters)
The strike caused damage to private residences, multi-story apartment buildings, unspecified public facilities, a warehouse, and a paint shop, according to Slyusar.
The Russian Defence Ministry announced that its air defense systems intercepted 249 Ukrainian drones overnight across various regions of Russia and the occupied Crimea, noting that 116 of those drones were downed over the Black Sea.
