Russia brushes off peace talks, launches largest assault on Ukraine

AFP | Moscow

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Russia yesterday said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling the war-torn country with its largest ever drone and missile barrage of the invasion.

The hours-long bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country and came after a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without a breakthrough.

Trump also said he had made no progress in discussions with Putin on ending more than three years of bitter fighting since the Kremlin ordered its troops into neighbouring Ukraine.

Earlier, AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke to Trump and said they agreed to work on bolstering the country’s defences against aerial bombardment.

“We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies,” Zelensky said on social media after the call.

Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of yesterday felt different from others. “Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions,” he said.

The Kremlin said yesterday it was “preferable” to achieve the goals of its invasion through political and diplomatic means. “But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing, referring to Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky said air alerts began echoing out across the country as the Trump-Putin call was getting under way.

“Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,” he said on social media.

He urged the United States in particular to increase pressure on Moscow, which yesterday announced fresh territorial gains on the front line with the capture of a village in the Donetsk region.