Russia Bombs Ukraine with Drones and Missiles Amid Peace Talks

The Russian forces launched a series of intensive attacks early Thursday morning using combat drones and missiles, targeting several Ukrainian cities, in a new escalation despite ongoing international efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

The Kyiv Independent reported that explosions were heard in the capital Kyiv and in the city of Lviv in the west of the country, according to the RBC-Ukraine agency, which confirmed the activation of air defense systems in the targeted areas.

The military governor of Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyi, explained that air defenses are actively working to counter the attacks, amid repeated warnings to residents to stay in shelters.

The Ukrainian authorities had issued a comprehensive air alert in Kyiv on Wednesday evening, while drone attacks continued throughout the night.

So far, no accurate information has been available regarding the number of casualties or the extent of the damage caused by the bombing.

In contrast, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces shot down 49 Ukrainian drones during the night, in the airspace over the Crimean Peninsula and other Russian regions including Rostov, Voronezh, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Oryol, Kursk, and Tula, in addition to areas over the Black Sea.

This escalation comes amid diplomatic efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump to find a way out of the crisis.

Trump has held a series of meetings in recent days, starting last Friday in Alaska with a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a meeting in Washington on Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with the participation of several European leaders.

The U.S. administration is seeking to arrange a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, amid discussions about the possibility of holding a trilateral summit that includes Trump alongside them, in an attempt to push forward the stalled negotiations.

In a related context, the Ukrainian government announced yesterday, Wednesday, that it has begun working on a comprehensive vision for national security in the post-war phase.

Ukrainian presidential office head Andriy Yermak stated in a post on the platform "X" that Ukrainian teams led by the military have begun preparing the military component for future security guarantees.

Yermak added: "We are preparing a comprehensive plan of actions that should be taken if Russia decides to continue prolonging the war or undermining the agreements related to bilateral and trilateral meetings."

Yermak confirmed that he held consultations with national security advisors in Germany, Italy, France, Britain, Finland, the European Union, and NATO, following his return from Washington, stressing that "Ukraine is ready for any dialogue format that achieves a fair end to the war."

He concluded by saying: "Russia must choose between seriously engaging in the peace process or facing painful and increasing international pressure," noting that coordination with international partners will continue around the clock to ensure unity of positions and intensify political and diplomatic pressure.