Following a Russian missile strike aimed at Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, one person has been killed and four others have been injured overnight. Early on Wednesday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko claimed that among the injured in the blows were a nine-year-old girl. With continuous Russian strikes on important cities, the Ukraine War keeps getting more intense.
Six of the seven ballistic missiles and seventy-one drones flown by Russia were reportedly successfully intercepted by the Ukrainian military. Notwithstanding these defenses, the attack set multiple fires all throughout the city, damaging the Holosiivskyi, Podilskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Obolonskyi districts.
In what ways has the attack affected other Ukrainian cities?
Beyond Kyiv, Tuesday night Russian strikes on Kryvyi Rih caused damage as well. The Dnipropetrovsk regional governor said that vital infrastructure and residential buildings suffered. This represents still another terrible event in the Ukraine War as cities try to heal from ongoing attacks.
What is Russia saying on the conflict?
From Russia, Belgorod’s governor said that a woman had been murdered in an area hit by a Ukrainian drone attack. “There are no words that could console the family and friends in such grief,” governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in expressing his sympathies.
Zelensky’s response to the attack:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin following the attack on Kyiv, saying, “He is not ready for peace. He keeps destroying cities and killing Ukrainians. Right now, our struggle for a fair end to this conflict depends on unity and support from every one of our allies.
Zelensky said these things on Telegram underlining the need of global solidarity for Ukraine’s struggle against continuous aggression of Russia in the Ukraine War.
Is a land swap for peace open to Ukraine?
In an interview released on Tuesday, Zelensky implied that Ukraine would be ready to negotiate a territory swap with Russia in a possible peace agreement. He said that portions of Russia’s Kursk territory, under Ukrainian control since an attack six months ago, may be returned in exchange for Ukrainian territories now under Russian control.
Although Ukraine has never formally declared it plans to take Russian-held territory permanently, the president’s comments imply a probable change in approach. Originally meant to relieve strain on Ukraine’s stretched military forces on the front lines, the Kursk operation now seems to be utilized as political leverage in the Ukraine War.
Russia's reaction to Zelensky's recommendation?
Declaring that Russia would never accept territory transfers, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov discounted Zelensky’s suggestion as “impossible.” Deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev likewise objected, labeling the proposal “nonsense.”
Medvedev said, “Peace through strength, you say?” referencing earlier remarks made by Mocking Zelensky on international venues. He suggested that Russia’s overnight missile strike was a show of how it would approach reaching that objective.
Regarding this conflict, what part does the United States play?
Zelensky admitted that without Ukraine’s largest ally, the United States, security for that country cannot be guaranteed. Claiming during campaign last year that he could negotiate an end to the war in a single day, former U.S. President Donald Trump has constantly pushed for a quick settlement to the war.
Trump recently cautioned Putin that should the war last, he would impose heavy taxes and other penalties on Russia. Putin has said, meantime, that he is open to negotiations but only with the proviso that Ukraine recognizes Russia’s territorial gains—at present thought to include roughly 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
Might Ukraine be compelled to grant permanent territorial concessions?
Zelensky has already said that Ukraine might have to momentarily give up some territory now under Russian occupation. But his remarks to the Guardian represent the first time he has proposed as a potential permanent territorial reductions.
For Ukraine and its allies, what next steps?
Zelensky is supposed to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance Friday, who has voiced doubts on ongoing American military assistance for Kyiv. Trump has also indicated that he would meet Zelensky over the weekend following the Munich Security Conference.
The White House has demonstrated interest in Ukraine’s natural resources in exchange for ongoing military and financial support among these political measures.
