Ukraine drones hit a hidden drone manufacturing site inside Russia. Thirty-seven countries could join a “coalition of the willing” to secure peace in Ukraine, Bloomberg says. Trump’s special envoy arrives in Moscow for talks.
Ukraine drones hit hidden drone manufacturing site inside Russia
Ukraine’s long-range drones struck a drone production facility in the village of Obukhovo in Russia’s Kaluga region late on Wednesday, a military intelligence source told Ukrainska Pravda. The Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry was behind the operation, it said.
Russia has established drone assembly lines inside the Kaluga aerated concrete factory, the source explained.
Videos posted to social media captured the moment of the strike and subsequent fire at the factory.
Vladislav Shapsha, governor of the Kaluga region, said the drone attack damaged an industrial building, a communication tower and a power line.
Flights were suspended at the Kaluga airport between 9 p.m. local time on Wednesday and 6 a.m. on Thursday.
Russia said it had shot down 77 drones over six regions overnight on Thursday.
Thirty-seven countries could join “coalition of the willing” to secure peace in Ukraine, Bloomberg says
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are leading discussions between 37 countries to form a “coalition of the willing” in Ukraine if a peace settlement is agreed, according to Bloomberg. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
The UK and France are scrambling to bolster Ukraine’s negotiating position as US President Donald Trump seeks to force through a settlement in its war with Russia.
Europe’s only two nuclear powers are trying to pull together a plan to help guarantee security for Kyiv with Moscow demanding that Ukraine’s military be massively scaled back as part of any settlement.
[The coalition of the willing] would see nations across Europe, the Commonwealth and Asia contribute either funding, troops, aircraft or naval vessels to help protect Ukraine from the prospect of further Russian aggression.In a separate meeting Tuesday, non-NATO allies including Australia, Japan and New Zealand joined talks with military chiefs from dozens of European countries as well as Canada in Paris, according to people familiar with the matter.
Military chiefs will present Starmer and Macron with more detailed options for a peacekeeping force in the coming days, to be discussed with other leaders on a virtual call this weekend, the people said.
They will then present them to Trump, who they hope will be persuaded to commit US security guarantees in the form of airpower, intelligence and border surveillance without having to lend American troops to the peacekeeping force, they said.
Britain and France also don’t want the US to concede to Putin’s demands to demilitarize Ukraine and force President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to hold elections before a permanent peace deal is agreed. Starmer said Wednesday that the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia must also be dealt with at part of a settlement.
Officials believe a US-Ukraine accord for a 30-day halt in the conflict, coupled with developing plans for the peacekeeping force have increased pressure on Russia to make its own concessions. Still, there are strong concerns that Russia will reject a peace settlement and use the ceasefire period to re-arm and launch further attacks on Ukraine, the people cautioned.
Defense ministers of Europe’s five main military powers held talks in Paris on Wednesday to coordinate on support for Ukraine amid American pullback. The defense ministers will meet again next week to continue discussions on “military planning” if there’s a settlement, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said Wednesday.
Trump’s special envoy arrives in Moscow for talks
U.S. President Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff landed in Moscow on Thursday for discussions on a proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a U.S. negotiating team was scheduled to meet with a Russian one. “Negotiators are indeed flying in, and contacts are indeed planned,” Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
Peskov earlier said it was too early for the Kremlin to comment on a potential ceasefire agreed at the U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
Ukraine said it was ready to accept an immediate 30-day truce if Russia does so too.
Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States to pause the war in Ukraine is “nothing more than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military.” Ushakov said he explained Russia’s stance to U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz in a Wednesday phone call. He also told Russian state television that Russia’s goal is “a long-term peace settlement (…) that takes into account our legitimate interests and concerns. Nobody needs steps which imitate a peaceful path.”
Ushakov also said Putin would address Moscow’s position on the ceasefire during a press conference later on Thursday.