Russia has been rejecting a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire for more than 100 days now. Russian leader Vladimir Putin doesn’t want peace, he tries to wear U.S. President Donald Trump down. Putin will drag on the war until Trump gets so bored of mediation and frustrated with U.S. assistance to Ukraine that he gives up on both, a Wall Street Journal opinion piece said.
Fighting continues to rage all along the front lines. Russia continued to strike Ukrainian cities and towns deep in the rear with missiles and drones. Russia’s intensified offensive efforts are felt on the frontlines, the Ukrainian military said. Russian forces are pressing Ukrainian troops in the north-eastern region of Sumy.
Russia carried out a mass missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, killing 28 people and wounding more than 140 others in the capital, Kyiv. Russia pummeled Kyiv and its suburbs with 175 drones, 14 cruise missiles and at least two ballistic missiles, city authorities said. At least 12 people were injured in a Russian drone attack on Kherson on Tuesday. The cities of Kharkiv and Odesa are constant targets of Russian attacks.
A G7 summit in Canada has demonstrated the weakness of Western leadership. Trump left the gathering early. The Group of Seven leaders signed seven joint statements, but Ukraine was not featured in any of them. Trump put off new sanctions on Russia as the U.S. awaits a peace deal.
Russian drone strike on Odesa kills one, injures 14 others
One person was killed and at least 14 others injured when Russian drones attacked the city of Odesa overnight into Friday. The local emergency service said that during the attack at least 10 drones hit target, sparking fires across the city. Six hundred people were evacuated from a damaged 23-story apartment building. Firefighters rescued three people, including two children, trapped in an apartment. Several more residential buildings were damaged and one completely destroyed. The attack also ravaged an educational facility, administrative building, outbuilding, shops, cars and a gas pipeline. Ukrainian state railways Ukrzaliznytsia reported that the Odesa railway station was affected by the strike, with power lines and rails damaged.
The Ukrainian Air Force said on Friay that it shot down or otherwise neutralized 70 out of 86 drones launched by Russia overnight across the country. Drones hit eight locations, it said.