2 killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as prospects for talks remain uncertain
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a news conference at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 28, 2025.(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine on Saturday killed at least two people, including a 9-year-old girl, officials said, as uncertainty remains about whether Kyiv diplomats will attend a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul.
Russian troops launched some 109 drones and five missiles across Ukraine overnight and into Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said. Three of the missiles and 42 drones were destroyed and another 30 drones failed to reach their targets without causing damage, it said.
The girl was killed in a strike on the front-line village of Dolynka in the Zaporizhzhia region, and a 16-year-old was injured, Zaporizhzhia's Gov. Ivan Fedorov said.
'One house was destroyed. The shockwave from the blast also damaged several other houses, cars, and outbuildings,' Fedorov wrote on Telegram.
A man was killed by Russian shelling in Ukraine's Kherson region, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.
Moscow did not comment on either attack.
Russia's Ministry of Defense said Saturday that it had gained control of the Ukrainian village of Novopil in the Donetsk region, and took the village of Vodolahy in the northern Sumy region. Ukrainian authorities in Sumy ordered mandatory evacuations in 11 more settlements as Russian forces make steady gains in the area.
The new additions bring the total number of settlements under evacuation orders in Sumy, which borders Russia's Kursk region, to 213.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said some 50,000 Russian troops have amassed in the area with the intention of launching an offensive to carve out a buffer zone inside Ukrainian territory.
Speaking Saturday, Ukraine's top army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russian forces were focusing their main offensive efforts on Pokrovsk, Toretsk and Lyman in the Donetsk region, as well as the Sumy border area.
Syrskyi also said Ukrainian forces are still holding territory in Russia's Kursk region, a statement that Moscow has repeatedly denied. Russia said on April 26 that it had pushed all Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region after Ukrainian troops seized land there during a surprise incursion in August 2024. 'The enemy is holding its best units here,' Syrskyi said referring to Kursk, 'which it planned to use in the east.'
Elsewhere, 14 people were injured including four children after Ukrainian drones struck apartment buildings Saturday in the Russian town of Rylsk and the village of Artakovo in the western Kursk region, local acting Gov. Alexander Khinshtein said.
Andrii Yermak, a top adviser to Zelenskyy, said Friday that Kyiv was ready to resume direct peace talks with Russia in Istanbul on Monday but that the Kremlin should first provide a promised memorandum setting out its position on ending the more than three-year war.
Zelenskyy said Friday that Russia was 'undermining diplomacy' by withholding the document.
'For some reason, the Russians are concealing this document. This is an absolutely bizarre position. There is no clarity about the format,' Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
Moscow previously said it would share its memorandum during the talks.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
2 hours ago
- Japan Today
Power restored to 700,000 residents in Russian-held Ukraine after Ukrainian strikes
Emergency crews restored power on Tuesday to at least 700,000 residents across a swathe of southern Ukraine controlled by Russian forces, officials said, a day after Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks knocked out electricity substations. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, but the attacks, which targeted the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, appeared to be the largest of their kind on Russian-held territory since the war began in February 2022. "Thanks to the coordinated work of power engineers, the power supply to all customers has now been fully restored," Russia's Energy Ministry said on the Telegram messaging app. Crews from other regions helped complete repairs. Russia lays claim to Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and already controls most of both regions. It is trying to capture the rest as part of what it casts as its push to ensure its own security and secure the future of ethnic Russians and Russian speakers. Ukraine rejects Russia's portrayal of the conflict, calling it a colonial-style land grab by Moscow and vowing to retake the lost territory through a mixture of force and diplomacy. The drone attacks came hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Turkey for peace talks where Moscow said it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv cedes big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. Russian-backed officials said the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Europe's largest nuclear facility seized by Russia in 2022 - was under control but difficult. Russian officials running the plant said radiation levels were normal at the facility, which operates in shutdown mode and produces no power at the moment. WIDESPREAD OUTAGE Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russian-installed governor of Zaporizhzhia, said on Monday that more than 600,000 people in nearly 500 settlements across the region lost electricity after Ukrainian shelling damaged high-voltage infrastructure. In the Kherson region further west, Russia-appointed Governor Vladimir Saldo said debris from fallen drones had damaged two electricity substations, knocking out power to more than 100,000 residents of 150 towns and villages. Separately, emergency services officials in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy said on Tuesday that a Russian attack had killed three people and injured 28, including three children. "The Russians launched a savage strike on Sumy – directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media. The attack damaged an apartment building, three private residences, a warehouse and a hospital building, according to a statement from the emergency services. There was no immediate comment from Russia on these Ukrainian reports. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in their attacks. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. For many long months during the winter, Ukrainian towns and villages endured repeated electricity cuts as Russian forces focused strikes on generating capacity. Each side has accused the other of launching attacks on the Zaporizhzhia plant and running the risk of a nuclear accident. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said last week in response to a Ukrainian complaint that it saw no sign of Russia preparing to restart the Zaporizhzhia plant and connect it to the Russian grid. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Reuters on Tuesday that conditions for restarting the plant were not present due to a lack of water for cooling and the absence of a stable power supply. The IAEA has stationed monitors permanently at Zaporizhzhia and Ukraine's other nuclear power stations. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Asahi Shimbun
21 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
South Koreans vote for new president in wake of Yoon's ouster over martial law
A woman casts her vote for the presidential election at a polling station in Seoul, South Korea, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo) SEOUL--Millions of South Koreans are voting Tuesday for a new president in a snap election triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who now faces an explosive trial on rebellion charges over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December. Pre-election surveys suggested Yoon's liberal archrival, Lee Jae-myung, appeared headed for an easy win, riding on deep public frustration over the conservatives in the wake of Yoon's martial law debacle. The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, has struggled to win over moderate, swing voters as his People Power Party remains in a quagmire of internal feuding over how to view Yoon's actions. This election serves as another defining moment in the country's resilient democracy, but observers worry a domestic divide worsened by Yoon is far from over and could pose a big political burden on the new president. The past six months saw large crowds of people rallying in the streets to either denounce or support Yoon, while a leadership vacuum caused by Yoon's impeachment and ensuing formal dismissal rattled the country's high-level diplomatic activities and financial markets. The winning candidate will immediately be sworn in as president Wednesday for a single, full term of five years without the typical two-month transition period. The new president will face major challenges including a slowing economy, President Donald Trump's America-first policies and North Korea's evolving nuclear threats. The election commission says voting began at 6 a.m. at 14,295 polling stations nationwide that will close at 8 p.m. Observers say the winner could emerge as early as midnight. Lee, whose Democratic Party led the legislative effort to oust Yoon, has emerged as the clear front-runner in opinion surveys released in recent weeks. In a Facebook posting on Tuesday, Lee called for voters to 'deliver a stern and resolute judgement' against the conservatives following the months of political turmoil. Around 2.5 million people had cast their ballots nationwide as of 8 a.m., the National Election Commission said. More than 15 million people had already voted during a two-day early voting period last week, accounting for nearly 35% of the country's 44.4 million eligible voters. In his final campaign speeches Monday, Lee promised to revitalize the economy, reduce inequality and ease national divisions. He urged the people to vote for him, arguing that a win by Kim would allow Yoon's 'rebellion forces' to return. 'If they somehow win, that would mean the return of the rebellion forces, the destruction of democracy, the deprival of people's human rights, the normalization of martial law and our country's downfall into a backward, third-world nation,' Lee told the crowd gathered at a Seoul park. Kim, a former labor minister under Yoon, warned that a Lee win would allow him to wield excessive power, launch political retaliation against opponents and legislate laws to protect him from various legal troubles, as his party already controls parliament. Lee 'is now trying to seize all power in South Korea and establish a Hitler-like dictatorship,' Kim told a rally in the southeastern city of Busan. Lee, who led the opposition-led campaign to oust Yoon, has been a highly divisive figure in South Korean politics for years. As a former child laborer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Lee came to fame through biting criticism of the country's conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy. That rhetoric has given him an image as someone who can institute sweeping reforms and fix the country's deep-seated economic inequality and corruption. His critics view him as a dangerous populist who relies on a political division and backpedals on promises too easily. On foreign policy, Lee has not made any contentious remarks recently and has steadfastly vowed to pursue pragmatic diplomacy. He has called South Korea's alliance with the U.S. the foundation of its foreign policy and promised to solidify a trilateral Seoul-Washington-Tokyo partnership, a stance that is not much different than the position held by South Korea's conservatives. Experts say there aren't many diplomatic options for South Korea as it tries to address Trump's tariff hikes and calls for South Korea to pay more for the cost of the U.S. military presence, as well as North Korea's headlong pursuit of nuclear weapons. Experts say that has made both Lee and Kim avoid unveiling ambitious foreign policy goals. Lee's government still could become engaged in 'a little bit of friction' with the Trump administration, while Kim's government, which prioritize relations with Washington, will likely offer more concessions to the U.S., said Chung Jin-young, a former dean of the Graduate School of Pan-Pacific International Studies at South Korea's Kyung Hee University. Chung predicted Lee won't be able to pursue overly drastic steps on foreign policy and security, given the country's foreign exchange and financial markets are very vulnerable to such changes. Lee has preached patience over Trump's tariff policy, arguing it would be a mistake to rush negotiations in pursuit of an early agreement with Washington. Kim has said he would meet Trump as soon as possible. On Monday, South Korean trade officials held an emergency meeting to discuss a response to Trump's announcement that the U.S. will raise tariffs on steel and aluminum products to 50% beginning June 4. South Korea's central bank last week sharply lowered its 2025 growth outlook to 0.8%, citing the potential impact of Trump's tariff hikes and weak domestic demand worsened by the political turmoil of past months. Relations with North Korea remain badly strained since 2019, with the North focused on expanding its nuclear arsenal while refusing dialogues with South Korea and the U.S. Since his second term began in January, Trump has repeatedly expressed his intent to resume diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but Kim has so far ignored the offer while making Russia his priority in foreign policy. Lee, who wants warmer ties with North Korea, recently acknowledged it would be 'very difficult' to realize a summit with Kim Jong Un anytime soon. Lee said he would support Trump's push to restart talks with Kim Jong Un, which he believed would eventually allow South Korea to be involved in some projects in North Korea. Foreign policy strategists for Lee understand there isn't much South Korea can do to bring about a denuclearization of North Korea, said Paik Wooyeal, a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University. He said Lee also doesn't share the Korean nationalistic zeal held by ex-liberal President Moon Jae-in, who met Kim Jong Un three times during his 2017-22 term.
Asahi Shimbun
21 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Wall Street drifts higher as oil prices jump and U.S. manufacturing slumps
Traders William Lawrence, left, and Mark Mueller work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, May 29, 2025. (AP Photo) NEW YORK--U.S. stock indexes drifted closer to their records on Monday, coming off their stellar May, which was Wall Street's best month since 2023. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% after erasing an early loss from the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 35 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.7%. Indexes had been down close to 1% in the morning following some discouraging updates on U.S. manufacturing. President Donald Trump has been warning that U.S. businesses and households could feel some pain as he tries to use tariffs to bring more manufacturing jobs back to the country, and their on-and-off rollout has created lots of uncertainty. But stocks rallied back as the day progressed, and gains for a few influential stocks helped lift the S&P 500 even though more stocks within it fell than rose. Nvidia climbed 1.7%, and Meta Platforms rose 3.6%, for example. Some of Monday's strongest action was in the oil market, where the price of crude spurted more than 3%. The countries in the OPEC+ alliance decided to increase their production again, a move that often pushes crude prices down because it puts more on the market, but analysts said investors were widely expecting it. The past weekend's attacks by Ukraine in Russia, meanwhile, helped to raise uncertainty about the flow of oil and gas around the world. Monday's market moves also came after more harsh rhetoric crossed between the world's two largest economies, just a few weeks after the United States and China had agreed to pause many of their tariffs that had threatened to drag the economy into a recession. China blasted the United States for moves that it said hurt China's interests, including issuing AI chip export control guidelines, stopping the sale of chip design software to China and planning to revoke Chinese student visas. 'These practices seriously violate the consensus' reached during trade discussions in Geneva last month, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement. That followed President Donald Trump's accusation at the end of last week, where he said China was not living up to its end of the agreement that paused their tariffs against each other. Hopes for lower tariffs because of potential trade deals between Trump and other countries were the main reasons for Wall Street's big rally last month, which brought the S&P 500 back within 3.8% of its all-time high. The index had dropped roughly 20% below the mark in April. But Trump on Friday told Pennsylvania steelworkers he's doubling the tariff on steel imports to 50% to protect their industry, a dramatic increase that could further push up prices for a metal used to make housing, autos and other goods. That helped stocks of U.S. steelmakers climb. Nucor jumped 10.1%, and Steel Dynamics rallied 10.3%. On the losing side of Wall Street were automakers and other heavy users of steel and aluminum. Ford fell 3.9%, and General Motors reversed by 3.9%. All told, the S&P 500 rose 24.25 points to 5,935.94. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 35.41 to 42,305.48, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 128.85 to 19,242.61. Lyra Therapeutics soared nearly 311% for one of the market's biggest gains after reporting positive late-stage trial results of an implant to treat chronic sinus inflammation in some patients. In the bond market, Treasury yields rose as worries continue about how much debt the U.S. government will pile on due to plans to cut taxes and increase the deficit. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.44% from 4.41% late Friday and from just 4.01% roughly two months ago. That's a notable move for the bond market. Besides making it more expensive for U.S. households and businesses to borrow money, such increases in Treasury yields can deter investors from paying high prices for stocks and other investments. Yields had dipped briefly in the morning, before rallying back, following the updates on manufacturing, which suggested that effects of Trump's tariffs are taking root in the economy. 'The impact of ever-changing trade policies of the current administration has wreaked havoc on suppliers' ability to react and remain profitable,' one manufacturer in the transportation equipment industry said in the Institute for Supply Management's survey, which came in weaker than economists expected. A separate report from S&P Global on manufacturing came in better than expected, but the overall figure 'masks worrying developments under the hood of the U.S. manufacturing economy,' said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. He said uncertainty caused by tariffs has worries high about supplier delays and rising prices. In stock markets abroad, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.6% following the harsh words tossed between the United States and China. A report over the weekend also said that China's factory activity contracted in May, although the decline slowed from April. Indexes also dipped across much of the rest of Asia and Europe. Japan's Nikkei 225 was one of the biggest movers after falling 1.3%.
