Putin unleashes more death and destruction on Ukraine in overnight blitz
Vladimir Putin unleashed more death and destruction on Ukraine overnight while not appearing ready to meet Volodymyr Zelensky within weeks for face to face talks to end the war.
At least six died in Russian strikes which hammered a high rise building and a shopping centre - in Dnipropetrovsk, and hit Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine struck back with a long-range kamikaze drone dramatically exploding into the strategic Signal plant in Russia's Stavropol region, which makes electronic warfare equipment, military radar and remote control systems for weapons.
It comes as Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan said both Russia and Ukraine had reached a basic agreement to hold a summit aimed at ending the war, which could involve both Donald Trump and Ankara leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
'In principle, an agreement was reached to hold a summit of the leaders in Turkey,' said the foreign minister. 'There is a great deal of work ahead for the negotiating teams.'
Turkey hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine this week, which achieved only modest results of new prisoner exchanges. But there were suggestions of behind the scenes contacts which may have been more positive.
'Everyone has a trump card they're not revealing,' said Fidan. 'We are trying to create the conditions for that.' Erdoğan said that 'possibly even within this week, we will try once again to hold negotiations with Mr Putin, as well as with Mr Trump, in an effort to bring these leaders [Putin and Zelensky] together in Istanbul.'
But Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov seemed to pour cold water on the hopes of early talks. Putin and Zelensky could and should 'put a final end to the settlement of the conflict' but agreements were first needed involving their underlings, he insisted. 'Is it possible to complete such a complex process in 30 days? Obviously, that's highly unlikely,' said Peskov.
In a sickening strike, a Russian strike hit an elite Novodvoryansky residential complex in Dnipro city, killing one man and injuring a woman in a huge explosion.
The Epicentre shopping mall was hit in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, triggering a massive fire. One person died under Russian fire in the region where seven missiles and 26 kamikaze drones were shot down. A swarm of 35 drones had hit the region.
In Zaporizhzhia, three were killed in Putin terror strikes, and Sumy border region also came under sustained fire. Over the past day, Russia waged 414 strikes on 19 settlements in the region, said the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov.
Ukraine's second city Kharkiv was struck with aerial bombs, drones and missiles in three hours of hell, hitting residential high-rise buildings, a civilian enterprise, and roads. At least five people were injured.
Ukraine's strike on the Signal plant in Stavropol region damaged a facility which makes Russian electronic warfare jamming equipment. Zelensky said of the Russian attacks: 'There can definitely be no silence in response to such strikes, and Ukrainian long-range drones ensure this.
'Russian military enterprises, Russian logistics, Russian airports must feel that the Russian war has real consequences for them. The accuracy of our drones, the daily nature of Ukrainian responses – these are some of the arguments that will surely bring peace closer.'
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