A deadly drone strike in Zaporizhzhia underscored the ongoing toll of the war, even as Ukraine prepares for upcoming talks with the United States aimed at advancing peace efforts.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian drone strike in the city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least two people, a Ukrainian official said, ahead of expected U.S.-Ukraine talks.
Zaporizhzhia regional head Ivan Fedorov said a man and a woman were killed and two children were injured when a Russian drone struck a private home on Saturday morning.
The attack came ahead of expected US-Ukraine talks, which Ukrainian state media reported would take place later in the day in Miami.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Thursday that he had sent an official delegation to the United States in an effort to move forward with the suspension. Talks brokered by the US for the end of the Russian occupation.
Trilateral talks involving Russia, which have yet to make any progress on key issues, have it was on the ice while the Iran war has dominated international attention.
The White House has not confirmed any meeting with the Ukrainian delegation.
Zelenskyy said the main tasks in the US will be to ensure that the trilateral talks resume and that Washington continues to allow other NATO countries to buy American weapons to send to Ukraine.
A senior Kremlin official indicated on Friday that a new round of US-brokered negotiations between Moscow and Kiev is likely to take place soon.
“The pause is temporary, we hope it is temporary in connection with the continuation of the tripartite format,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Western European officials over the past year have repeatedly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in negotiations as he tries to push the initiative of his larger army on the battlefield and capture more Ukrainian land. Russian forces hold nearly 20% of Ukraine.
The latest conflict in the Middle East that began on February 28 with Israeli and American attacks on Iran has diverted international attention from the plight of Ukraine.
At the same time, Russia is getting one financial windfalls from a temporary US lifting of oil sanctions, while Ukraine is desperately short of cash and still waiting for a 90 billion euro ($103 billion) loan promised by the European Union.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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