Strikes Continue Amid Limited Ceasefire Talks Between Trump and Putin
Just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a potential ceasefire in Moscow’s war on Ukraine, Kyiv reported that Russian drone strikes targeted civilian infrastructure, including a hospital. The negotiations between the two leaders aimed to achieve an immediate 30-day ceasefire, but ultimately fell short as the Kremlin's readout indicated that their agreement was limited to a pause in strikes on energy infrastructure.
The language used by the White House differed slightly, referring instead to an energy and infrastructure ceasefire and agreeing to explore a maritime truce in the Black Sea as a step toward a broader peace agreement. However, on the ground, the situation appeared largely unchanged, with both sides actively exchanging accusations of strikes.
In response to the escalation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the direct attacks on civilian infrastructure, emphasizing that a hospital in the northeastern city of Sumy was among the affected facilities. He asserted, "These nighttime attacks by Russia are destroying our energy sector, our infrastructure, and the normal life of Ukrainians. The fact that tonight was no exception proves that pressure on Russia must continue for the sake of peace," without mentioning specific energy infrastructure targeted since the Trump-Putin conversation.
In a retaliatory move, Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Russia’s Krasnodar region, igniting a fire and damaging a pipeline that connects storage tanks, as confirmed by Russian emergency officials. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties from this incident.
Simultaneously, Russian drone activity was reported across multiple regions in Ukraine, including around the capital, Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities stated that in the Bucha district, a 60-year-old man was hospitalized after sustaining injuries to both legs. This attack also led to damage or partial destruction of nine houses across three settlements, while emergency crews extinguished fires in three townhouses.
Additional damage was reported in the Obukhiv, Fastiv, and Boryspil districts of the capital, where fires broke out and at least one house was hit.
Throughout the ongoing conflict, Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine’s power infrastructure, aiming to demoralize the population by depriving them of electricity and heating during harsh winter months. After the Trump-Putin call, Trump described their conversation as "very good and productive" in a post on his platform Truth Social. However, Zelenskyy expressed disappointment at the outcome, stating it illustrated that Putin was not genuinely interested in peace and was intent on prolonging the war.
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