Russia intensifies Ukraine strikes amid US efforts to broker peace talks

If talks go forward as planned, this would mark the first time since February this year that Russia, Ukraine and the US try to bring an end to the war. Russian forces struck fresh targets in Ukraine on Thursday amid hopes of fresh peace talks, brokered by the White House, between the two warring sides. The strikes come at a particularly concerning point as recent close ties between the US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stoked fears of the US turning its back on Kyiv.Russian force struck multiple targets in Ukraine amid efforts to broker peace talks. (AP)If the talks go forward as planned, this would mark the first time since February this year that all three parties sit together to try and resolve the Russia-Ukraine crisis.Russia launches fresh attacksAmid hopes of peace talks, Moscow upped the ante by targeting a Nova Poshta logistics hub in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, a power station in Dnipropetrovsk and a cargo vessel at sea 52 km south west from the Black Sea port of Odesa, the Russian defence ministry stated on Telegram. The ministry further said that all of these facilities were used for military purposes.In addition, regional governor of Ukraine's Dnipro, Oleksandr Hanzha, informed through Telegram on Thursday that a Russian drone attack injured three people after hitting a private house and garages in the area. Reuters reported that the information could not be confirmed immediately, though both sides denied deliberately targeting civilian bases.Also Read I Ukraine's Zelensky discusses war efforts with Trump envoys ahead of trilateral talks with RussiaThe Russian strikes took place soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on X that he had a “very detailed, hour-and-a-half-long conversation” with US peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.“We are preparing for a trilateral format at the team level between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia – to take place in less than a week,” he added. The meeting is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11.Zelensky's remarks came after Melania Trump's office revealed that the US First Lady would bring together representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the White House, without giving a specific date.Moscow's adviser for international economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev and human rights ombudsman Yana Lantratova will meet the First Lady on Thursday "provided that all logistical arrangements work out", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed, according to Russia's TASS news agency. Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets also announced that he would be meeting Melania Trump in Washington.Efforts at reconciliation by the USHopes for forging a possible path towards ending the war gave way to a localised truce, brokered by Melania Trump, between Russian and Ukrainian forces last month in the Oleshky region. The efforts were aimed at helping residents living in the southern front of Ukraine to leave, after suffering weeks of food and medicine shortage.The rare diplomatic effort allowed roads to be demined and locals to depart for either Russia or Ukraine. The move also prompted Zelensky to bestow the First Lady with a national honour- the Order of Princess Olga, First Class.A decree released on the Ukrainian presidential website acknowledged Melania Trump's “significant personal contribution to humanitarian support for Ukraine, and for active human rights and charitable work.”"Mrs. Trump independently initiated engagement" to secure “a ceasefire in Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region,” an official statement from the First Lady's office read. “This achievement marks an unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American First Lady.” She has also been involved in diplomatic efforts to return Ukrainian children taken to Russia.Meetings are also scheduled to take place on Thursday in Brussels between representatives of the European Union, the United Kingdom, NATO and the US.Stuti Gupta is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi, where she is a part of the General News team, tasked with reporting on happenings across the country impacting domestic as well as international ecospheres. In her role at HT, she is responsible for keeping a track of incoming news updates, packaging stories and publishing them in a format best suited to their purpose. She holds a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Journalism from St Xavier’s, Mumbai and is partial towards working on international affairs. Apart from her interest in the geopolitical world, she is a keen reader, writer, orator, debater and learner who loves picking up new information. She has been recognized for her previous literary work at the international level with a Gold Finalist, Gold and Silver Award in various participating years at the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition along with winning the third prize and getting her story published in Children’s World in 2017. Barring academic and professional pursuits, she has a passion for travelling to new places, exploring new cultures and cuisines, documenting them through words and pictures and interacting with people from diverse backgrounds. She is also an avid enthusiast of studying art forms such as cinema, dance, theatre and music as a tool for cultural storytelling and actively participates in them.Read More