By Gloria Ogbonna
Fresh violence struck both sides of the Russia–Ukraine border over the weekend, leaving multiple people dead and wounded just days before high-level peace talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year-old war are set to begin in Paris.
Russian officials said one person was killed and two others wounded on Sunday after a Ukrainian drone struck a civilian car in the Belgorod border region.
Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the incident and said that among the injured was a young child, underscoring the continued toll the conflict is taking on civilians in areas close to the front lines.
Across the border in Ukraine, authorities reported additional casualties from Russian drone and missile attacks. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said three people were wounded overnight into Sunday in drone strikes targeting the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine. Emergency crews were dispatched to damaged areas as residents assessed the latest destruction.
Meanwhile, officials in Kharkiv said the death toll from a Russian missile strike on the city on Friday continued to rise.
Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov announced on Telegram on Sunday that two more bodies had been recovered from beneath the rubble of a damaged building, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths from that attack to four. Search and rescue operations continued amid concerns that further victims could still be trapped.
The renewed exchanges of fire came just one day after national security advisers from European countries and other allied nations traveled to Kyiv on Saturday.
The visit was part of intensified diplomatic efforts, led in part by the United States, to push forward negotiations aimed at ending the war. Discussions in Kyiv reportedly focused on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as continued economic and military support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is preparing to travel to Paris for meetings with international partners, said Saturday that progress toward peace proposals could now move more quickly.
He noted that Ukraine has shared all relevant documents under discussion with the 18 national security advisers involved in the talks, including detailed proposals related to future security guarantees.
Zelenskyy said representatives from Ukraine’s General Staff and defense sector are scheduled to meet in Paris on Monday, followed by a broader gathering of European leaders on Tuesday.
He expressed hope that key documents outlining security guarantees for Ukraine could be finalized during those meetings. In addition, Zelenskyy confirmed that discussions with U.S. representatives are also planned in Paris as part of the broader diplomatic push.
As diplomats prepare for negotiations in France, the latest deadly attacks highlight the urgency and complexity of efforts to bring the prolonged conflict to an end, with civilians on both sides continuing to pay the price even as talks move forward.
Source Breitbrat
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