By Gloria Ogbonna
Two people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian border regions, local officials said Sunday, as diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the nearly four-year-old war gain momentum ahead of high-level peace talks scheduled to take place in Paris later this week.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders northeastern Ukraine and has frequently come under attack during the conflict, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone struck a civilian vehicle.
The attack killed one person and wounded two others, including a young child. Gladkov described the incident as another example of the growing danger faced by civilians living near the border as the war continues to spill beyond the front lines.
A separate drone strike occurred in the neighboring Kursk region, where regional Gov. Alexander Khinshtein reported that one person was killed after a village was hit.
Details about the extent of the damage were limited, but the incident further underscored the increasing frequency of cross-border attacks as both sides expand the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Ukraine also reported casualties from overnight attacks. The country’s State Emergency Service said three people were wounded in drone strikes in the Kharkiv region late Saturday into Sunday.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and a frequent target of Russian airstrikes, has endured sustained bombardment throughout the war due to its proximity to the Russian border.
Meanwhile, officials in Kharkiv confirmed that the death toll from a Russian missile attack on the city on Friday has risen. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said Sunday that body parts were discovered beneath the rubble of a damaged building, bringing the number of people killed in that strike to five. Emergency crews continued search and recovery operations as residents assessed the destruction left behind.
The latest round of violence comes at a critical diplomatic moment. On Saturday, national security advisers from several European countries and other allied nations traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian officials.
The discussions focused on long-term security guarantees, military cooperation, and economic support for Ukraine, as a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the war intensifies.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is preparing to travel to Paris for meetings with international partners, said Saturday that progress toward peace could now accelerate.
He noted that Ukraine has shared all key documents currently under discussion with 18 national security advisers, including proposals related to security guarantees designed to prevent future aggression.
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 these meetings would lead to the finalization of concrete security agreements. In addition, Zelenskyy confirmed that talks with U.S. representatives will also take place in Paris as part of the ongoing diplomatic effort.
As fighting continues on both sides of the border, the coming days are expected to test whether intensified diplomacy can slow the violence and lay the groundwork for a potential path toward ending the war.
Source Breitbart
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