Russia launched missiles and more than 200 drones across Ukraine as Kyiv struck another Russian oil refinery, escalating the war hours before Volodymyr Zelenskyy was set to meet President Donald Trump in New York.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.

Russia and Ukraine exchanged another round of large-scale aerial attacks Tuesday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared for talks with President Donald Trump on possible steps toward de-escalation, additional air defenses and protection of critical energy and Black Sea infrastructure.

Russian forces struck at least four Ukrainian regions overnight with ballistic and cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles and more than 200 drones, according to Ukraine’s air force. Four people were killed in the central city of Dnipro, while homes, businesses, warehouses and other facilities were damaged elsewhere.

Ukraine, meanwhile, launched another long-range attack into Russia, striking the Kuibyshev oil refinery in the Samara region southeast of Moscow. One person was killed and four others were wounded in the broader Samara attack, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said.

The continued exchange underscored the difficulty facing diplomatic efforts as Zelenskyy arrived in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

The Ukrainian leader was scheduled to meet Trump later Tuesday as he seeks additional U.S. support and attempts to advance proposals aimed at reducing attacks on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping.

Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022 and has now continued for more than 4½ years. Front-line positions have shifted relatively little in recent months even as both countries have dramatically expanded long-range drone and missile operations.

British Chief of the Defense Staff Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton said earlier this month that more than 500,000 Russian troops have been killed since the invasion began, part of what he estimated were approximately 1.5 million Russian battlefield casualties. Russia has not confirmed those figures, and neither Moscow nor Kyiv routinely publishes comprehensive casualty totals.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was not expected to attend the U.N. gathering.

Zelenskyy began his New York visit with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, thanking them for congressional support and discussing sanctions, air defense and proposals he planned to present to Trump.

“This is absolutely the right step, and once it is fully implemented, peace and guaranteed security will certainly be closer,” Zelenskyy said while discussing recently approved sanctions legislation targeting Russia.

The Ukrainian president told the senators that Kyiv and Washington could take additional steps to strengthen protection against Russian ballistic missiles before winter.

“American-made Patriot Systems cannot be replaced at this point, and the more anti-ballistic protection Ukraine has, the less emboldened Russia will be to continue its strikes and prolong the war,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine has repeatedly asked Washington and other allies for additional Patriot batteries and interceptors, which Kyiv considers particularly important for defending cities and energy infrastructure against Russian ballistic missiles.

Zelenskyy also briefed the senators on de-escalation proposals he intended to discuss with Trump.

The two presidents agreed to meet in New York during a phone call Saturday in which Zelenskyy said energy security, food security and protection of civilians were among the issues under consideration.

“An important conversation, and we got through a lot. We agreed to meet in New York, and this meeting could change a lot. There is diplomatic momentum,” Zelenskyy said after that call.

Energy has become an increasingly important component of the negotiations.

Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil refineries and other facilities tied to Moscow’s energy sector, while Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power system.

Trump has linked attacks on Russian refineries to pressure on global diesel supplies and prices, although disruptions associated with the Iran war and reduced oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have also contributed to market pressure.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he discussed the possibility of an energy-related truce with Trump before meeting Zelenskyy.

Macron said the conversation included efforts to secure a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure and the need to provide Ukraine with additional defensive equipment.

“We had a lengthy discussion on Ukraine and Russia, the need to help our Ukrainian friends more quickly and more strongly in terms of interceptors, because that is the key issue from a defensive point of view,” Macron said.

France also plans to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses through additional radar equipment and interceptors as Kyiv prepares for another winter of potential attacks on its electrical grid.

Macron said discussions also covered a possible moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea, where the war has repeatedly disrupted commercial shipping.

Ukraine relies heavily on Black Sea routes to export grain and other agricultural products. Russian strikes on ports and cargo vessels have complicated those exports, hurting the Ukrainian economy and raising concerns about disruptions to international food supplies.

Zelenskyy is expected to raise both the energy and maritime proposals during his meeting with Trump.

The diplomatic discussions unfolded as attacks continued on both sides.

Ukraine said its forces struck the Kuibyshev refinery in Samara during the overnight operation.

The Rosneft-owned facility processes crude oil into gasoline, diesel, fuel oil and other petroleum products and is an important supplier to central Russia.

Ukrainian forces said several drones reached their targets and started a large fire. Ukraine previously struck the same refinery in June.

Fedorishchev confirmed that one person was killed and four others wounded during the Ukrainian attack but did not identify the specific industrial facilities that were damaged.

“The enemy targeted industrial facilities,” he said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted 297 Ukrainian drones overnight across 14 Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

The ministry’s claims could not be independently verified.

The scale of Ukraine’s drone campaign reflects Kyiv’s growing ability to strike hundreds of miles inside Russian territory, particularly against refineries and other energy infrastructure that Ukraine says supports Moscow’s military operations.

Russia responded with another large overnight barrage against Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air force said the attack included more than 200 drones as well as anti-ship, ballistic and cruise missiles.

Four people were killed in Dnipro, according to Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.

Authorities reported damage to residential buildings, businesses and storage facilities in several regions.

At least five people were wounded in Kyiv, officials said.

Russian attacks also damaged energy infrastructure. Nearly 100,000 customers temporarily lost power in the Chernihiv region after a strike on an energy facility, while authorities in Poltava reported attacks on industrial and critical infrastructure.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces targeted Ukraine’s metallurgical and chemical industries, fuel and energy facilities, military-industrial sites and port infrastructure across four regions.

Moscow specifically claimed that one target was a Fire Point facility in Kyiv used to manufacture components for long-range cruise missiles.

Russia also said it struck a tobacco factory in the Poltava region that it alleged had been converted to manufacture small-arms ammunition.

Those Russian battlefield claims were not independently verified.

The latest strikes follow days of escalating drone attacks.

Ukraine recently carried out one of its largest long-range drone campaigns of the war, targeting Russian energy and industrial sites. Russia, meanwhile, has continued heavy strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

That pattern has complicated attempts to establish even limited ceasefires.

Ukraine previously said it was prepared to participate in temporary arrangements restricting attacks against cities if Russia reciprocated. Zelenskyy has also said Kyiv would consider additional de-escalation measures if Washington can secure corresponding commitments from Moscow.

The Ukrainian president is now seeking to turn those proposals into a broader diplomatic framework with Trump.

His priorities in New York include additional Patriot systems and interceptors, continued sanctions pressure on Russia, protection of Ukraine’s winter energy infrastructure and arrangements that could reduce attacks on shipping in the Black Sea.

Macron’s proposal for restrictions on energy and maritime strikes could provide one potential starting point for negotiations, although neither Moscow nor Kyiv has agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire covering those targets.

Zelenskyy has also emphasized the importance of preserving Ukraine’s ability to export agricultural products.

Ukraine was one of the world’s major grain exporters before the invasion, and maintaining access to Black Sea trade routes has remained economically critical throughout the conflict.

Repeated attacks against ports, cargo vessels and related infrastructure have periodically interrupted shipments, affecting not only Ukraine but countries dependent on its wheat, corn and other agricultural exports.

The wider war has increasingly extended far beyond the battlefield.

Russia has concentrated much of its long-range firepower on Ukraine’s electrical grid, industrial facilities and urban areas, while Ukraine has systematically expanded its campaign against Russian refineries, storage facilities and other energy infrastructure.

Those attacks have created an additional point of tension for Trump, who has raised concerns about their effect on global fuel supplies.

Yet stopping them would likely require reciprocal commitments.

Zelenskyy has indicated that Ukraine would consider limiting strikes on Russian energy infrastructure if Moscow halted corresponding attacks on Ukraine.

Macron said he discussed that possibility with Trump and planned to pursue it further with Zelenskyy.

“This will be one of the issues in the negotiations that must resume and lead to a just and lasting peace,” Macron said of the proposed restrictions on energy and Black Sea attacks.

For now, however, the military reality remains far removed from a ceasefire.

Tuesday began with hundreds of drones and multiple types of missiles crossing both countries’ airspace, civilians killed on both sides and another Russian refinery reportedly burning.

Those attacks will form the immediate backdrop when Zelenskyy sits down with Trump in New York to discuss whether a narrower set of reciprocal restrictions can become the first step toward reducing a war that continues to expand in the air even as movement along much of the ground front remains limited.

Original article