Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Russia ahead of key talks – Country
Senior negotiations between high-level delegations from Ukraine and the United States on how to end the three-year war in Kiev and Moscow opened in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with Russian air defense shooting down 337 Ukrainian drones and Russia crossing Russia.
Officials said two people were killed in the massive drone attack, including three children, attacked 10 Russian regions. No large-scale damage was reported.
In the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, journalists briefly entered a room where a senior delegation of Ukraine met with top American diplomats to end the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio smiles at the camera. When asked what he expected from the meeting, Rubio gave a thumbs up and replied, “Okay.”
Ukrainian officials, including the country's top diplomats and defense ministers, had no expression on the table opposite them as the meeting took place in luxury hotels. Ukrainian or U.S. officials did not immediately comment on the drone attack.
But Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak commented to reporters that the most important thing is “how to achieve just and lasting peace in Ukraine”. He said security guarantees are important to prevent Russian invasions in the future. In 2014, Russia occupied Crimea from Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister held talks on the spot, with the US, Saudi Arabia and Ukrainian flags standing in the backstage. Officials did not answer any yelling questions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the United States would inform Russia of the outcome of the Jeddah talks, which he described as “normal practice.”
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The negotiations provide Kiev officials with an opportunity to repair Ukraine's ties with the Trump administration, after an unprecedented argument erupted during Volodymyr Zelenskyy's February 28 visit to the White House. Crucially, Ukraine needs to convince Washington to end subsequent U.S. shutdowns on military aid and some intelligence sharing. U.S. officials say active negotiations in Jeddah could mean it could be just a brief suspension.
Ukrainian officials told the Associated Press on Monday that they would propose a ceasefire covering the Black Sea that would lead to safer transportation, as well as a long-range missile strike that struck Ukrainian civilians and released prisoners.
Kiev is also preparing to sign a deal with the United States on Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, a deal that U.S. President Donald Trump is eager to obtain, two senior officials said.
Rubio said on the plane to Jeddah that the U.S. delegation would not propose any specific measures to ensure the end of the three-year conflict, but would rather hear from Ukraine about what they are willing to consider.
“I won't set any conditions for what they have to or need to do,” Rubio told reporters. “I think we want to hear how far they are willing to go and compare it to what the Russians want and see how we really are.”
Rubio said it could sign a rare earth and key mineral deal during the meeting, but stressed that having discussions with Ukraine or Russians is not a prerequisite for the United States.
In fact, it might make more sense to spend some time negotiating the exact details of the agreement, he said, a broad understanding memorandum that overlooks many details.
The Kremlin has not made any concessions publicly. Russia said it was ready to stop hostilities as Ukraine revoked its accession to NATO and recognized Moscow's occupation of Russia's region. Russia has occupied one fifth of Ukrainian territory since the beginning of the war.
Russian troops had more than a year of battlefield momentum, despite the high cost of infantry and armor and were pushed at selected points on the 1,000km (600m) frontline, especially in the eastern part of Donetsk, against Ukraine's intensity and weary army.
Ukraine has invested heavily in developing its arms industry, especially in high-tech drones that have penetrated into Russia.
According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, most Ukrainian drones in Ukraine were shot down on Ukrainian borders across the Kursk region, part of which was controlled by Kiev troops, while 91 people were shot down in the Moscow region.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 70 drones targeted the Russian capital and shot down towards Russia's capital, the largest attack on Moscow so far.
Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region around the capital, said the attack damaged several residential buildings and many cars.
Governor Igor Artamonov said another person was injured on a highway in the Lipetsk region.
Soubenin said the roofs of Moscow buildings were also damaged, which he called was “insignificant”. Video of the building published by Ria Novosti shows a burnt place on the exterior wall of a multi-storey residential building near the roof, with the building's lining falling off.
Flights are temporarily restricted within six airports, including Donoddovo, vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky outside Moscow, as well as airports in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions.
Associated Press writer Hanna Arhirova in Kiev, Ukraine contributed to the report.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
