A Ukrainian drone strike killed a mother, a father and their 24-month-old daughter at their home in Belgorod, a Russian region on the border with Ukraine, according to Russian authorities. The deadly attack took place on Saturday in Proletarsky, about 20km (12 miles) from the frontier. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces intercepted 29 Ukrainian drones overnight, several of them over the Moscow region.
Ukraine’s air force reports Russian drone launches
Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 96 drones from Friday evening, and that 81 were shot down or electronically jammed as of early Saturday. It said hits were recorded at eight locations, with falling debris at two others. A local power supplier also reported outages in parts of northeastern Sumy.
Washington’s question on NATO and Donbas withdrawal
In remarks to reporters on Friday, which were embargoed until Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said US negotiators had asked during this week’s Abu Dhabi talks whether Ukraine would pull its troops out of Donbas in return for joining NATO. He said the question was raised for the first time and that no concrete offer existed. Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine would not withdraw its forces, but said the issue could go to a referendum if Kyiv received firm security guarantees, funding for its armed forces and money for reconstruction.
Also read: Russian strikes further damage Ukraine's power network
“NATO is back on the agenda,” he said. Donbas includes Donetsk and Luhansk, two eastern Ukrainian regions that are partly occupied by Russia. Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw from areas Kyiv still controls, while also opposing Ukraine’s entry into NATO.
Stalled talks and Moscow’s stance on security
Zelenskyy said on Friday that he would not amend Ukraine’s constitution to make the country neutral, arguing that such a move would not guarantee lasting security. Ukraine has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion, with Western help, since February 2022. This week saw US-mediated direct talks between Russia and Ukraine resume, raising hopes of an early end to the war.
However, apart from renewed prisoner exchanges, there appears to have been little progress. European representatives are set to take part in the next round. Zelenskyy said the European Union and NATO are Europe’s “only real security”, and described Moscow’s effort to review the continent’s security as dangerous.
