Russian attacks kill 5 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy hails talks with US envoys 

A pregnant woman and two others were killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, while two people were killed in Donetsk, Ukrainian officials have said.

The overnight missile attacks on the town of Chuhuiv also injured six people and caused damage to residential buildings and shops, the regional prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.

In the city of Kharkiv, 16 people were wounded in a drone attack, including children. Photos shared online by officials show a burning building and burnt-out cars.

Two people were killed in Bilozerske and Druzhkivka on Monday, Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk state administration, said on Facebook, with 11 others injured in Sloviansk and Shabelkivka.

The strikes come after Ukraine intensified its long-range drone strikes on Russian oil facilities, prompting fuel shortages, while Russia conducted large air attacks on the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X on Monday that he had “a very positive” phone conversation with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

“I am grateful for their readiness to work as actively as possible in the coming weeks to reinvigorate diplomacy aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said, adding that although the world’s attention is on Iran, “our shared goal of peace in Europe remains on the agenda”.

He spoke with the US envoys on his way back from London, where he met with British, French and German leaders about ending the four-year war. Zelenskyy said he also had a “substantive” discussion with French President Emmanuel Macron afterwards, and added he was preparing for the upcoming G7 summit in France.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Macron reiterated their “unwavering support” for Ukraine in a joint statement. They said they had discussed how to use the upcoming G7, NATO and Coalition of the Willing summits to coordinate support for Ukraine, including further pressure on Russia’s war economy and an increased pledge of military and defence support.

Zelenskyy also shared his comments from an interview with The Guardian on X, in which he said, “I think there are different people around Putin. Half of them want to continue this war. Half want to stop.”

Last week, the Ukrainian president shared a letter he had written to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking for an in-person meeting. At the International Economic Forum in St Petersburg on Friday, Putin said there was “no point”, adding that experts should work things out first, and then the pair could meet to sign any deal.