“We have always viewed any peace initiative positively,” Putin told state television, adding he hoped “representatives of the Kyiv regime” would feel likewise. The Russian leader had previously insisted President Volodymyr Zelensky must be replaced before negotiations could resume.
Soon after Putin’s remarks, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 54 Iranian‑made Shahed drones. Air‑defense units shot down 38, while 16 failed to reach their targets, apparently diverted by electronic counter‑measures. “The enemy targeted a residential district,” Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov wrote on Telegram, describing multiple apartment blocks hit, as well injuring three civilians.
The attack came on the eve of talks in London involving Ukrainian, U.S., U.K. and French officials. Zelensky, under pressure from Washington to show progress toward a settlement, said the meeting’s “primary task” was to secure “an unconditional ceasefire” as a first step toward lasting peace.
Diplomatic maneuvering
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later clarified that Putin was willing to discuss “non‑strikes on civilian targets” directly with Ukraine. Moscow has not held face‑to‑face negotiations with Kyiv since March 2022, weeks after Russia’s full‑scale invasion.
Meanwhile, leaks cited by Western media suggest the Trump administration is floating a ceasefire plan that would freeze the front line, recognize Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and give Moscow an effective veto over Ukraine’s NATO aspirations. Reports also mention making the Russian‑occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant part of a demilitarized “neutral zone.” The White House has not commented.
Overnight, Russia’s own air‑defense forces said they downed 10 Ukrainian drones, five of them over annexed Crimea.
(jh)
Source: PAP, The Guardian, BBC, AP News, Polskie Radio 24
