Volodymyr Zelensky, in open letter to Putin, proposes face-to-face meeting and 'full ceasefire'
Ukrainian attacks during Russian Davos an 'embarassement' for Putin
As the war in Ukraine drags the Russian economy into stagnation, President Vladimir Putin will address a flagship investment forum in Saint Petersburg on Friday despite recent Ukrainian drone strikes rocking the city and exposing the gaps in Russian air defences.
Russian drone strike kills man in Kherson, wounds several
Russian drone strikes killed a man in Ukraine's Kherson city and wounded at least three others, regional authorities said on Friday.
"A 75-year-old man died in Korabelny district as a result of an enemy drone attack," said the head of the Kherson City Military Administration Yaroslav Shanko.
City authorities reported that three people were wounded in various districts as a result of strikes, two of whom were hospitalised.
In Konotop city in northeastern Ukraine, three children were wounded in Russian strikes, Mayor Artem Semenikhin wrote on Telegram.
Putin says Russia will bolster air defences in response to Ukrainian drone attacks
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia will strengthen its air defences to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over his showcase economic forum in his hometown of St. Petersburg.
Speaking in response to a question from The Associated Press during a meeting with heads of international news agencies, Putin acknowledged the damage from Ukrainian drone attacks.
“To our regret, some of them break through,” Putin said of the drone strikes. “Russia has an air defence system, we need to improve it, strengthen it, and we will do that.”
Putin also said Russia is open for a compromise on Ukraine in line with understandings reached at his summit with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, adding that Ukraine needs to accept them to make a deal to end the conflict, now in its fifth year.
Putin to address 'Russian Davos' in Saint Petersburg, as threat of Ukrainian drones remains
Russia's Vladimir Putin will address a flagship investment forum in Saint Petersburg on Friday, as the war in Ukraine drags the economy into stagnation and days after brazen Ukrainian drone strikes rocked his home city.
Russia's offensive has led to rising prices, tax hikes, two-decade-high borrowing costs, business shutdowns and labour shortages, putting the economy in its trickiest spot since the start of the war in 2022.
Meanwhile, intensifying Ukrainian attacks on Russia's vital energy infrastructure – oil depots, refineries, exporting hubs – are threatening to dent Moscow's most important income stream.
In a highly symbolic strike, one attack hit a facility in Saint Petersburg as the conference opened on Wednesday, with arriving dignitaries greeted by a plume of back smoke in the background.
US House of Representatives passes bill to aid Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia
The US House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that would aid Ukraine and sanction key segments of the Russian economy, overriding objections from Republican leaders who warned the bill would undermine negotiations designed to achieve a comparable but stronger result.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., seeks to cement US assistance for Ukraine by providing more than $1 billion in security and reconstruction aid. It would make another $8 billion available for Ukraine's defense through loans.
The 226-195 vote is a sign of impatience with President Donald Trump's approach to the war and represents the House's second major foreign policy break with Trump this week. The day before, the House, for the first time, approved a war powers resolution aimed at halting US military action against Iran .
Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering Russia's war in Ukraine.
(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)
