- Ukraine is pushing for direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to inject new momentum into diplomatic efforts to end the four-year invasion.
- Kyiv's top diplomat, Andrii Sybiha, confirmed that Ukraine has asked Turkey and other countries to facilitate and host such a summit, excluding Russia and Belarus.
- This diplomatic push follows a period where US-mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv have made little progress on key issues and are currently on hold.
- Concurrently, a Ukrainian drone attack deep inside Russia struck a residential building in Syzran, resulting in the deaths of a woman and a child, and injuring 12 others.
- Analysts suggest that President Putin believes time is in Russia's favour, anticipating a decline in Western military and financial support for Ukraine.
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