A recent barrage of Russian airstrikes in Zaporizhzhia claimed at least 12 lives, including those of children. (Pic Credit: Reuters)
Russian attacks killed at least 12 people, including three children, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday. Russian aerial bombs struck residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, leaving at least 14 people wounded, Zelenskyy said. The strikes came a day after US President Donald Trump announced an agreement to purchase Russian diesel, a move Kyiv warned could help fund Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Trump announced the deal while his envoy, Steve witkoff, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were meeting Ukrainian officials in Miami to discuss a proposal to end the war, according to AP.
He said the attacks showed that Moscow interpreted any easing of pressure as an opportunity to continue its military campaign and strike Ukrainian cities. “Different signals are needed,” he added. Under the agreement, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes “immediately thereafter”, Trump said in an online post. Russia would then deliver another 3 million tonnes “within a short period of time”. “It plays into Russia’s hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world,” he said.
The move also comes as his administration seeks to address high fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections. Trump had been expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call. Trump announced on Friday that he had reached a deal to buy diesel from Russia, marking a significant departure from years of US pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. However, the US president announced the diesel deal on Friday instead.