Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump’s special envoy Witkoff meets Putin for crunch ceasefire talks

US special envoy Steve Witkoff has met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow in an attempt to convince the Russian president to sign a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine.

Russia launched 45 drones towards Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force has said.

This included Iranian-made Shahed drones launched from Kursk and Crimea, the air force said.

Air defences shot down 36 drones, it said, adding nine drones hit three separate targets.

India accused the US of making “unjustified” and “unreasonable” threats after Donald Trump vowed to raise levies on the South Asian country for purchasing Russian oil.

The US president said on Monday that India was profiting from discounted Russian crude while disregarding the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Arpan Rai explains how much Russian oil India buys:

Ukraine’s defence minister thanked the US for approving more than $200 million in deals to supply arms to Ukraine, funded by allies and arising from agreements between the US and Ukrainian presidents.

The partner-funded packages will provide technical support for howitzers and logistical services, Denys Shmyhal wrote on X on Wednesday.

“Entirely funded by partner countries, these packages are a boost to Ukraine’s defences and regional security,” he said.

Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned a wave of Russian strikes across multiple regions overnight, accusing Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.

The Ukrainian president said on Telegram that a Russian attack struck a recreation centre in the Zaporizhia region, killing two people and injuring twelve others.

“There is zero military meaning in this strike,” he said. “Only cruelty to intimidate.”

Elsewhere, drone strikes hit power infrastructure in the Dnipro region, while an attack in Kherson targeted people directly, he said.

In the southern Odesa region, a gas station in the village of Novosilske was hit, damaging a main gas pipeline and sparking a fire, according to local officials.

Oleh Kiper, the regional governor of Odesa, confirmed the pipeline damage and said around 2,500 customers had been left without gas. “Work is currently underway to release gas from the system,” he wrote on Telegram.

Mr Zelensky called the strikes “absolutely cynical”, accusing Russia of attempting to derail Ukraine’s preparations for winter. “Every Russian strike on the energy sector is deliberate,” he added.

The Ukrainian president warned that the Kremlin would only show genuine interest in ending the war if it faced greater international pressure.

“Right now it is very important to strengthen all the levers in the arsenal of the USA, Europe and the G7 so that the ceasefire really comes immediately,” he said.

“Ukraine sees the political will, appreciates the efforts of our partners, America and all those who help. And we are counting on the necessary decisions.”

A Russian drone attack has damaged gas infrastructure and a main gas pipeline in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, causing a fire, governor Oleh Kiper said this morning.

“Work is currently underway to release gas from the system. As a result of damage to the main gas pipeline, 2,500 customers have been temporarily disconnected,” Mr Kiper said on his Telegram channel.

More than 330 Russian troops were killed in a dawn raid by Ukraine’s special forces yesterday, military officials said.

Officials from Ukraine’s defence intelligence said a Russian advance in northern Sumy was “stopped cold” after troops from its Timur unit raided Russian positions and killed hundreds of Russia’s forces.

The fighting was described as close-quarter battle with co-ordinated drone and artillery strikes, reported The Telegraph.

Ukrainian special forces on Tuesday claimed to have killed more than 330 Russian troops in a dawn raid behind enemy lines.

The HUR did not provide exact details of the date, location or specifics of the fight but Russia’s advance into the region has stalled in recent weeks because of Ukraine’s strong pushback.

Russian strikes killed two people and wounded 10 others, including four children, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, governor Ivan Fedorov said this morning.

Russian forces carried out 567 attacks over the 24 hours into the morning across 16 settlements in the region, Mr Fedorov said.

Zaporizhzhia has been on the front lines of the war that Russia launched against its smaller neighbour in February 2022.

At least nine buildings were damaged in the early morning strikes on the Zaporizhzhia city district alone, Mr Fedorov said on the Telegram messaging app. Zaporizhzhia city is the administrative centre of the broader region.

“Emergency services continue to respond on the ground,” Fedorov said.