Russian drone strikes have killed a 12-year-old boy in central Ukraine, officials confirmed, while long-range Ukrainian attacks reportedly targeted a Russian port and oil refinery. These escalating hostilities coincide with discreet US peace efforts.<\/p>\n
Donald Trump\u2019s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were scheduled to meet a Ukrainian delegation in Miami on Thursday; confirmation is pending. These talks follow earlier discussions between the US envoys and President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.<\/p>\n
The latest diplomatic push comes after nearly four years of unabated conflict, previous attempts to break the deadlock proving fruitless. Officials have largely kept details of the current talks under wraps, despite Mr. Trump\u2019s initial 28-point plan being leaked.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country\u2019s delegation in Miami wanted to hear from the U.S. side about the talks at the Kremlin<\/a>.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy, as well as European leaders backing him, have repeatedly accused Putin of stalling in peace talks while the Russian army tries to press forward with its invasion.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy said in a video address late Thursday that officials wanted to know \u201cwhat other pretexts Putin has come up with to drag out the war and to pressure Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint news conference with Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo\/Dan Bashakov) (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who accompanied Putin on a visit to India<\/a> on Friday, repeated the Russian leaders\u2019 recent criticism of Europe’s stance on the peace talks. Kyiv<\/a>‘s European allies are concerned about possible Russian aggression beyond Ukraine and want a prospective peace deal to include strong security guarantees.<\/p>\n Kyiv<\/a>\u2019s allies in Europe are \u201cconstantly putting forward demands that are unacceptable to Moscow<\/a>,\u201d Ushakov told Russia\u2019s state-owned Zvezda TV. \u201cPutting it mildly, the Europeans don\u2019t help Washington<\/a> and Moscow reach a settlement on the Ukrainian issues.\u201d<\/p>\n In Ukraine\u2019s central Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian drone attack Thursday night destroyed a house where the boy was killed and two women were injured, according to the head of the regional military administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 137 drones of various types during the night.<\/p>\n Ukrainian drones attacked a port in Russia\u2019s Krasnodar region on the border with Ukraine. The attack sparked a fire at the Temryuk sea port and damaged port infrastructure, officials said.<\/p>\n Ukrainian drones also aimed deeper inside Russia, attacking the city of Syzran on the Volga river, Mayor Sergei Volodchenkov said without providing more details.<\/p>\n Unconfirmed media reports said Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery in Syzran, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of the border with Ukraine.<\/p>\n![\"Ukrainian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Russia_Ukraine_War_Cyprus_85373.jpg\")
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