Russian drones batter Ukraine's Odesa as peace talks come to a crux
[April 22, 2025]
By ILLIA NOVIKOV
KYIV,
Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa
in a nighttime attack, local authorities said Tuesday, less than 24
hours after a purported Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by Moscow
ended and just over a day before Ukrainian, British, French and U.S.
officials are due to meet in London to discuss the war.
Anticipation is building over whether diplomatic efforts can stop more
than three years of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its
neighbor. |
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate
Mechanized Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen attend an Easter
service on their position in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, April
20, 2025. (Mykola Oliinyk/Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP) |
|
Trump said last week negotiations were “coming to a head” and
insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end
the grinding war.
This came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last
week the U.S. might soon back away from negotiations altogether
if they don't progress. He spoke in Paris after talks among
U.S., Ukrainian and European officials produced outlines for
steps toward peace and appeared to make some long-awaited
progress.
A new meeting is expected Wednesday in London, and Rubio
suggested it could be decisive in determining whether the Trump
administration continues its involvement.
Odesa came under a “massive attack” by Russian drones overnight,
injuring at least three people, the head of Odesa regional
administration, Oleh Kiper, wrote on his Telegram page Tuesday.
A residential building in a densely populated urban area,
civilian infrastructure and an educational facility were hit, he
said.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 54 Shahed and decoy
drones at Ukraine overnight, marking a resumption of long-range
attacks that have blasted civilian areas and sown terror
throughout the war.
Russia has stepped up in the past months its use of Shahed
drones, expanding its production of the weapon and refining its
tactics, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said
in a recently published analysis.
After Putin declared a unilateral ceasefire on Saturday, Ukraine
said it was ready to reciprocate but said Russian attacks were
continuing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that
Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times.
The Associated Press was unable to verify whether a ceasefire
was in place along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front
line.
Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate
and full 30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching
conditions.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for the
spring-summer military campaign, Ukrainian and Western officials
say.
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