Ukraine-Russia war: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday met Turkey's president, Tayyip Erdogan, and plans to meet US Army officials amid discussions of US proposals for peace conditions with Russia amid Moscow's drone and fresh missile barrage on the city of Ternopil that killed at least 25 people.
Zelenskiy met President Erdogan after visits to Greece, France and Spain.
Erdogan greeted Zelenskyy at the Presidential Complex.
"Bringing the end of the war closer with all our might is Ukraine's top priority," reported the BBC quoting Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president added that efforts would also focus on resuming prisoner exchanges.
Despite renewed efforts, no direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow have occurred since the July meeting in Istanbul, and Russia's demands remain unchanged.
Kyiv had received ‘signals’ about a set of US proposals to end the war that Washington has discussed with Russia, reported Reuters quoting a senior Ukrainian official.
Washington has been secretly working on a roadmap to end the war in consultation with Russia, reported Axios on Tuesday.
Asked about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday: "So far there are no innovations on this that can be reported to you."
Putin has long demanded Kyiv renounce plans to join the US-led NATO military alliance and withdraw its troops from four provinces Moscow claims as part of Russia. Moscow has given no indication that it has dropped any of those demands and Ukraine says it will not accept them.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Zelensky said that Russia launched more than 470 attack drones and 48 missiles of various types against Ukraine overnight and work is underway to address the aftermath of attacks across many of our regions.
“In Ternopil, residential nine-story buildings were hit, causing fires. Unfortunately, there is significant destruction, and there may be people trapped under the rubble. All necessary emergency services are on the ground, trying to save every life,” Zelesnky added.
The nighttime attack hit two nine-story apartment blocks in Ternopil,
According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, at least 19 among those killed were burned alive, including three children aged 5, 7 and 16. Two dozen people are still unaccounted for.
He further added that every brazen attack against ordinary life proves that the pressure on Russia is still insufficient. Effective sanctions and assistance for Ukraine can change this.
