(NewsNation) — This week, Russia launched its second-largest aerial strike against Ukraine since the war began over three years ago, leaving many to wonder if Russia and President Vladimir Putin are serious about reaching a peace deal and ending the war.
The strike, which involved nearly 600 attack drones and 31 missiles, killed 25 citizens, including four children, in Kyiv on Aug. 28. A European Union and a British Council building were also damaged in the attack, angering the leaders of various European countries.
“It shows that the Kremlin will stop at nothing to terrorize Ukraine, blindly killing civilians – men, women and children and even targeting the European Union,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said following the attack.
Impact of recent strikes on negotiations
Hopes for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are dissipating as Russian forces continue to strike Ukraine.
The most recent strike comes as peace talks between the two countries ramped up in recent weeks, with optimism for peace negotiations reaching a high point following meetings between President Donald Trump and Putin in Alaska.
“We really made some great progress. We had an extremely productive meeting,” Trump told reporters at a joint news conference following the talks.
However, multiple strikes in the weeks following the meeting in Alaska have shifted the recent optimism to fear.
“This strike clearly shows that Russia’s goals have not changed. They want war – and they are striking not only our people, not only our cities and communities. Russia is now striking at everyone in the world who seeks peace,” Zelensky said following the attack.
Negotiations continue in New York
Despite the attack, peace talks are set to continue on Friday in New York with a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and a Ukrainian delegation, including Andrii Yermak, the chief of staff to President Zelenskyy.
President Zelenskyy is pushing for three specific security guarantees in peace negotiations, according to the Kyiv Independent, as previously reported by NewsNation.
The outlined guarantees include:
- Allowing Ukrainian armed forces to maintain size, strength and supply of arms from its Western backers.
- Agreements with NATO to support and defend Ukraine from future Russian invasions.
- Sanctions against Russia and the use of frozen Russian assets to fund post-war reconstruction.
However, Russia does not seem particularly keen on meeting at least some of the guarantees.
“We proceed from the fact that the options proposed by the collective West are one-sided, are built with the obvious expectation of containing Russia, and the authors of such ideas are following the path of drawing the Kyiv regime into NATO’s orbit,” Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Friday.
Day of remembrance for Ukraine
Aug. 29 is the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, a holiday dedicated to remembering all of those who lost their lives fighting for the country’s freedom.
President Zelenskyy is leading ceremonies in Kyiv and meeting with families throughout the day.