Russia strikes western Ukraine in a new round of strikes

Russia has launched hundreds of drones and missiles on western Ukraine overnight in one of the heaviest bombardments in recent weeks, Ukrainian officials have said .Strikes were reported in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Lviv, where one person was killed and others injured.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strikes highlighted why diplomatic efforts to end the war and stronger air defences were “critical”.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Switzerland, Austria or Turkey as possible venues for potential peace talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

After meeting with Putin in Alaska and then entertaining Zelensky and other European leaders at the White House, US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of a trilateral summit mediated by the US. “Any format” is how Zelensky has expressed his openness to meet with Putin.

On Thursday, Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister of Hungary, suggested that a summit of this kind might be held in Budapest.

Hungary may not be seen as a neutral host by everyone because Prime Minister Viktor Orban has kept close ties with Moscow and has thwarted previous attempts by the EU to assist Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.  Zelensky told reporters Thursday morning that he had requested Trump to put pressure on Hungary to restart negotiations for Ukraine to join the EU, but he did not address Hungary’s offer.

“Trump promised that his team would work on this,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader also said that Russian forces were massing on the southern front line in the Zaporizhzhia region – one of four regions of Ukraine that Russia now claims as its own.

“We can see that they continue transferring part of their troops from the Kursk direction to Zaporizhzhia.”

Among Russia’s midnight attacks, Ukraine’s air force said that it has halted 577 of the 614 aerial vehicles.  This featured a combination of drones, ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, according to Foreign Minister Sybiha.

“One of the missiles struck a major American electronics manufacturer in our westernmost region, leading to serious damage and casualties,” he wrote on social media on Thursday.