Local officials reported that Russian attacks across Ukraine killed eight civilians and injured dozens of others on Saturday. The strikes followed remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin warning that any European deployment of troops to Ukraine would result in direct war with Russia. Speaking Friday at a BRICS summit in India, Putin stated that considering troop deployments translates to a war with Moscow, addressing discussions among some European leaders regarding a prospective peacekeeping force. Putin also claimed that Russia poses no threat to Europe, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that recent border incidents near Poland and Moldova signal potential escalations in Russian provocations. Meanwhile, intensified Russian air campaigns utilizing ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones have targeted Ukraine’s power grid and urban centers, causing casualties in Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Kramatorsk, and the Zhytomyr region. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian forces targeted two chemical plants in Russia’s Samara and Perm regions. Zelenskyy also mentioned in a Deutsche Welle interview published Saturday that he would meet Putin if both attend the upcoming G20 summit in Miami in December, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Putin’s previous stance requires Zelenskyy to travel to Moscow for talks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov maintained that Moscow remains open to negotiations, though operations will not halt during talks. President Trump stated Wednesday that he believes both Putin and Zelenskyy want to reach an agreement to end the conflict, attributing the primary delay to mutual animosity between the two leaders.
Source: cbsnews.com
