Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has announced that the delegations of Russia and the US will meet tomorrow Thursday in Istanbul to discuss how to restore their respective diplomatic missions as part of the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
On the other hand, Kiev forces launched one of the largest drone attacks since the beginning of the conflict early this morning. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims to have shot down 128 unmanned aerial vehicles over different areas of its country and the annexed Crimea. Most (85 drones) were downed in the Krasnodar region, where aviation authorities suspended operations at the Sochi airport for several hours. Additionally, 30 were intercepted in the Crimean peninsula, and attacks were also repelled in the regions of Bryansk and Kursk, both bordering Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Kiev Air Force reported that their defenses shot down 110 out of the 177 drones launched by Russia early this morning. The attacks have resulted in two deaths in the Kiev region and one in Kharkiv.
Russia not considering accepting the deployment of European peace forces, according to Lavrov
Sergei Lavrov also stated on Wednesday that Russia is not considering accepting the deployment of European peace forces in Ukraine and that the idea was a "deception" aimed at allowing Ukraine to rearm. The Russian Foreign Minister's words come after Donald Trump stated this week that Putin did not rule out that possibility.
"Talks about the deployment of certain peace troops (in Ukraine) are empty words," said the Russian foreign minister at a press conference in the Qatari capital.
Russia and the US to meet on Thursday in Istanbul
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has announced that the delegations of Russia and the US will meet in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss how to restore their respective diplomatic missions. Moscow has not had an ambassador in Washington since the previous envoy, Anatoly Antonov, left his post last October.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had reported that high-level teams would work to restore the diplomatic missions of the countries in Washington and Moscow as part of the negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine.
What are Ukraine's 'rare earths'?
Ukraine has reached an agreement with the US to have access to the rare earth minerals that have been in the spotlight this month. One of the most coveted, lithium, is found in a large deposit about 10 kilometers from the front line, in the town of Shevchenko. If the Russians take control of it, Washington will not have access to this essential mineral for battery manufacturing.
"We sent the Ukrainians hundreds of billions of dollars. They have excellent rare earths. I need guarantees, and they are willing to give them to me," Trump stated earlier this month, referring to the negotiation, which Kiev did not view unfavorably, considering the surplus of these minerals still existing in Ukraine and the military needs in their ongoing war of attrition against Russia.
Update: Three dead in Kharkiv and Kiev
Ukrainian authorities have updated the death toll from the Russian attacks early this morning: two people have died in the Kiev region and one in Kharkiv.
In addition to Kiev, the falling drone fragments have caused damage in the regions of Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kirovohrad.
According to the private energy sector company DTEK, one of its infrastructures in the Dnipropetrovsk region has been attacked again.
Macron's three 'conquests' in the United States
France considers having obtained "three very important results" in the meeting on Monday in Washington between Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump regarding future peace negotiations on Ukraine, particularly that the US president manages to get Russia to accept the principle of peacekeeping troops.
"It is a turning point that we have been waiting for for ten years," emphasized French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Wednesday, who, in an interview with France 2, recalled that until now, Russian President Vladimir Putin had rejected the idea of Western troops in Ukraine.
The other two "results" that Macron reportedly achieved in Washington were the visit of Volodymyr Zelensky to the US to meet with Trump, which could take place this Friday, and the fact that the US president has "differentiated between a truce, a ceasefire, and lasting peace."
Russian casualties, according to Ukraine's Defense
Macron informs Zelensky of the meeting with Trump
Volodymyr Zelensky was informed on Tuesday night in a phone call with Emmanuel Macron about the meeting he had on Monday with US President Donald Trump, during which the two leaders discussed the negotiation between Moscow and Kiev that Washington is promoting to end the war.
In a message posted on his social media to inform about his call with Macron, Zelensky described the conversation as "constructive" and explained that he coordinated with the French president the "plans and contacts" to achieve an acceptable peace for Kiev that they are jointly promoting.
Zelensky, in turn, informed Macron of the conclusions of the meeting he had on Monday in Kiev with the leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries who visited the Ukrainian capital on the third anniversary of the start of the war caused by the Russian invasion.
Russia working on a new children exchange with Ukraine
Moscow is working to bring 16 children to Russia from Ukraine and plans to reunite 10 children with relatives in Ukraine, as revealed by Russia's presidential commissioner for children's rights to the RIA agency. "We have a clear presidential mandate to work only with full legal representatives, that is, family members, parents who have legal authority and can take care of their children," stated the official Maria Lvova-Belova.
Moscow and Kiev have carried out several children exchanges for reunification with their families since the start of the war three years ago.
Ukrainian air defenses shoot down 110 drones
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that their defenses shot down 110 out of the 177 drones launched by Russia early this morning. The statement claims that another 66 drones were "lost," referring to the military's use of electronic warfare to redirect them.
One dead and two injured in the Kiev region
A nighttime attack with Russian drones on the Kiev region resulted in one death, two injuries, and the burning of several houses, reported regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk on Wednesday.
Kalashnyk wrote on Telegram that the body of a civilian was found in a residential house that caught fire as a result of the attack. Additionally, two people from the region were injured overnight, and five houses and two multi-story residential buildings were damaged in the attacks.
Russia shoots down 128 Ukrainian drones
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Wednesday that they shot down 128 Ukrainian drones over different regions of their country and annexed Crimea last night, one of the largest such attacks against Russia since the conflict began.
The majority (85 drones) were downed in the Krasnodar region, where aviation authorities suspended operations at the Sochi airport for several hours. Additionally, 30 were intercepted in the Crimean peninsula, and attacks were also repelled in the regions of Bryansk and Kursk, both bordering Ukraine.
Trump may meet Zelensky on Friday to sign the minerals agreement
US President Donald Trump hinted on Tuesday that he could meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Friday at the White House to sign the agreement under which Ukraine will share its natural resources with the United States. "I heard he is coming on Friday. Certainly, I am fine with it if he wants and would like to sign it with me," he responded when asked by the press in the Oval Office.