Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities killed at least two civilians and injured more than 50 on Thursday, just hours after long-awaited talks between the warring neighbours in Istanbul ended without a breakthrough after only 40 minutes.
Both sides said exchanges of prisoners of war and the remains of fallen soldiers would continue, but Moscow continued to resist Kyiv’s calls for an immediate full ceasefire – as proposed by the United States – and a summer summit between Ukrainian and Russian leaders.
Ukraine said Russian bomb, missile and drone strikes killed at least two people and wounded 12 in the eastern city of Kostiantynivka, injured at least 39 in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and wounded three people in the southern port of Odesa.
“Yesterday, at a meeting in Istanbul, the Russian side was again presented with a proposal to immediately and completely cease fire. In response, Russian drones are striking residential buildings,” said Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
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“Russia continues its terror and obstructs diplomacy, which is why it deserves full-scale sanctions ... as well as our strikes on their logistics, their military bases, and their military production facilities,” he added.
“We will make every effort to ensure that diplomacy works. But it is Russia that must end this war – the war it started itself.”
Russian officials said two people were killed and 11 hurt by falling debris as air defence systems intercepted dozens of Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea port of Sochi, where an oil facility was damaged and flights suspended for several hours at the city’s international airport.
Mr Zelenskiy said more Ukrainian soldiers returned home from Russian captivity on Wednesday night, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described agreement to continue such prisoner exchanges as a “positive development”.
He again played down prospects for talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Mr Zelenskiy, however, after Kyiv said it sought such a meeting in August before the expiry of a deadline to end the war given to Moscow by the White House.
“We are living in a time when it is impossible to say that something will definitely not happen. But given the amount of work that needs to be done to bring our positions closer together – for us to ensure our interests – it is difficult to imagine how we can bridge this gap,” Mr Peskov said.
Both delegations in Istanbul made clear that no progress was made in reconciling agendas that Mr Peskov described before the talks as “diametrically opposed”.
Russia demands that Ukraine accept permanent occupation of five regions, abandon hopes of joining Nato and agree to other limitations on its sovereignty. Kyiv says Moscow must withdraw all its forces, leave all occupied territory and pay reparations for the massive damage caused by its invasion.
A summit would only make sense if fundamental differences were overcome, Mr Peskov said: “Then there may be a discussion about arranging a meeting, the very meeting that the Ukrainian side is now talking about, but they are trying to put the cart before the horse a bit. First, the work needs to be done, and then the heads of state can be given the opportunity to record the results that have been achieved.”
Mr Zelenskiy sought to defuse widespread anger in Ukraine and deep concern in some western capitals after he signed a law this week to restrict the independence of his country’s top anti-corruption agencies.
He approved a new Bill that he said “guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine’s law enforcement system, independence of anti-corruption agencies and reliable protection of the law enforcement system against any Russian influence or interference.” It would be sent to parliament on Thursday, he added.
