In brief
Local authorities report that Russian attacks have resulted in the deaths of six people across four regions in Ukraine, including two fatalities in Zaporizhzhia from a drone strike. As civilian casualties mount, Ukrainian President Zelensky emphasizes the urgent need for diplomatic negotiations to halt the violence. Amidst ongoing talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Florida, concerns grow over a potential shift in US sanctions against Russian oil amid the conflict.
Six people have been killed in Russian attacks on four Ukrainian regions in the past 24 hours, local authorities say.
In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, two people died when a drone hit a residential house on Saturday. Eight people, including two children, were injured.
In the nearby Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were killed and five injured. Authorities in the eastern Donetsk and southern Kherson regions each reported one death.
This comes as Ukrainian and US teams continue talks on how to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine - the first negotiations since new strikes on Iran by Israel and the United States last month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants negotiators to discuss the US decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil, implemented by Washington to help keep global energy prices down.
On the first day of the talks in Florida, Ukrainian negotiators met Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
It is important for all of us across the world that diplomacy continues and we're trying to stop this war, Zelensky said in his late-night video address.
The most important thing is to understand how prepared Russia is for moving towards really ending the war and how prepared they are to do this honestly and decently. This is particularly important given that because of the Iran situation geopolitical problems have only gotten worse.
The talks will resume later on Sunday.
Previous rounds of US-mediated discussions have failed to stop the fighting or alter Russia's demands, casting doubt on the prospects for a breakthrough.
A friend of a Zaporizhzhia drone attack victim expressed despair, saying: When will this all just end? When will they finally reach an agreement? Another victim's mother shared her harrowing experience during the attack.
On the negotiation table is planning another trilateral meeting involving Russia and efforts to mend the fraught relationship between Zelensky and Trump, who has recently accused the Ukrainian leader of being a barrier to peace.
Ukraine is also offering the US its drone expertise, which could assist in countering threats from Iran.
Repeated Russian strikes have targeted Zaporizhzhia since the invasion began in February 2022, with increasing civilian casualties reported. Zelensky warned that the ongoing conflict across the Middle East and the easing of sanctions could weaken Ukraine's position further.
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