Kiev’s drone raids meant to derail peace process – Moscow
Ukraine is trying to derail direct peace talks by intensifying drone strikes against non-military targets in Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday. It accused Ukraine’s “party of war” of conducting “terrorist attacks” against civilians in what it described as a political strategy to obstruct negotiations.
According to the Russian military, 776 drones and 12 missiles were intercepted above the country’s territory between Tuesday and Friday morning, while 12 drones hit their targets. On Saturday morning, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported that another 104 UAVs had been intercepted inside Russia overnight.
“The Kiev regime is relentless in its terror attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in numerous Russian regions, including Moscow,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Over the course of just two days, one person was killed and 20 others – including four children – were injured in Ukrainian drone strikes. Four more civilians, including two children, were wounded when the city of Lgov in Kursk Region was hit by a US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launcher, according to the statement.
The strikes on non-military targets are “part of a strategy pursued by Ukraine’s party of war,” the ministry added.
“The latest barbaric terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime were carried out in an attempt to thwart direct Russia-Ukraine talks facilitated by the US administration [of President Donald Trump], which are aimed at settling the conflict definitively,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
The Russian military will respond appropriately to the intensified drone raids by Kiev, but “unlike the Ukrainian side, our targets will be strictly limited to military facilities and defense industry plants,” it said.
The Foreign Ministry concluded by stressing that Moscow’s “fundamental commitment to a constructive search for a peaceful settlement through dialogue remains unchanged.”
Direct talks between Russia and Ukraine resumed in Istanbul earlier this month after a three-year pause, with both sides agreeing to present detailed proposals of their vision of a ceasefire, to carry out a record 1,000 for 1,000 prisoner swap, which started on Friday, and to continue negotiations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow is at an “advanced stage” in preparing a memorandum outlining the principles and timeline for a peace settlement with Ukraine. Russia will be ready to present its draft peace proposal by the time the two sides complete their latest military and civilian POW swap, he said.
The timeframe for the next meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations has “not yet been determined,” Lavrov added.
