Ukrainian attacks against multiple cities in Russia on Wednesday and Thursday left at least one person dead and 16 others wounded ahead of President Donald Trump’s critical summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska.
In a statement on Telegram, Rostov Gov. Yury Slyusar confirmed that 13 people were injured and transported for medical treatment after a Ukrainian drone struck an apartment building in Rostov-on-Don. In a second attack, Russian officials confirmed that three people were injured by a Ukrainian drone strike in Belgorod. Belgorod Oblast Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov also reported that a Ukrainian drone hit a car and killed an individual in Pristen.
According to The Hill, reports suggested that Ukraine also targeted a Russian oil refinery on Wednesday night in a drone attack, which resulted in an oil spill. The outlet noted that the Russian Defense Ministry claimed it intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
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The Hill reported that while Ukraine has conducted drone attacks against multiple Russian cities this week, the Russian military has advanced in the Donetsk region of Ukraine in a major offensive.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is expected to be heavily discussed by Trump and Putin during their meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Friday. In a Friday morning post on Truth Social, Trump highlighted the importance of the historic summit, writing in all capital letters, “HIGH STAKES!!!”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also emphasized the “high stakes” in the meeting between Trump and Putin in a Friday statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“The key thing is that this meeting should open up a real path toward a just peace and a substantive discussion between leaders in a trilateral format – Ukraine, the United States, and the Russian side,” Zelensky tweeted. “It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America. We are ready, as always, to work as productively as possible.”
During a Thursday interview on the “Brian Kilmeade Show,” Trump told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that his negotiations with Zelensky and Putin are “like chess.” The president suggested that he will “know very quickly” during Friday’s meeting whether Putin is willing to make a deal.
“I believe now he’s convinced that he’s going to make a deal. He’s going to make a deal,” Trump said. “I think he’s going to. And we’re going to find out – I’m going to know very quickly.”
