Russia has been building up its forces along parts of the frontline in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy also said that Russia had targeted Ukraine with 150 drones overnight, as well as over 50 drones in the morning and dozens more that evening.
“Now we see another buildup of Russian forces in certain sectors of the front. He [Russian President Vladimir Putin] refuses to be forced into peace,” said Zelenskyy.
These drones attacked port facilities in Odesa and resulted in a fire in Sumy. Two Ukrainian civilians were also hospitalised after drones struck their homes in Chernihiv, according to the region’s government.
Leaders from the ‘coalition of the willing’, a France and United Kingdom-led initiative to provide peacekeeping troops and security guarantees for Ukraine after a ceasefire, will meet with Zelenskyy on Thursday.
The coalition has almost completed technical discussions on ensuring the strength of Ukraine’s military and deploying international peacekeeping troops, according to France’s government.
While the United States has said it will not join the coalition or supply peacekeeping troops, the bloc will seek confirmation of U.S. support on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Putin has claimed Russia and the U.S. have reached a “mutual understanding” on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump met with Putin in Alaska last month to discuss a potential end to the war, though the summit ended without a deal.
Putin also said Russia had never objected to Ukraine joining the European Union, though it considers Ukraine’s potential admission into NATO “unacceptable”.
Related content
