Russia Escalates Strikes on Kyiv as US Proposes Trilateral Talks by End of October
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Russia announced it is intensifying attacks on Kyiv and other key Ukrainian cities, after a drone operation damaged the Northern Bridge, a key crossing over the Dnipro River, last Saturday, damaging the road surface, forcing traffic to be suspended and injuring two people, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed the bridge was used to move troops and transport military equipment, and said the escalation was a response to President Volodymyr Zelensky's stance after he announced he would step up attacks on Russian oil refineries without targeting civilians. The strike on the Northern Bridge came shortly after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, pledging 1 billion euros, or about 1.1 billion dollars, in military aid to Ukraine. On the diplomatic front, Zelensky said on Sunday that the administration of US President Donald Trump has proposed holding technical-level trilateral talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine by the end of October, with Ukraine open to holding the talks in the United Arab Emirates or another country proposed by the US side as host, and responding positively to the proposal. The Russia-Ukraine war has now lasted more than four and a half years since Russia launched its full-scale military operation in February 2022.