Best chance for peace in Ukraine yet, but for grim reasons, says Russia expert

Kyiv, Ukraine was struck by at least one Russian missile and 34 people were injured, according to the city's prosecutor's office. In total, 12 Ukrainian regions were targeted in a wave of missile and drone attacks overnight. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented the damage, stating that Russian forces had struck residential buildings, energy infrastructure, a railway station, metro systems, shopping centers, industrial enterprises, and even a monastery in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy blamed the attack on talks between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which concluded on Wednesday. Witkoff praised Putin as a "humanitarian," a term U.S. Vice President JD Vance seemingly associated with the release of Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen held captive by Russia since 2022.

U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the talks, suggesting that "we may be closer now than ever before" to ending the war. Ukrainian forces claimed a record 2,250 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in a single day, the highest number since 2022, according to the Ukrainian Army General Staff. Russia's defense ministry reported shooting down 808 Ukrainian drones across 17 regions, including Ukrainian-occupied territories.