KYIV - Russia and Ukraine have continued to exchange barrages of air attacks, despite Donald Trump having said he would end the war within 24 hours of becoming US president.
While Trump was inaugurated on Monday afternoon, neither Kyiv nor Moscow have shown signs of de-escalating the drone and missile strikes they have been launching against one another in recent months. Both launched barrages overnight on Tuesday.
Russia said it downed 55 Ukrainian drones, more than half of which were intercepted over regions on the border.
Kyiv said it struck an oil depot near the town of Liski in the Voronezh region, sparking a blaze at the facility for the second time in less than a week.
The region’s governor, Alexander Gusev, said the fire was caused by debris from a downed drone and that no one was injured.
Kyiv also said its forces struck an aviation plant producing “combat aircraft” in the western Russian city of Smolensk, creating “explosions”.
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Ukraine’s air force claimed it shot down 93 of 141 drones Russia launched overnight, noting others were “lost” while two returned to Russia.
Russian troops took control of the village of Vovkove in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, TASS, Russia’s state-run news agency, reported on Tuesday, citing the Ministry of Defence.
Vovkove is about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) southwest of the city of Pokrovsk, a key front in Moscow’s offensive in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv has yet to comment on the Defence Ministry’s claim.
‘No specific proposals’
Trump told reporters on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he wanted to make a peace deal and voiced hope that Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would follow suit.
The newly inaugurated US president said that Putin would be destroying Russia by failing to make a deal, pointing out Russia’s economic troubles, including high inflation.
The same day, Putin said Moscow was open to dialogue with the Trump administration on the conflict, emphasising the need to respect Russia’s interests.
Trump has repeatedly said that he would end the war “in 24 hours,” yet he has never provided any details of his plan.
However, his team has hinted Trump may let Russia hold on to occupied chunks of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and four Ukrainian regions.
The Kremlin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday that Moscow has received “no specific proposals” from Washington concerning a Ukraine settlement.
In the immediate aftermath of Trump’s inauguration, Putin held a long phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The conversation on Tuesday saw the pair confirm their mutual support and dedication to securing a multipolar geopolitical environment.
“Russia and China’s joint work plays an important stabilising role in international affairs,” Putin said in the call.
“Both sides should continue to deepen strategic coordination, resolutely support each other, and safeguard the legitimate interests of both countries,” Xi said according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. I aje
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