Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that envoys of US President Donald Trump are expected to visit both Kyiv and Moscow in the coming days as part of renewed efforts to advance talks aimed at ending the war.
In a video address, Zelenskyy said Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, had confirmed plans to hold meetings in both capitals.
"We have received confirmation from their side that they will have meetings in Moscow and Kyiv," Zelenskyy said, adding that preliminary dates had already been agreed.
If the visit proceeds, it will mark the first trip by the two envoys to Kyiv since Trump's return to the White House. Both have previously travelled to Moscow several times as part of Washington's diplomatic initiative to end the conflict, which has yet to produce a breakthrough.
Fuel depot fire in Sochi
Meanwhile, Russia said a "massive" Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at a fuel storage facility in Sochi, on Russia's Black Sea coast.
Russian authorities said the attack involved strike drones but did not immediately provide further details on the extent of the damage or whether there were casualties.
Seven reported dead
Earlier, Russian authorities reported that four people were killed and three others injured in a Ukrainian strike on the town of Shebekino in Russia's Belgorod region.
According to local officials, the victims included a doctor, a member of an ambulance crew and a civilian couple. Those injured, including the ambulance driver, were taken to hospital.
Separately, officials in the Russian-controlled part of the Donetsk region said three civilians were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes at different locations.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Despite the continuing escalation, Kyiv has maintained its emphasis on diplomacy.
Zelenskyy described continued US involvement in efforts to find a settlement as particularly important.
More than four years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, however, attempts to secure a negotiated end to the conflict have yet to result in an agreement, while international attention has increasingly also focused on developments in the Middle East.
