Ukraine hit multiple southern Russian cities in a drone attack on Thursday, killing at least one person and wounding 16 more, just hours before President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a potential ceasefire.
One Ukrainian drone struck an apartment building in Rostov-on-Don, injuring 13 people, according to the acting governor of the region, Yury Slyusar, Reuters reported. Another drone that hit in Belgorod injured three civilians.
Ukraine also appeared to target a Russian oil refinery late Wednesday, with a drone attack causing an oil spill. The Russian Defense Ministry said that it intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, according to The Hill.
Ukraine’s drone attack on Russia comes after Putin’s forces made significant advances in eastern Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s DeepState war map, Russian forces advanced by around six miles as they seek to take full control of the Donetsk region. Russia has also ramped up drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, in recent weeks, killing more than a dozen people.
Trump and Putin will meet in Anchorage, Alaska, at 3:30 PM EST on Friday, The Daily Wire previously reported. Trump has pressured both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end the bloodshed that began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The president’s most recent harsh criticism, however, has been directed toward Putin, whom he has accused of appearing to show interest in peace talks before further inflaming tensions with major attacks on Ukraine.
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During the Trump-Putin summit, the two leaders are expected to discuss a potential land swap between Russia and Ukraine that Trump hinted at last week. Zelensky has pushed back on the idea of a land swap with Russia, saying that “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.” Trump blasted Zelensky on Monday, saying that he disagrees with the Ukrainian president “very, very severely” and that he “was a little bothered” by Zelensky’s resistance to his peace plan.
Trump told Fox Radio’s Brian Kilmeade on Thursday that he believes Putin will agree to a deal.
“He’s going to make a deal. I think he’s going to. And we’re going to find out — I’m going to know very quickly,” the president said. He added that there’s a 25% chance that his meeting with Putin goes poorly, in which case he would immediately return to Washington, D.C.
Zelensky will not be included in the talks with Putin on Friday, but Trump suggested that he could meet with Zelensky and Putin in Alaska in a second meeting after the summit on Friday.