The number of Russian drone strikes targeting Ukraine has surged by more than 50 per cent since US-led peace talks began in mid-February, Telegraph analysis has found.

In the 30 days following Feb 18, when the peace talks began, some 4,776 drone strikes were launched by Russia, compared to 3,148 drone strikes in the 30 days before, according to Ukrainian Air Force Command updates.

Experts said that Moscow has ramped up its attacks to force concessions from Kyiv – and take control over as much land as possible – as Donald Trump, the US president, pledged to bring a swift end to the fighting. Ukraine is also finding it increasingly difficult to intercept Russian missiles, resulting in more civilian targets being hit by Russia.

“Russia is trying to increase the pain it is inflicting on Ukraine to make it more likely that Kyiv will make painful concessions and to show that Russia can continue the fight indefinitely,” said Daniel Byman, director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The Feb 18 meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marked the first time that US and Russian officials met to discuss the conflict – and was notable for excluding Ukraine. “I think I have the power to end this war,” Mr Trump said following the meeting.

But since then, the Kremlin has prevaricated and made a series of unrealistic demands, including the permanent annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, as well as Crimea. While the warring sides went on to agree a US-brokered 30-day ceasefire covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea, there is little sign that strikes are slowing down.

Figures show that Ukraine was, on average, the target of 101 drones per day before the meeting in Riyadh, compared to 154 per day afterwards, an increase of 52.5 per cent.