Ukraine war briefing: Deadly Odesa drone attack cuts power, water and heating for second day
www.theguardian.com
Wed, 05 Mar 2025 03:21:44 +0200
Woman aged 77 died of shrapnel wounds Zelenskyy offers minerals deal signature and peace plan.
What we know on day 1,106A Russian drone attack late on Tuesday killed one person and caused power, water and heating cuts in Odesa for the second day running, said the regional governor, Oleh Kiper.
A 77yearold woman died of shrapnel wounds on the outskirts of the city, he said, and drone strikes damaged critical infrastructure, leaving neighbourhoods without services.Kiper said fragments from downed drones had damaged private houses and started fires in outlying city districts.
A missile strike had destroyed an empty sanatorium near the town of BilhorodDnistrovskyi, south of Odesa, he added.East of the capital, Kyiv, drones targeted a multistorey apartment building near the town of Boryspil, smashing windows and triggering a fire in a business.
Local officials reported no casualties.Zelenskyy has proposed a peace plan to end the war, saying he is willing to work constructively under Donald Trumps strong leadership and to sign a deal giving the US access to Ukrainian mineral wealth.
In an attempt to mend fences with Washington after Trump abruptly suspended supplies of military aid, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he was ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible I would like to reiterate Ukraines commitment to peace.Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, welcomed Zelenskyys steadfast commitment to securing peace in a phone call between the two leaders on Tuesday, his office said.
Starmer told Zelenskyy it was vital that all parties worked towards a lasting and secure peace for Ukraine as soon as possible.The British defence minister, John Healey, will meet the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, in Washington on Thursday to discuss a peace plan, according to Britains Ministry of Defence.The British foreign minister, David Lammy, on Tuesday said he had spoken to counterparts in France, Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain and that their determination to strike a peace deal remained clear.
We will step up and we are stepping up together.Germanys likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said on Tuesday that his CDU/CSU party and the Social Democrats would propose an unprecedented package of billions of euros in extra spending on defence and infrastructure.
Merz also said he wanted to get immediate approval for a 3bn aid package for Ukraine that has been held up for weeks.Merzs proposals would also mark a sea change and a major loosening of Germanys fiscal straitjacket, said the Berenberg bank economist Holger Schmieding, noting the countrys longstanding avoidance of large public debts.
Merzs promise of whatever it takes recalled the pledge made in 2012 by the then president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, during the sovereign debt crisis.
Schmieding described Merzs plans as a really big bazooka, the phrase used to describe the ECBs interventions under Draghi.The German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, on Tuesday welcomed European Commission president Ursula von der Leyens plans to raise European defence funds as an important first step.
Two things are now essential for peace through strength additional aid military and financial for Ukraine, which is defending our freedom.
And a quantum leap to strengthen our EU defence, Baerbock said.
Continue reading...
Latest news
more news