**Russia-Ukraine Clashes Intensify Despite Ceasefire Proposals**

Ukraine faces renewed attacks on civilian targets even as peace talks stall, highlighting the ongoing conflict's volatility.

Russia and Ukraine have ramped up their military offensives, inflicting significant damage on each other’s infrastructure, mere hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would cease targeting Ukrainian energy facilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia’s actions, claiming that hospitals were among the targets struck. Zelensky accused Putin of effectively dismissing a full ceasefire during their conversation with US President Donald Trump earlier that day.

Putin articulated to Trump that a comprehensive ceasefire would only be feasible if Ukraine's allies ceased military support, a stipulation that Ukrainian supporters in Europe have consistently rebuffed. In the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, officials reported that a Ukrainian drone targeted an oil depot, igniting a small fire there.

Despite Putin’s purported commitment to reduce attacks on energy infrastructure, within hours Zelensky reported continued assaults, stating, "There have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure," which included strikes on healthcare facilities in Sumy. Zelensky noted that Russia launched over 40 drones toward Ukraine shortly after the Trump-Putin call, emphasizing that such nighttime operations severely disrupt Ukraine’s energy sector, infrastructure, and civilian life.

Meanwhile, the Russian defense ministry claimed responsibility for intercepting and destroying 57 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 35 of them over the Kursk border region. In Belgorod, a Russian oblast adjacent to Ukraine, local officials indicated that the region continues to experience "difficult" circumstances, asserting that Russian troops successfully repelled a Ukrainian ground assault.

During the call with Trump, Putin refused to agree to a comprehensive ceasefire, choosing instead to accept only a pause in strikes against Ukrainian energy networks. This refusal undermines efforts for a month-long ceasefire that negotiations led by Trump's team in Saudi Arabia had sought to establish. Ongoing discussions regarding the war in Ukraine are scheduled to continue this Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

Previously, Zelensky highlighted that approximately 80% of Ukraine's energy infrastructure had been devastated by Russian military actions by last September. In retaliation, Ukraine has launched drone and missile strikes deep into Russian territory, specifically targeting oil and gas sites.