Russia’s stance a ‘parody’ of peace negotiations

Zelensky blasts Trump’s diesel deal as EU leaders rally around him at Brussels summit; report says Kyiv running out of interceptor missiles

• Russian drones kill 3 in Kharkiv, cut power to hundreds of thousands
• Ukrainian attacks kill two in Russian-held Luhansk region
• Russia moves on local assets of more European firms

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday took aim at US President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Russia and welcomed the prospect of European allies stepping up their role in talks, calling Moscow’s stance a “parody” of peace negotiations.

At a European Union summit in Brussels, Zelensky said Russia did not want peace. He added that Ukraine was still experiencing disruptions to the SpaceX Starshield satellite system used for battlefield operations and to down Russian drones attacking cities far from the frontline.

EU leaders rallied around Zelensky after Trump again criticised Ukraine, calling its strikes on Russian refineries a “disgrace”. On arriving at the summit, Zelensky pointedly referred to his counterparts there as “real leaders”.

The EU is hosting Zelensky at one of the most difficult moments for Ukraine, with missiles and drones raining down on Ukrainian cities and fears that the US could pull back intelligence sharing and weapons support from Kyiv.

On the eve of Zelensky’s appearance at the summit, Russia also moved to place local assets of French, German, Swedish and Dutch companies under temporary management, in retaliation for the EU’s support for Ukraine, reports Reuters.

Meanwhile, two civilians were killed as a result of Ukrainian attacks on the Russian-controlled Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, the region’s Russian-installed governor Leonid Pasechnik said yesterday.

Russian drones killed at least three people across Ukraine early yesterday, hit two shopping centres and knocked out power to around 370,000 in the northwest after strikes on the energy grid, officials said.

Ukraine has run out of missiles for the US-made Patriot air defense system, leaving it more vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks, a source familiar with the situation told CNN on Thursday. The source told CNN that “almost all the ballistic missiles from the last strike were not intercepted due to lack of the (interceptor) missiles.”