Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin says he is open to talks with Ukraine after Russian forces launch overnight attack on Odesa
Welcome back to our live coverage of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said for the first time in years that he is open to bilateral talks with Ukraine, having previously demanded Volodymyr Zelenskyy be replaced before it could happen.
Speaking to Russian state TV, Putin said:
We have always talked about this, that we have a positive attitude towards any peace initiatives. We hope that representatives of the Kyiv regime will feel the same way.
His comments were followed by Russian forces launching a mass overnight drone attack on Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odesa, which, according to local officials, injured three people and damaged many apartment buildings.
“The enemy targeted a residential area in a densely populated district of Odesa,” mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov wrote in a post on Telegram.
Putin’s change of rhetoric on truce talks came as representatives from Ukraine, the UK, France and the US were set to meet in London tomorrow to talk about a potential ceasefire agreement.
Zelenskyy, under pressure from Washington to agree to some sort of agreement or have support potentially withdrawn, said the London talks “have a primary task: to push for an unconditional ceasefire. This must be the starting point”.
In some other developments:
The Ukrainian air force said on Tuesday that Russia launched 54 drones during an overnight attack. The air force said it shot down 38 drones and another 16 did not reach their targets, likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures.
Russia’s air defence units destroyed 10 Ukrainian drones overnight, downing half of them over the Crimean Peninsula, according to reports.
Leaks suggest the Trump administration is now pushing for a “peace deal” that heavily favours Russia. It would include a pause to the war along the existing 1,000km frontline; recognition that Crimea belongs to Moscow; and a veto on Ukraine’s Nato membership.
There are also unconfirmed reports that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station – which Russia seized in 2022 – would be part of a “neutral” zone.