Russian Drone Strike Kills 12-Year-Old in Central Ukraine as Quiet Peace Talks Continue

Child Killed in Overnight Drone Attack

Russian drone strikes hit a residential house in central Ukraine overnight, killing a 12-year-old boy and injuring two women, regional officials said. The attack occurred in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where the head of the regional military administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko, said the house was destroyed.

Cross-Border Drone Exchanges and Targets

The Ukrainian general staff said Ukrainian drones struck the Temriuk seaport in Russia's Krasnodar region and the Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region, sparking fires. Syzran is roughly 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) east of the Ukrainian border. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 85 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the Russian-annexed Crimea overnight, without providing further details.

Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched 137 drones of various types during the night, reflecting intensified use of unmanned systems by both sides in the nearly four-year conflict.

Diplomatic Efforts Kept Largely Out Of Public View

Diplomatic activity continued quietly. U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were reported to be due to meet a Ukrainian delegation in Miami, though officials did not immediately confirm whether the talks took place. The Miami meeting followed discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoys at the Kremlin earlier in the week.

Officials have kept much of the latest diplomacy private. A 28-point plan associated with the Trump team was previously leaked, but negotiators have not publicly disclosed the status of those proposals.

Leaders Press for Guarantees and Clarity

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his delegation in Miami wanted to hear from the U.S. side about what was discussed at the Kremlin. In a late Thursday video address he asked, "what other pretexts Putin has come up with to drag out the war and to pressure Ukraine."

Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who traveled with President Putin to India, reiterated Moscow's critique of Europe's role in talks and said European demands were unacceptable to Russia. "Putting it mildly, the Europeans don’t help Washington and Moscow reach a settlement on the Ukrainian issues," he told Russia’s state-owned Zvezda TV.

French President Emmanuel Macron said a visit to Beijing produced progress toward Chinese leader Xi Jinping's willingness to support peace efforts. Macron said he stressed the need for security guarantees that would prevent future Russian attacks and insisted Europe must have a meaningful voice in any settlement.

Context and Attribution

The report includes contributions from John Leicester in Paris. AP continues to follow developments related to the war in Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts surrounding it.