US President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin told him “very strongly” in a phone call on Wednesday that he will respond to Ukraine’s weekend drone attack on Russian airfields.
The US president said in a social media post that “it was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.”
The call that lasted for an hour and 15 minutes was Mr. Trump’s first known with Mr. Putin since May 19.
Mr. Trump said he and Mr. Putin also discussed Iran’s nuclear programme.
Ukraine’s Security Service gave more details on Wednesday about its weekend drone strike on Russian air bases, which it claimed destroyed or damaged 41 Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers.
The agency claimed the planes struck included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, An-12, and Il-78 aircraft, adding that artificial intelligence helped guide the drones thousands of kilometres from Ukraine.
It also said it set off an explosion on Tuesday on the seabed beneath the Kerch Bridge, a vital transport link between Russia and illegally annexed Crimea, claiming it caused damage to the structure.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that there was no damage.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that its troops have taken control of another village in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, on the border with Russia.
Mr. Putin announced on May 22 that Russian troops aim to create a buffer zone that might help prevent Ukrainian cross-border attacks. Since then, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claims its forces have taken control of nine Sumy villages.
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