Russia attacks as Zelenskyy and Trump work for peace – Ukraine's Foreign Minister
Photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that while the leaders of Ukraine, the US, and Europe were seeking a path to peace in Washington, Russia carried out a massive strike on Ukraine. He emphasized the importance of stopping the killings and achieving a lasting peace.
Minister recalled that during the night, Russia launched 270 drones as well as ballistic and cruise missiles, damaging energy infrastructure and injuring civilians.
“This once again demonstrates how critical it is to end the killing, achieve a lasting peace, and ensure robust security guarantees. In this sense, the future meeting of leaders of Ukraine, the US, and Russia can bring a breakthrough on the path to peace. We are grateful to the United States and President Trump for the peacemaking,” Sybiha concluded.
Russian strike on Ukraine, August 19
Overnight on August 19, Russian forces carried out a massive attack on Ukraine, launching 270 Shahed drones and various decoy UAVs from the directions of Kursk, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
In addition, five Iskander-M ballistic missiles were fired at Ukrainian territory from Russia’s Rostov and Voronezh regions as well as from temporarily occupied Crimea, while five Kh-101 cruise missiles were launched from strategic aircraft over the Caspian Sea.
At the same time, Ukrainian air defense destroyed or suppressed 236 enemy aerial targets. However, four missiles and 40 drones directly hit 16 locations, while debris from intercepted enemy weapons fell in three other places.
White House talks
On August 18, US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and a number of European leaders met at the White House. The main topic of discussion was security guarantees for Ukraine, and the allies confirmed their readiness to provide such support.
During the meeting, Trump temporarily paused the multilateral negotiations to call Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Following the conversation, the US President announced that an agreement had been reached to organize a possible trilateral summit with Zelensky’s participation, which could take place in one of the European countries.
Trump emphasized that the United States is prepared to provide security guarantees for Ukraine and does not rule out sending American troops to oversee the implementation of a potential peace agreement with Russia.
