Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s troops face deadliest day of year as Kremlin gives update on peace talks – UK Times

Ukraine has denied any involvement in the incident.

State media quoted FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov confirming Alexeyev’s recovery and stating that security for such high-ranking officials would “of course” be tightened.

On Thursday, the Kremlin also condemned what it called an intensification of Ukrainian attacks on Gazprom gas compressor stations serving two major pipelines, saying such incidents threatened critical infrastructure and international energy routes.

Russia has said Ukraine’s drone attacks on energy sites in southern Krasnodar region connected to the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines which carry natural gas to Turkey via the Black Sea will affect the already volatile market.

Gazprom said at least 26 Ukrainian drones targeted three compressor stations between Tuesday and Thursday.

Gazprom said the compressor stations “ensure” the flow of natural gas through the two pipelines, which are the only remaining routes for Russian pipeline gas exports to Europe.

“As global energy markets are feeling unease… such irresponsible and thoughtless actions by the Kyiv regime can further destabilize the situation in the region and the entire world,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia lost more than 1,700 troops this week on Tuesday, suffering its deadliest day of war against Ukraine, military officials said.

Ukraine’s general staff said it had killed or wounded 1,710 Russian troops on March 17 and destroyed 29 artillery systems as well as 230 vehicles and fuel tankers.

Russia’s average daily losses have been recorded between 700 to 900 troops per day in recent months, in data shared by the Ukrainian military.

The increased death and injured toll among Russian forces could indicate Moscow’s planned spring offensive to capture more territory of Ukraine.

Ukraine said its unmanned systems force, which oversees drone strikes, was responsible for killing or wounding 900 Russian soldiers in a day and a half, after Moscow’s forces attempted to surge forward on the Zaporizhzhia front.

The Russian troops were attempting to move in using infantry, motorcycles and horses under cover of fog before being wiped out, said Robert Brovdi, head of the Ukrainian drone unit “Magyar’s Birds”.

President ​Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukrainian negotiators were ⁠headed to the United States for new talks this weekend ⁠on ​a ⁠resolution to the four-year-old war pitting ⁠Kyiv against Moscow.

“There ​has ⁠been a ‌pause in the talks. It is ‌time to end ‌that and we will do everything ⁠so that the talks can be truly meaningful,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

“The Ukrainian team… is already on the way and we expect a meeting on Saturday in the United States”, he said.

German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the European Commission had been asked by leaders ​to find ​ways to ⁠pay out the loan, and called Viktor Orban’s veto an unprecedented “act of serious ​disloyalty”.

“This will leave its mark,” he said. “This ​is ⁠a serious violation of the principle of loyalty of the member states amongst each other, ⁠and ​it damages the standing of ​the European Union.”

The EU will find ways ​to pay out the promised €90bn (£77bn) loan to Ukraine despite Hungary’s ongoing resistance, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen ​said.

“We will deliver one ​way or the other,” von der Leyen ⁠told reporters after a summit in Brussels, ​where EU leaders failed to convince Hungarian prime minister ​Viktor Orban to lift his blockade on the vital EU loan to Ukraine.

EU leaders condemned the “unacceptable” resistance by Hungary ​during their meeting, EU Council president Antonio ​Costa said.

“A deal is a deal, we need to ‌honour ⁠our word. And no one can blackmail the European Council,” Costa said.

A 90 billion-euro aid package from the European Union ⁠that is currently blocked by Hungary is critical for ⁠Kyiv ​as it ⁠faces a “very difficult” situation ⁠while fighting Russia, president ​Volodymyr ⁠Zelensky said ‌on Thursday.

In comments to the European ‌Council, he added ‌that Ukraine was working productively with ⁠the EU on restoring the Druzhba oil pipeline damaged by Russia, and that he has received ‌signals from the US that peace talks with Russia may resume soon.

Estonia ⁠has summoned the Russian charge d’affaires after a Russian fighter jet violated ⁠the ​Baltic country’s ⁠airspace on March 18, Estonian foreign ⁠minister Margus Tsahkna ​said ⁠on Thursday.

The ‌violation occurred near Vaindloo Island in the ‌Gulf of Finland, off ‌Estonia’s northern coast, where a Russian ⁠SU-30 fighter aircraft entered Estonian airspace and remained for around one minute, Estonia’s foreign ministry said.

“The violation was responded to by a unit of the Italian Air Force, and there was no threat to Estonia’s security,” Tsahkna said.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that ⁠trilateral peace talks on Ukraine with ⁠the ​United States ⁠were on a “situational ⁠pause”.

Russia’s Izvestia ​newspaper ⁠said the ‌Iran war had temporarily halted ‌negotiations between ‌Moscow, Washington and Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman ⁠Dmitry Peskov said Russia hopes the pause will end and another ‌round of ​negotiations ‌can be ⁠held.

He added that ​the ⁠widening ⁠of ​the war ⁠in ‌the Middle East ‌was destabilising ‌energy ⁠markets, with global consequences including for Russia.