Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says he met Roman Abramovich in Kyiv in backchannel to Putin
Russian billionaire offered to take a ‘silent’ message on peace talks back to Moscow, Ukraine’s president says. What we know on day 1,566
TL;DR
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in Kyiv.
- Abramovich offered to take a 'silent' message about peace talks directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Zelenskyy communicated Ukraine's resolve not to cede territory and reiterated his desire for a direct meeting with Putin.
- Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of air defense systems, making civilians vulnerable to ballistic missiles.
- President Zelenskyy met with leaders of the UK, France, and Germany to discuss the urgent need to scale up weapon production, particularly interceptors and anti-ballistic missile capabilities.
- Russia has intensified its aerial attacks, including drone strikes targeting sensitive sites and civilian infrastructure, resulting in casualties.
- Moldova's President Maia Sandu expressed the country's need for high-technology interceptor drones and new legislation for their manufacture due to incidents of Russian drones over its territory.