The head of the United Nations and the presidents of Turkey and Ukraine discussed strategies for putting a stop to the conflict that Russia initiated while also securing the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, which has been shelled near the front lines.
After meetings in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that he was deeply concerned about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and demanded the removal of military equipment and people.
Tayyip Erdogan, Guterres, and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine reportedly had a conversation about reviving the peace talks with Russia that had been suspended during the March meetings in Istanbul. Russia and Ukraine achieved an agreement in July for Moscow to ease a blockade on Ukrainian grain supplies, and exports began at the start of August as a result of a deal mediated by the UN and Turkey.
Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), has maintained positive commercial relations with Russia and has made efforts to mediate the war, which started six months ago when the Russian military invaded neighbouring Ukraine.
The administration of United States President Joe Biden is also preparing an additional $800 million in military assistance for Ukraine, which may be announced as soon as this Friday, according to three sources with knowledge of the situation.
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In the meantime, the regional governor reported on Thursday that two separate Russian attacks on Kharkiv, a significant city in northeastern Ukraine, resulted in 17 fatalities and 42 injuries. An early-morning missile attack on Thursday resulted in three civilian deaths and 17 injuries, according to the local emergency services. That came after a Wednesday Russian strikes on Kharkiv, which the emergency services first reported had left 12 dead.
On the Crimean peninsula, which is under the jurisdiction of Moscow, at least four explosions were reported to have occurred on Thursday. In the previous ten days, explosions at additional Russian locations in Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, have been orchestrated, according to hints from Ukraine.
(with inputs from agencies)
