War in Ukraine: Russian missiles and drones, NATO council meeting, Zelensky's plan to end the conflict… an update on the situation

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Tuesday, August 27, 2024, discover the latest news about this conflict.

Salves of Russian missiles and drones

At least six people were killed in Ukraine overnight Monday-Tuesday by multiple salvos of missiles and drones fired by Russia, the Ukrainian military said, a day after Moscow launched a major attack on the country's energy infrastructure. Three people were killed when a hotel was destroyed in the south-central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, regional authorities reported.

Five other people were injured and another was missing, probably still trapped under the rubble of the building, Serhiy Lisak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast where the city is located, said via Telegram. In addition, three people died and four were injured in drone attacks in Zaporizhzhia, east of Kryvyi Rih.

Air defense systems in the Kyiv region were activated several times overnight to repel missiles and drones targeting the city, the regional military administration said via Telegram. Reuters journalists in the Ukrainian capital heard at least three sets of explosions overnight.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 10 missiles and 81 drones overnight, adding that five missiles and 60 drones had been destroyed. More than 200 missiles and drones had been launched by the Russian military during the previous night, damaging energy infrastructure, according to Ukrainian authorities.

NATO-Ukraine Council to meet on Wednesday

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will hold a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday, August 28, at the request of Kyiv, a NATO spokeswoman said. “The meeting will be held at ambassadorial level,” spokeswoman Farah Dakhlallah said. “Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is scheduled to hold a video conference with allies on the situation on the battlefield and priority needs,” the spokeswoman added.

“Tomorrow's meeting will take place against the backdrop of massive Russian strikes against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. NATO allies have provided significant support to Ukraine's air defenses and will continue to strengthen Ukrainian defenses,”Farah Dakhlallah said in an emailed statement.

Zelensky to present Biden with plan to end war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday, August 27, that the war with Russia would eventually be resolved through dialogue, but that Ukraine must be in a position of strength and that he would present a plan to US President Joe Biden and his two possible successors.

“The goal of the plan is to force Russia to end the war. And I very much wish that it be fair for Ukraine,” said Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian incursion into Russia is part of this plan, the leader clarified at a press conference, which also includes diplomatic and economic aspects that the president did not specify.

Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss the plan with Vice President and Democratic candidate in the November 5 election, Kamala Harris, and will probably discuss it with Republican candidate Donald Trump. The Ukrainian president said he hopes to be able to travel to the United States in September to attend the United Nations General Assembly, and that he is preparing to meet with Joe Biden. He reiterated that Ukraine would not accept Russia dictating the terms of peace.

“There can be no compromise with Putin, any dialogue is meaningless today, because he does not want to find a diplomatic solution to this war,” the leader said. The governments that were pressing Kyiv to make concessions are fewer since the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region, Volodymyr Zelensky added, noting that Vladimir Putin preferred to capture Ukrainian territory rather than defend Russian territory. The leader added that domestic arms production continued to expand, with the first test of a Ukrainian ballistic missile having been successful