Ukrainian drone strike sparks fire at Russian Black Sea port ahead of talks

A occurrence broke retired astatine 1 of Russia's Black Sea ports connected Sunday aft a Ukrainian drone strike, wounding astatine slightest 2 people, officials said. The onslaught comes days up of caller U.S.-brokered talks aimed astatine ending the astir 4-year-old war.

The onslaught connected the larboard of Taman successful the Krasnodar portion damaged an lipid retention tank, warehouse and terminals, according to determination Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev. Meanwhile, falling debris from Russian drones damaged civilian and transport infrastructure successful Ukraine's Odesa region, officials said, disrupting the powerfulness and h2o supply.

Kondratyev said that much than 100 radical were moving to enactment retired respective fires astatine the port, according to Reuters. He added that strikes deed the edifice metropolis of Sochi and the colony of Yurovka, causing little important damage.

Firefighters enactment astatine the tract of a railway infrastructure installation deed during overnight Russian drone strikes, amid Russia's onslaught connected Ukraine, successful Odesa, Ukraine, connected Feb. 15, 2026. State Emergency Service of Ukraine successful Odesa region/Handout via REUTERS

Ukraine's long-range drone strikes connected Russian vigor sites purpose to deprive Moscow of the lipid export gross it needs to prosecute its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian powerfulness grid, seeking to contradict civilians entree to heat, airy and moving h2o successful what Kyiv officials accidental is an effort to "weaponize winter."

The attacks came conscionable days up of different circular of U.S.-brokered talks between envoys from Russia and Ukraine connected Tuesday and Wednesday successful Geneva. There person already been 2 rounds of talks nether this trilateral format truthful acold this year, held successful Abu Dhabi, but this week's league volition beryllium the archetypal connected European soil, and it comes conscionable days earlier the 4th day of the all-out Russian penetration of its neighbour connected Feb. 22.

Neither broadside has voiced immoderate optimism that the negotiations volition output a broad ceasefire agreement, but determination has been immoderate advancement connected different issues.

Speaking astatine the Munich Security Conference in Germany connected Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested determination were inactive questions remaining implicit aboriginal information guarantees for his country. Zelenskyy besides questioned however the conception of a escaped commercialized portion — projected by the U.S. — would enactment successful the Donbas region, which Russia insists Kyiv indispensable springiness up for peace.

He said the Americans privation bid arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable and that the U.S. squad wants to motion each the agreements connected Ukraine astatine the aforesaid time, whereas Ukraine wants guarantees for the country's aboriginal information signed first.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Zelenskyy successful Munich and they spoke connected "Ukraine's information and deepening defence and economical partnerships."

"President Trump wants a solution that ends the bloodshed erstwhile and for all," Rubio said successful a social media post.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a ranking subordinate of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, echoed Zelenskyy's concerns.

"Unless we person existent information guarantees connected immoderate bid statement is yet determined, we are going to beryllium present again, due to the fact that 1 of the things we cognize is that Russia has geared up not conscionable for Ukraine, but to spell beyond Ukraine," she told reporters successful Munich connected Sunday.

European Union overseas argumentation main Kaja Kallas said Russia was hoping to triumph diplomatically what it had failed to execute connected the battlefield, and was banking connected the U.S. to present concessions astatine the negotiating table. But Kallas told the Munich league Sunday that cardinal Russian demands — including the lifting of sanctions and unfreezing of assets — were decisions for Europe.

"If we privation a sustainable bid past we request concessions besides from the Russian side," she said.

Previous U.S.-led efforts to find statement connected ending the war, astir precocious 2 rounds of talks successful Abu Dhabi, the superior of the United Arab Emirates, person failed to resoluteness hard issues, specified arsenic the aboriginal of Ukraine's Donbas concern heartland that is mostly occupied by Russian forces.

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