+++ News about the Ukraine war +++: Kushner and Witkoff with Putin in Moscow

On Thursday the situation in Ukraine will be discussed in several places. In Moscow, US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff want to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The meeting in Moscow followed two days of trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which ended on Wednesday. They later travel to Dublin, where they want to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. European summit meetings are planned in the Irish capital on Thursday and Friday, in which Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also take part.

US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriyev received the US delegation at the airport. The trip follows two days of negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi that ended on Wednesday.

They were the first direct, US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine on ways to end the war in nine months. Kushner and Witkoff want to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin following their visit to Moscow. The summit of EU heads of state and government of the European Political Community, of which Ukraine is also a member, is taking place in the Irish capital. (rtr)

Russia and Ukraine attacked each other's capitals early this morning. The attacks came a day after peace talks ended. According to an eyewitness from the Reuters news agency, explosions were heard in the early hours of the morning in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. It was initially unclear whether any damage was caused in the city. The mayor of Moscow said on Telegram that Russia had shot down five drones heading for the Russian capital. He did not give any further details. (rtr)

A Russian soldier was killed in a car explosion in St. Petersburg on Thursday. The cause of the detonation is still unclear, said the local investigative committee. An investigation has been initiated “into the murder of a soldier”.

The authorities did not provide any information about the rank of the killed soldier. Investigators examined the crime scene and tried to clarify “all the circumstances” of the explosion, the investigative committee said in a statement.

However, Russian and pro-Ukrainian Telegram channels reported that the man was an officer in the Russian Air Force.

Since Russia's large-scale offensive in Ukraine began in February 2022, several military officials in Russia have been killed in attacks. Kyiv claimed responsibility for some of the attacks involving car bombs, other explosive devices or firearms, but Kyiv did not comment on others. (afp/dpa)