MOSCOW, July 5: One person was killed and two others injured in a Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied Crimea, according to Moscow-installed officials. Regional governor Sergei Aksyonov said one victim was in serious condition but did not provide details of the strike. Ukraine has intensified long-range attacks on Crimea in recent weeks, targeting infrastructure as it seeks to weaken Russian control over the peninsula annexed in 2014.
The attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held separate phone calls with US President Donald Trump focused on ending the war, now in its fifth year. Zelenskyy said he discussed the frontline situation with Trump and agreed to continue talks at an upcoming NATO summit in Ankara, noting a “real prospect” for ending the conflict.
The Kremlin described Putin’s call with Trump as “constructive,” saying Trump expressed readiness to help end hostilities. Putin reiterated Russia’s preference for a diplomatic settlement but accused Ukraine and Europe of prolonging the war while claiming Russian battlefield advances, including in Donetsk region. Kyiv rejected these claims. (AP)
