When Russia launched its invasion into Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in 2014, the battle was not only over territory but also historical memory.
The refinery is the second-largest owned by Lukoil and a key producer of petroleum products in Russia's Southern Federal District.
"The American president spoke with the Russian president on the phone and agreed that there would be a meeting between the Russian president and the Ukrainian president within the next two weeks," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
"That will be part of the discussions, which will now start. We will try to bring them to the next stage of understanding over the coming days and weeks, of course," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
The number includes 890 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
"(T)he question of territory is a question that we will leave between me and Putin. Security guarantees will probably be negotiated with our partners," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities on Aug. 19, hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky concluded peace talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Our reporting on literature, films, art, and traditions from Ukraine and the latest news on culture in Eastern Europe.
Trump appeared to endorse Russia's plan as the fastest way to a peace deal, abandoning the demand for a ceasefire and threats of sanctions agains Moscow, officials told the NYT.
