Ukraine, Russia trade deadly strikes as negotiators hammer at deal

KYIV - Russia rained missiles and drones overnight on Kyiv, killing six people, authorities said on Tuesday, as three people died in Russia's Rostov region in massive Ukrainian strikes.

The heightened attacks came after United States (US) President Donald Trump initially gave Kyiv until November 27, the American holiday of Thanksgiving, to respond to his proposal to end the fighting, a timeline and blueprint that European leaders have baulked at.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said four people died and at least three were wounded in the Svyatoshynsky district. Emergency services earlier said two people died in a strike on an apartment building in the eastern Dniprovsky quarter.

Before dawn on Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed 249 Ukrainian drones -- one of the highest figures reported.

In Russia's Rostov region, acting governor Yuri Sliusar said at least three people were killed, adding: "Tonight's enemy attack brought great grief".

In the Krasnodar frontier region, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev called the overnight bombardment "one of the Kyiv regime's most sustained and massive attacks".

Kyiv and its allies spent the weekend hammering away at Washington's 28-point plan, which initially hewed close to Russia's hardline demands, requiring the invaded country to cede territory, cut its military and pledge never to join NATO.

An updated version, aiming to "uphold Ukraine's sovereignty", was thrashed out over the weekend at emergency talks in Geneva.

Countries supporting Kyiv are due to hold a video call Tuesday to discuss the state of the plan.

'RUSSIA WILL NOT EASE PRESSURE'

"We must be cognisant that Russia will not ease its pressure on Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Zelensky has described his country as being in a "critical moment", saying Ukraine risked losing either its "dignity" or Washington as an ally.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who welcomed the original US plan to end the fighting, has threatened to seize more Ukrainian territory if Kyiv walks away from the negotiations.

Russia's military already occupies around a fifth of Ukraine -- much of it ravaged by years of fighting.

Kyiv and its European allies say the war, the largest and deadliest on European soil since World War II, is an unprovoked and illegal land grab.

Tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

REVISED PLAN

Ukrainian, American and European officials met in Switzerland Sunday after the US proposal to halt the war was widely criticised as requiring too much capitulation.

A joint US-Ukrainian statement after the weekend talks announced an "updated and refined peace framework".

While the latest draft has not been published, the White House hailed it as progress, and the joint statement affirmed "any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine's sovereignty".

Kyiv's delegation said the latest draft "already reflects most of Ukraine's key priorities".

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had thrown doubt on the ability to strike a deal by Trump' November 27 deadline, saying that discussions would be a "lengthy, long-lasting process".

The United States had bypassed Europe with the original plan, and many EU governments were unsettled by the prospect of ending the war on Moscow's terms.

The White House has pushed back on criticism that Trump was favouring Russia.

"The idea that the United States of America is not engaging with both sides equally in this war to bring it to an end is a complete and total fallacy," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.

A senior official told AFP the United States had pressed Ukraine to accept the proposal.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington did not directly threaten to cut off aid if Kyiv rejected its proposals, but that Ukraine understood this was a distinct possibility.