Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, said the strike occurred in the northern part of the peninsula. He reported that one person was killed and two others were wounded, including one who was in serious condition, but did not provide further details about the nature of the attack.

The latest strike follows an increase in Ukrainian attacks targeting infrastructure in Crimea, reflecting Kyiv’s effort to disrupt Russian military logistics and isolate the strategically important Black Sea peninsula.

Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and subsequently annexed the territory, a move rejected by Ukraine and widely regarded as illegal by much of the international community. Western officials and analysts say Ukraine’s growing use of long-range strikes has increased pressure on Moscow even as Russian battlefield advances have slowed in recent months.

The attack came hours after Zelensky and Putin separately spoke by telephone with Trump about prospects for ending the conflict.

In a message posted on X late Saturday, Zelensky said he had called Trump to congratulate him on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. He said the two leaders discussed developments along the front line and agreed to continue their discussions in person during the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.

Zelensky said there remained a genuine opportunity to end the war and described continued U.S. engagement as an important factor in achieving that objective.

The Kremlin separately described Putin’s conversation with Trump as constructive. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the call lasted nearly 90 minutes and marked the fourth conversation between the two leaders this year.

According to Ushakov, Putin congratulated Trump and the American people on the anniversary of U.S. independence. He said Trump reiterated his willingness to support a rapid end to hostilities and pursue a peaceful settlement, while U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would continue mediation efforts and remained prepared to visit Moscow.

Ushakov said Putin again stressed that Russia favors a diplomatic resolution provided that what he described as Moscow’s fundamental positions are taken into account.

The Russian president also accused Ukraine and its European allies of seeking to prolong and intensify the conflict, according to Ushakov, arguing that European governments had misjudged the military situation.

Ushakov further said Putin told Trump that Russian forces continued to make gains along the front and cited the capture of the Ukrainian stronghold of Kostyantynivka as an important step toward securing the entire Donetsk region.

Ukraine denied Russia’s claim that Kostyantynivka had been captured.

The latest diplomatic contacts highlighted renewed international efforts to explore a negotiated settlement even as fighting continues across multiple fronts and both sides maintain sharply differing positions on the conditions for ending Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War II.

Speaking in an interview published by the Kremlin, Putin said Moscow anticipated the return of US officials who had previously held multiple rounds of talks in the Russian capital.

“We expect that after all the events are over, after the active phase on the Iranian track has passed, we will see the arrival of those representatives of the US administration with whom we have already met in Moscow repeatedly,” Putin said.

“We are ready to continue negotiations and discuss all the details,” he added.

Putin made the remarks while responding to a question on the state of Russia-US relations following the Group of Seven summit in France, where US President Donald Trump urged Moscow to “make a deal with Ukraine.”

The comments suggest that the Kremlin believes Washington’s diplomatic focus on the Middle East has temporarily delayed broader engagement with Russia, including discussions on the war in Ukraine and other bilateral issues.

Trump has recently adopted a more optimistic tone regarding Ukraine’s military position. On Wednesday, he said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was performing well in the conflict, despite previously arguing that Kyiv lacked the necessary leverage to secure victory against Russia.

No timetable was provided for the proposed negotiations, and neither Moscow nor Washington announced the agenda or composition of any future delegation.

Russia and the United States have maintained intermittent diplomatic contacts despite the continuing conflict in Ukraine, with both sides periodically indicating willingness to pursue dialogue on issues of mutual interest while fundamental disagreements remain unresolved.

Authorities in Russia’s Krasnodar region said debris from intercepted Ukrainian drones ignited a fire at the Slavyansk-na-Kubani oil refinery, one of southern Russia’s largest refining facilities. Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said one person was killed in Slavyansk and another was injured in a nearby village.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces had targeted the Slavyansk refinery and said a second refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region was also struck during the overnight operation.

“Tonight, our long-range sanctions reached two oil refineries in Russia,” Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging platform, adding that the attacks were intended to reduce resources supporting Russia’s military campaign.

The Associated Press could not independently verify videos circulating on Russian social media that appeared to show heavy smoke rising from the Slavyansk refinery.

The Slavyansk facility processes nearly 4 million metric tons of crude oil annually, according to its operator, and supplies petroleum products including fuel oil, naphtha and marine fuel for export through Russia’s Black Sea ports.

Russian authorities did not immediately confirm damage to the refinery in the Yaroslavl region. Governor Mikhail Evraev said temporary road closures were imposed following what he described as a Ukrainian drone attack, while Russia’s civil aviation agency briefly suspended operations at Yaroslavl Airport and several other airports in southern and western Russia.

In Russia’s Belgorod region, acting Governor Alexander Shuvayev said a separate Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded another near the border with Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 213 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory, occupied Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas.

Ukraine’s air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 142 long-range drones and eight missiles overnight. It said Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 125 drones and seven missiles before they reached their targets.

Ukraine has significantly expanded long-range strikes against Russian energy facilities and military-industrial infrastructure in recent months, saying the campaign is aimed at disrupting fuel supplies, reducing revenues that finance Moscow’s military operations, and increasing pressure on the Kremlin as the war enters its fifth year.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the meeting took place in the Kremlin in a tête-à-tête format but declined to provide details of the discussion.

Schroeder, who served as Germany’s chancellor from 1998 to 2005, has maintained close ties with Putin and later worked for Russian state energy companies, drawing criticism in Germany and across Europe.

The meeting comes weeks after Putin suggested Schroeder could serve as a partner in discussions on future European security arrangements. The proposal was swiftly rejected by European Union officials, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arguing that Schroeder could not act as a neutral intermediary.

Ushakov also said Russia maintains numerous informal international contacts and disclosed that a future visit to Moscow by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner is being prepared, although no dates have been finalized.

The developments occur amid continuing diplomatic efforts related to the conflict in Ukraine and broader tensions between Russia and the West.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian newspaper Izvestia that the letter had been delivered to Putin overnight after first appearing in the media.

“Yes, overnight we already handed over the written version. What came from the media was passed on to the president, and he has reviewed it. The president has been briefed,” Peskov said.

Zelensky published the open letter on Thursday, calling for direct talks with Putin aimed at reaching an agreement to end the conflict. He said Ukraine remained prepared to continue fighting if no diplomatic breakthrough could be achieved.

The Ukrainian leader also sought to increase pressure on the Kremlin by arguing that Russians were growing weary of both the war and Putin’s leadership.

Peskov indicated that Putin could address the letter publicly later on Friday during a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, one of Russia’s flagship annual economic gatherings.

The Kremlin has not yet provided a formal response to Zelensky’s proposal or indicated whether Putin would consider a direct meeting with the Ukrainian president.

The exchange comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain stalled and fighting continues more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The proposal, raised by Putin over the weekend as he signaled openness to discussing postwar security arrangements in Europe, was swiftly dismissed by EU officials who questioned both Russia’s intentions and Schroeder’s neutrality because of his longstanding ties to the Kremlin and Russian state energy companies.
“We would not be very wise to allow Russia to appoint a negotiator on our behalf,” Kaja Kallas told reporters during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Kallas said Schroeder’s close relationship with Putin made him unsuitable for any mediating role, adding that Moscow had shown no evidence it was prepared to engage sincerely in peace or security negotiations linked to the war in Ukraine.

Germany’s Europe minister, Gunther Krichbaum, also rejected the suggestion, saying Schroeder could not be considered an “honest broker” because of his political and business connections to Russia.

Schroeder, who served as German chancellor from 1998 to 2005, has maintained close personal ties with Putin and previously held senior roles in Russian state-controlled energy firms, relationships that have drawn sustained criticism across Europe since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha similarly dismissed any role for Schroeder but said European governments could participate in negotiations complementary to ongoing U.S.-led diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict.

A source familiar with the discussions said Sybiha proposed that European officials help mediate a narrower agreement between Russia and Ukraine to halt attacks on each other’s airports, describing the initiative as a more achievable objective than a comprehensive settlement to end the war.

The discussions reflect growing debate inside the EU over whether the bloc should eventually establish direct diplomatic channels with Moscow after more than four years of political isolation and sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion.

Antonio Costa said last week he had begun consultations with European leaders on how the bloc should organize itself for possible future talks with Russia when conditions become appropriate.

Several ministers, however, argued the EU should intensify economic and political pressure on Moscow before considering formal negotiations or appointing any envoy.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said the immediate priority should be strengthening the bloc’s leverage against Russia rather than selecting mediators.

Austria’s foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said the EU should prepare to become more directly engaged in diplomacy with Moscow, while stressing that decisions on representation would be made by European governments, not Russia.

Addressing troops and military hardware assembled on Moscow’s Red Square for commemorations marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, Putin linked Russia’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine to what the Kremlin has repeatedly described as a struggle against Western influence and military expansion.

“The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today,” Putin said, using Moscow’s official terminology for the war in Ukraine.“They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc.

And despite this, our heroes move forward,” he added.Putin also said he believed Russia’s military campaign was justified, declaring: “I firmly believe that our cause is just.”The remarks came during Russia’s annual Victory Day celebrations, one of the country’s most important patriotic events, which the Kremlin has increasingly used to rally domestic support for the war in Ukraine since the conflict began in February 2022.

Russia has repeatedly accused NATO and Western governments of escalating the conflict through military assistance, intelligence sharing and weapons deliveries to Ukraine. NATO members have said their support is aimed at helping Ukraine defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia’s invasion.

The war has reshaped European security dynamics, prompting increased defense spending across NATO states and the expansion of the alliance with the accession of Finland and Sweden.

Victory Day ceremonies in Moscow have taken on heightened political significance since the start of the conflict, with Russian authorities portraying the war as part of a historic struggle against external threats and Western pressure.

The visit comes as Moscow and Pyongyang continue to strengthen military and diplomatic cooperation following their 2024 strategic defence pact.Earlier, North Korean state media KCNA reported that Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin had also arrived in Pyongyang to attend the opening ceremony of a newly built memorial honoring North Korean troops killed while fighting in the Ukraine war.

Belousov is expected to hold meetings with North Korea’s top leadership and participate in “ceremonial and commemorative events,” according to the Russian defence ministry.Separately, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marking the opening of the memorial.

Putin thanked Kim and North Korean soldiers for assisting Russia in repelling what Moscow described as a major Ukrainian incursion into the western Kursk region and said he was confident the two countries would continue strengthening their strategic partnership.

Russia and North Korea significantly expanded their relations after Kim and Putin met in June 2024 and signed a comprehensive strategic treaty that included a mutual defence clause.Since 2023, both countries have accelerated military exchanges and diplomatic coordination, drawing close international scrutiny over North Korea’s alleged military support for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

The memorial inauguration and Belousov’s visit underscore the growing public acknowledgment of North Korea’s role in the conflict and signal further institutional deepening of Moscow-Pyongyang security ties.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow prefers to wait for an official and detailed statement from Washington before drawing conclusions. “We understand that we need to wait for clearer statements, if any come,” Peskov told reporters, underlining that open communication remains key to maintaining balance during complex global developments.

The remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he would seek a clear understanding of Ukraine’s intentions before making a final decision on the possible transfer of Tomahawk missiles. The U.S. president also emphasized his commitment to preventing escalation and pursuing a thoughtful approach to defense cooperation.

Analysts say the exchange reflects a cautious yet constructive phase in U.S.-Russia communication, as both nations navigate evolving security concerns while expressing their intent to avoid unnecessary confrontation.

Under previous administrations, the U.S. had generally announced new arms supplies to Ukraine only after deliveries were completed. Peskov’s comments suggest that Moscow is monitoring the current dialogue closely while maintaining diplomatic channels open for discussion and clarification.

Russian officials have consistently reiterated their stance on ensuring that any international arms movement does not contribute to heightened tensions. President Vladimir Putin, in a recent statement, emphasized that global security should remain the shared responsibility of all nations, highlighting that open dialogue and trust-building remain crucial pillars of peace.

Tomahawk missiles, known for their long range and precision, are typically used for strategic defense purposes. Russia’s call for clarity highlights the importance of transparency and information-sharing between major powers, which experts believe could help reduce uncertainty and strengthen confidence across the region.

While some observers describe the situation as delicate, diplomatic voices on both sides are calling for patience and mutual understanding. By choosing dialogue over speculation, Russia and the United States appear to be signaling a preference for diplomacy and structured communication, rather than confrontation.

The Kremlin’s message comes amid broader international conversations about maintaining balance and preventing the escalation of military tensions in Eastern Europe. Both Moscow and Washington have long acknowledged that constructive communication remains essential for ensuring regional and global peace.

Russia’s approach, focused on waiting for official clarification, underscores its commitment to responsible statecraft and measured response. This approach aligns with the global call for transparency, prudence, and continued cooperation in addressing international security challenges.

Observers believe that ongoing discussions about defense policies should serve as a foundation for deeper dialogue, mutual respect, and understanding between the two powers. As the situation develops, the emphasis remains on diplomacy, communication, and collective stability — values that continue to guide responsible nations in navigating a complex global landscape.