At least two people have been killed and four others injured in Russian air strikes on the eastern Ukrainian industrial city of Konstantinovka, Donetsk region governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Ten apartment blocks, 21 single-family homes and several industrial buildings were damaged.
Filashkin urged the remaining residents to take refuge in a safe place in the city, which is located only about 9 km from the front line.
Before the full-scale Russian invasion, over 60,000 people lived in the industrial city.
In addition, at least Three people were injured in the neighboring Kharkiv region as a result of Russian drone strikes in and around the city of Kupyansk.
A day before the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold a major press conference today, where he is expected to summarize the situation, DPA reported.
The briefing will take place just days after US President Donald Trump, in a reversal of US policy, sharply criticized Zelensky, calling him a "dictator" for canceling the election because of the war.
Washington also expects Kiev to sign a multi-billion dollar deal aimed at compensating the US for the aid it has already provided to Ukraine by granting the US access to Ukrainian raw materials and infrastructure, such as ports. Until now, the Ukrainian leadership has refused to sign the deal, saying it lacks American guarantees for the security of the country, which is under attack from Russia.
In recent years, the United States was the most important supporter and supplier of weapons to Ukraine under Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. Now Trump has adopted a new tone and has become closer to Russian President Vladimir Putin - a move that has caused great uncertainty among Western countries and in Ukraine itself, DPA notes.
Meanwhile, Zelensky spoke by phone with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, world agencies reported.
Starmer promised Zelensky Britain's unwavering support for Ukraine. And Zelensky thanked Starmer for his leadership.
"We coordinated our positions and our diplomacy. "We appreciate the fact that the United Kingdom is committed to maintaining its leadership in protecting people's lives and simply maintaining normality," Zelensky said, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
Starmer will visit Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump on Ukraine. And tomorrow there will be a G7 video conference on the topic.
At the same time, Starmer told the Sun newspaper that it was in the US interest to support Kiev with security guarantees.
“President Trump is also within his right to take the bull by the horns and see if there is a good peace agreement on the negotiating table,“ Starmer added. He stressed that in every conversation with Trump, he was struck by his commitment to peace.
Starmer, however, called for Kiev to be included in the negotiations and for solid guarantees for Ukraine's security from the United States.
The British Prime Minister also spoke yesterday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and both stressed the need to guarantee a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian people are fighting against a brutal aggressor, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a speech via videoconference that she delivered at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which is taking place on the outskirts of Washington, ANSA reported.
"The Ukrainian people are a proud people fighting for freedom, against a brutal aggressor. We must move forward to build a lasting peace. "With Trump (at the helm of the US), we will not see a repeat of the disaster of Afghanistan. We must continue to work together for a just and lasting peace. A peace that can only be built with the contribution of everyone, but above all with strong leaders," Meloni said.
This was her first official statement on Ukraine since US President Donald Trump launched a series of verbal attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, even calling him a "dictator".
Meloni is a supporter of Ukraine and Ukrainian leader Zelensky, who visited Rome several times during the three years of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky also attended a number of international forums organized in Italy last year, such as the G7 summit in Borgo Ignazia in Puglia and the Amobrozetti economic forum in Cernobbio.
Analysts in Italy wondered why Meloni did not comment on Trump's words about Zelensky, but "Corriere della Sera" wrote that her silence may be part of a strategy.