Russian attacks killed at least 12 people, including three children, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
asserted
Zelenskyy → kill → Saturday
The strikes came a day after US President Donald Trump announced an agreement to purchase Russian diesel, a move Kyiv warned could help fund Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
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Kyiv → come → Ukraine
Russian aerial bombs struck residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, leaving at least 14 people wounded, Zelenskyy said.
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Zelenskyy → strike → people
Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange long-range aerial attacks, while their forces remain largely deadlocked along the front line, more than four and a half years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion.
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Moscow → continue → invasion
Ukraine is struggling to counter an intensifying Russian bombardment campaign that has claimed more than 60 lives over the past four days.
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that → struggle → days
Trump announced on Friday that he had reached a deal to buy diesel from Russia, marking a significant departure from years of US pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
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he → announce → Ukraine
The move also comes as his administration seeks to address high fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections.
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administration → come → elections
“Today, Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia,” Zelenskyy wrote on X on Saturday.
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Zelenskyy → express → Saturday
He said the attacks showed that Moscow interpreted any easing of pressure as an opportunity to continue its military campaign and strike Ukrainian cities.
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Moscow → say → cities
“Different signals are needed,” he added.
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he → need → ?
Trump had been expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call.
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Trump → expect → call
However, the US president announced the diesel deal on Friday instead.
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president → announce → Friday
Under the agreement, Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tonnes in November and 1 million tonnes “immediately thereafter”, Trump said in an online post.
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Trump → supply → post
Russia would then deliver another 3 million tonnes “within a short period of time”.
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Russia → deliver → time
The announcement appeared to contradict a sweeping Russia sanctions law Trump signed last month, which aimed to curb the oil and gas revenues that help finance Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
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that → appear → Ukraine
Reacting to the agreement in a lengthy online post on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that Russia would repay the move with “further terror and perfidy”.
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Russia → react → terror
He argued that the deal amounted to an investment in the war that could prolong the conflict.
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that → argue → conflict
“It plays into Russia’s hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world,” he said.
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he → play → world
According to a statement issued by the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, Zelenskyy described the agreement as “a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners”.
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Zelenskyy → accord → partners
Trump announced the deal while his envoy, Steve witkoff, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were meeting Ukrainian officials in Miami to discuss a proposal to end the war, according to AP.
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envoy → announce → AP
Zelenskyy questioned the circumstances surrounding the negotiations, suggesting that Ukraine’s delegation was being used to divert attention from the diesel agreement.
“I believe our team is simply being used as a smoke screen.
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team → question → screen
It is certainly not how partners should treat each other,” he said.
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he → treat → other
The Aporia
