Putin's drones kill 10 and injure 32 as Donald Trump gives two-week deadline

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Villagers were inspecting the damage after Russian drones and missiles hit a residential area in Sloviansk, in the Ukrainian Donetsk region in the east of the country.

Photographs taken today show multiple houses destroyed in the attack.

Reports on a Ukrainian channel on the networking site Telegram suggest Kyiv forces have blown up a Russian train.

The attack is said to have happened in the Melitopol district in territory occupied by Kremlin forces.

In a message on Telegram it said: "Our partisans successfully blew up a train with cargo and fuel tanks. The train was heading towards the so-called Crimea.

"Our partisans are good, but with explosive characters."

Hundreds of foreign companies left Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including major U.S. firms like Coca-Cola, Nike, Starbucks, ExxonMobil and Ford Motor Co.

But after more than three years of war, President Donald Trump has held out the prospect of restoring US Russia trade if there’s ever a peace settlement.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin has said foreign companies could come back under some circumstances.

“Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree,” Trump said in a statement after a phone call with Putin.

“There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED.”

Russian troops launched 109 drones and five missiles across Ukraine overnight and into Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said.

Three of the missiles and 42 drones were destroyed by air defenses, while another 30 drones failed to reach their targets without causing damage, it said.

A nine-old girl was killed in a strike on the front-line village of Dolynka in the Zaporizhzhia region, and a 16-year-old was injured, Zaporizhzhia’s Gov. Ivan Fedorov said.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a meeting of the country's top generals that Moscow had lost 34,000 troops in May.

In a briefing he said: "In May alone, as of 31st, Russian occupiers lost over 34 thousand personnel."

He added that "DeepStrikes" into Russia by Ukraine in the same month had hit 58 targets, including factories making explosives and drones.

Taking to X, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "I also had a good meeting with US Senators Graham and Blumenthal. I thank them for their support of Ukraine, their support for diplomacy, and their efforts to bring moral clarity to the situation.

"It was Russia that started this war. It is Russia that must stop the killings and the destruction of lives. It is very important that this is voiced in the media, in Congress, and in all the world’s influential offices.

"If Russia continues to speak in the language of ultimatums, if it tries to blackmail the world with the continuation of war, it must receive a strong response — a response from the United States, from Europe, and from everyone around the world who wants peace and who has declared their support for a ceasefire and for diplomacy."

Russia has begun a major offensive in the east of Ukraine with drone and missile strikes, as well as ground troops.

The increase in military activity was particularly noticeable this week despite US President Donald Trump saying he would give Moscow "two weeks" before he reacted "differently" to Vladimir Putin's refusal to engage with peace talks. 

The Ministry of Defence said Russia launched more than 900 One-Way Attack Uncrewed Aerial Systems (OWA UAS), or drones, into Ukraine between May 23 and 26 in one of the largest attacks since the invasion began in February 2022. 

Hello and welcome to our LIVE blog covering the conflict in Ukraine.

The Express Team.