Kyiv — Russia attacked a gas compressor station in eastern Ukraine that is important for getting gas into storage facilities for the winter heating season, two industry sources said on Thursday, part of an escalation of such strikes despite a US peace push.
In recent weeks Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine and its gas production and import infrastructure despite efforts by US President Donald Trump to end the conflict.
The Ukrainian energy ministry confirmed one of the country’s gas infrastructure facilities had come under Russian attack overnight and that the damage caused was being assessed.
Meanwhile, the US military said on Thursday that meetings between military chiefs from the US and European countries had wrapped up and they would now present the options to their respective national security advisers.
US and European military planners are exploring post-conflict security guarantees for Ukraine, following Trump’s pledge to help protect the country under any deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“These options will be presented to each nation’s respective national security advisers for appropriate consideration in ongoing diplomatic efforts,” the US military statement said.
The meetings between the chiefs of defence for the US, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Ukraine took place in Washington between Tuesday and Thursday.
Ukraine and its European allies have been buoyed by Trump’s promise during a summit on Monday of security guarantees for Kyiv, but many questions remain unanswered.
Officials have cautioned that it would take time for US and European planners to determine what would be militarily feasible and acceptable to the Kremlin.
One option was sending European forces to Ukraine but putting the US in charge of their command and control, sources have told Reuters.
Russia’s foreign ministry has ruled out the deployment of troops from Nato countries to help secure a peace deal.
Trump has publicly ruled out deploying US troops in Ukraine but on Tuesday appeared to leave the door open to other US military involvement, including US air support with American fighter jets enforcing a no-fly zone.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have spoken in favour of troop deployments in a post-war settlement as part of a “coalition of the willing”, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also signalling openness to his country’s participation.
The head of Germany’s soldiers’ union said on Thursday that European Nato leaders would need to deploy tens of thousands of troops to the country for the long term.
Trump has pressed for a quick end to Europe’s deadliest war in 80 years, and Kyiv and its allies have worried he could seek to force an agreement on Russia’s terms after the president last week rolled out the red carpet for Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Russia says it is engaged in a “special military operation” in Ukraine to protect its national security, claiming Nato’s eastward expansion and Western military support for Ukraine posed existential threats. Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion is an imperial-style land grab.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.