LONDON (dpa-AFX) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump Tuesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine after the deadly Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities overnight.
Putin's fierce attacks on critical national infrastructure, including energy systems, were particularly depraved as temperatures dropped below -20C, the UK leader told Trump.
The leaders recognized the strategic importance of the deal the UK has secured to maintain control of the US-UK military base in Diego Garcia to protect national security.
A fresh wave of Russian strikes overnight across Ukraine injured several people and left thousands 'without heat in the heart of winter,' the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country said on Tuesday.
Matthias Schmale was 'appalled' by the attacks in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kyiv, noting that many more people in several regions - including Dnipro, Odesa and Vinnitsya - are facing power outages.
'Systematic attacks by the Russian Federation Armed Forces on critical infrastructure affect the daily lives of millions and cause life-threatening conditions for the most vulnerable, including older people and children,' he said in a statement posted on social media. He recalled that international humanitarian law prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure.
UN human rights monitors confirmed that a Russian drone attack on Sunday in the Dnipropetrovsk region near the frontline in eastern Ukraine killed and injured coal mine workers commuting home after completing their shift.
12 civilians were killed and 16 wounded in the attack in the city of Ternivka, according to local authorities.
The mine employees were travelling by bus on a regular commuter route through Ternivka,?approximately?65 kilometres?from the frontline, when multiple Russian drones struck the road near the vehicle over?several?minutes.
The bus windows were blown out in the explosion, killing and injuring passengers. Other civilians driving nearby, as well as people who rushed to help, were also reportedly among the casualties.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the latest round of attacks is in violation of a promise that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave to Trump last week to stop targeting various Ukrainian cities for a week considering the exceptionally cold weather.
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