As a ceasefire brokered by First Lady Melania Trump took effect in a city in southern Ukraine, Russia continued pounding Ukraine's cities overnight.
The local ceasefire, due to last until Saturday in Russia-occupied Oleshky near the Crimean Peninsula, began at 3:00 a.m. local time to permit humanitarian aid to reach the city's inhabitants who are stranded amid shortages of food, water, and medicines.
Oleshky, in Ukraine's partially occupied Kherson region, lies across the Dnipro River from the city of Kherson, about 340 miles southeast of Kyiv. Russian forces captured the town at the start of their 2022 invasion
The temporary Oleshky ceasefire came as Kyiv reported Russian ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting some of Ukraine's biggest cities overnight.
As many as 16 ballistic missiles and 280 drones were launched by Russia, resulting in casualties, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early Tuesday.
"Almost everywhere, Russia's targets were the energy sector, logistics, and ordinary urban infrastructure," Zelenskyy said.
"Strikes are taking place every day. Russia is constantly taking new steps toward escalation."
The developments come ahead of a new round of trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S.
Following a visit to Europe by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for separate talks with Zelenskyy and Putin, the leaders emphasized that they were open to negotiations, but security guarantees were essential.
On Tuesday, Putin held talks with leaders of bordering countries, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
In a phone call, Stubb and Støre emphasized to Putin that their countries would continue to support Ukraine and that negotiations to end the war must resume, according to the Norwegian government.
The so-called "energy ceasefire" announced by President Donald Trump on Oct. 11 appears to have failed to yield any meaningful outcome.
A deal with the U.S. that will see Russia supply global markets with diesel, as well as recently reported restrictions on military applications of SpaceX's Starlink internet service, led Ukrainian officials to warn that Russia was emboldened to intensify attacks on civilian and energy targets.
