Ukrainian drones hit civilian targets, including private houses and ⁠cars, in Russia’s Samara region on the Volga River, which ⁠hosts critically important ​facilities ⁠such as oil refineries, the ⁠local governor claimed on ​Tuesday.

Vyacheslav ⁠Fedorishchev said ‌on the Telegram messaging app dozens of ‌drones had been ‌downed overnight by air defences.

The mayor ⁠of Samara, Ivan Noskov, said on the Max messenger platform that air defences had thwarted a ‌massive attack on ​the city, located ‌over 1,000km (621 miles) southeast ⁠of Moscow.

Ukraine and Russia both ‌deny ​targeting ‌civilians.

Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Donald Trump’s Truth Social post about Russia “ losing control of its diesel oil industry”, warning that the “aggressor will suffer as well”.

The Ukrainian president stressed that Ukraine has sought peace from the start of the full-scale invasion, having made “dozens” of diplomatic proposals on how to end it.“Right now, there is a dialogue with President Trump and America,” he said.

“There are also ideas on the table for bringing peace closer, starting with strong de-escalation steps.

“Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part.

Trump, whose approval ratings ​have ⁠slumped to a record low amid high gas prices ahead of the US midterm elections in November, has expressed concern over the extensive damage done to Russian oil refineries that have been pummelled by Ukrainian drone attacks.

US president Donald Trump has reportedly urged his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Trump’s main message was about “diesel, diesel . . . diesel” and urging Zelensky to order his military to stop its drone and missile attacks, a senior Ukrainian official on the call told the FT.

Another senior Ukrainian official said Trump emphasised that he was very concerned about rising diesel prices and wanted Russian supplies to reach global markets.

Zelensky described the call as an “important conversation” and said his planned meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week “could change a lot”.

“There is diplomatic momentum,” he said without elaborating.

The EU’s top diplomat has urged member states to maintain sanctions against Russia as Moscow’s forces continued their attacks on Ukraine.

“Sanctions are a core pillar of our response to Russia’s war,” Kaja Kallas told reporters in New York after a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers.

EU officials were aiming to conclude talks on extending the sanctions soon and put the rollover in place swiftly, she said.

“We need to have this stability,” Kallas added on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, calling for sanctions to remain in place for a longer period.

She stressed that the EU’s position had not changed.

“That’s why we are also working on a new package of sanctions,” she said.

Discussions over the sanctions remain ongoing, with some EU member states seeking to remove certain individuals from the bloc’s blacklist.

EU countries failed on Monday to finalise a deal that included lifting sanctions on Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiga denounced the proposed removals as “unacceptable”, saying they would send Moscow the “wrong signal”.

Negotiations are expected to continue in Brussels as EU countries seek to extend sanctions on almost 3,000 other individuals and entities over the war.

The bloc is scrambling to reach an agreement before a deadline late on Tuesday.

Emmanuel Macron held an in-depth discussion with Volodymyr Zelensky during which the two discussed the ongoing energy crisis in Ukraine due to attacks on energy facilities.

Macron said Russia’s strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure threaten to deprive millions of families of heating and electricity.

“France will stand by Ukraine to face the winter, and the G7 Energy will also be mobilised at its side. We are strengthening its air defence with the signing of a contract for the delivery of radars, as well as the supply of interceptors,” he said.

“I also discussed this support with President Trump, as well as the prospect of an energy truce and a moratorium in the Black Sea, which we support. This will be a key issue in the negotiations that must resume and that must lead to a just and lasting peace.”

Lithuanian prime minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said his country ⁠has made evacuation plans in the face of ⁠threats ​from ⁠Russia, but added they “will ⁠not surrender” if ​attacked, ⁠the BBC ‌reported on Tuesday.

Sinkevicius told BBC ‌Newsnight that ‌Lithuanians feel “constantly threatened” by Russia, ⁠in part because of drones entering the nation’s airspace. He said that if ‌his country, ​a Nato member, ‌was ⁠attacked, “we will fight ⁠back… we ‌will engage”.

“We’re thinking about a variety of scenarios, not all of them are being discussed very much publicly,” Sinkevičius told the BBC.

“We face concrete threats, not on a daily basis, but we’re experiencing them and it’s a true reality for us.”

Military drone incursions have rattled the Nato partner, with residents living close to the Russian border forced to take shelter following drone alerts.

Last week, Nato fighter pilots shot down a drone that entered Lithuania’s airspace from neighbouring Belarus.

Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in New York for the annual high-level gathering at the UN General Assembly as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are expected to dominate the talks.

Zelensky said around 20 meetings are planned, including with Donald Trump, European leaders, US senators and members of the House of Representatives, heads of international organisations, leading American companies, and think tanks.

“A new Drone Deal is also ready to be signed. Of course, Ukraine’s number one priority is bringing peace closer and protecting the lives of our people,” he said.

“There are concrete security proposals and de-escalation measures that could bring the end of the war closer. We are working to strengthen air defense and ensure sufficient financing for Ukraine.”

The meeting, seen as diplomacy’s biggest event of the year, will bring hundreds of diplomats and world leaders to the UN’s New York headquarters.

French president Emmanuel Macron, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are several world leaders who will arrive in New York for the meeting.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said he would meet with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, according to Russian state media.

At least five people have been killed on Monday as Russian forces continued ​their attacks on different Ukrainian regions along the 1,200km (775mile) frontline of the 4-1/2-year-old war, regional officials said.

Prosecutors in northeastern Kharkiv Region said a drone strike ⁠on the ​town ⁠of Lozova killed one person and injured three.

Further south ⁠in Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone ​killed ⁠a car driver in ‌Nikopol, which is a frequent Russian target on the west bank ‌of the Dnipro River ‌opposite the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

In Donetsk Region, a focal ⁠point of many frontline clashes, a Russian strike badly damaged an apartment building in the strategic Kramatorsk, killing one person. Another person was killed in a nearby village.

And ‌a sustained attack on ​a village in Mykolaiv ‌Region near the Black ⁠Sea coast killed a ⁠3-year-old child.

France’s president Emmanuel ​Macron said on Monday that he had discussed with Donald Trump initiatives aimed at securing ⁠a moratorium between Ukraine and Russia on attacks linked to the energy sector.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Macron said the ⁠two leaders had held ​a “very ⁠good” and “very constructive” discussion on the conflict and agreed on the ⁠need to help Kyiv strengthen its defences.

“We ​had ⁠a lengthy discussion ‌on Ukraine and Russia, the need to help our Ukrainian friends more quickly ‌and more strongly in terms of ‌interceptors, because that is the key issue from a defensive point of view,” Macron ⁠said.

Without going into details, Macron said the two had also focused on the idea of halting strikes on the energy sector, a subject he would bring up when he meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ‌later on Monday.

The French leader ​said helping Ukraine’s energy system remained ‌a priority as ⁠the war continued to affect ⁠security across Europe and he hoped progress could ‌be made ​during the annual gathering ‌of leaders at the ​United Nations.

A pro-peace candidate in Russia’s State Duma has finally spoken out after disappearing for three days.

Yulia Kuznetsova and her husband went missing on the eve of the parliamentary elections and stopped responding to messages and calls.

In a video released on Telegram the following day, she said she had needed psychological support and medical help after a “difficult conversation,” but shared not further details.

“I am back home, and my husband and I are fine. I was also able to vote at my polling station. Thank you all for your support,” read a message posted to Kuznetsova’s channel, along with a photo of her at a polling station.

Her team have still not explained why the couple went missing.

“They are free, and that’s what matters,” her support team said.