Russia and Ukraine trade deadly strikes as Zelenskyy prepares to meet with Trump

Russia bombarded at least four Ukrainian regions overnight with missiles and drones, killing four people, officials said Tuesday, and Ukraine’s forces damaged another Russian oil refinery in their latest long-range strike.

The ongoing exchange of daily aerial attacks, while positions on the battlefield’s front line barely change, provided a backdrop to the visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United States.

Zelenskyy was due to meet other world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The Ukrainian leader is hoping to recruit their help to end Russia’s more than 4½-year-old full-scale invasion of his country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t due to attend the annual event.

The war, which Western officials say has killed more than 500,000 Russian troops, has had global repercussions.

The repeated attacks on Russian refineries, following Moscow’s strikes on Ukraine’s power grid, have caused international shortages of diesel and price spikes, according to Trump. However, the global crunch also came after the Iran war led to curtailed oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Zelenskyy also wants help to ensure the flow of Ukrainian grain and other farm products to world markets through the Black Sea. Russian attacks…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world