Russian strikes on Ukraine kill three, target energy sites, Russia rejects EU troops in Ukraine and speedy Zelensky meeting

Russian strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday killed three people and left more than 100,000 households without power, Kiev said.

"Russians attacked energy and gas transport infrastructure facilities in six regions," the Ukrainian energy ministry said in a statement.

It called the attack a "deliberate policy of destroying Ukraine's civilian infrastructure on the eve of the heating season," hampering the heating supply system ahead of colder autumn days.

A farm in the southern Kherson region was damaged as a result of heavy shelling, killing two employees there, and an 81-year-old woman died in an overnight attack on the regional capital, local officials said.

And more than 100,000 houses were cut-off from electricity in the Poltava, Sumy and Chernigiv regions, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

He called for the United States to take a firm stance against Moscow's ongoing attacks, as peace efforts stutter.

"The Russians continue the war and ignore the world's calls to stop the killings and destruction. New steps are needed to increase pressure on Russia to stop the attacks and to ensure real security guarantees," he said on social media.

Russia, which now occupies around one-fifth of Ukraine, has advanced in recent months in a grinding campaign against Kiev's smaller, outgunned army.

Moscow claimed Wednesday to have captured another settlement in the Donetsk region, which Moscow is fighting to seize in its entirety.

As part of any deal to end the war, Kiev is trying to map out Western-backed security guarantees that would prevent Moscow from attacking again in the future.

Tens of thousands have been killed in the conflict, which has devastated swathes of the country and forced millions to flee their homes since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Russia rejects EU troops in Ukraine and speedy Zelensky meeting

The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was against European countries sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine and pushed back against the idea of a speedy meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

"We view such discussions negatively," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked for Moscow's view on a possible European peacekeeping force as part of any deal to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

He said Russia's desire to prevent NATO countries from having a military presence in Ukraine was one of the initial reasons behind the conflict, which Moscow launched in February 2022 with its all-out offensive.

Ukraine is pushing for Western-backed security guarantees as a part of any agreement to ensure Russia does not attack again, while Moscow is demanding Kiev cedes more territory in its east.

The security guarantees for Ukraine are "one of the most important topics" in talks over a settlement, Peskov said, adding Moscow would not discuss specifics of what they could look like publicly.

The Kremlin also further pushed back on the idea that a summit between President Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky was likely to take place soon.

"Any high-level or top-level contact must be well-prepared in order to be effective," Peskov told reporters, including AFP, in a briefing call.

He also said the heads of Russian and Ukrainian negotiating teams were "in touch" but no date had been set for future talks.