Russian deadly air strikes across Ukrainian regions continue as trilateral negotiations between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington to end the war, now in its fifth year, are effectively paused amid the conflict in the Middle East.

At least three people were killed and more than a dozen injured in Ukraine on March 22 after Russian forces launched missiles and nearly 140 drones toward the country's territory.

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According to Ukrainian officials, more than five regions in Ukraine's east, north, and south, including the war-torn Donetsk region, came under attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyysaidthe strikes came as Moscow felt "impunity" after the United States has temporarily lifter sanctions on Russian oil stranded in the seas amid soaring global prices spiked by its war with Iran.

"During this week, due to the easing of sanctions, Russia increased its crude oil sales to fund its war," he wrote on Telegram. "The profits give Russia a sense of impunity and the ability to continue the war. Therefore, pressure must continue."

Chart: Russian Oil Gets More Expensive

Separately, as Russian forces continued to target Ukraine's civilian, energy, and railway infrastructure, a train attendant in Odesa died while helping with evacuation efforts amid the threat of drone attacks.

"At Odesa railway station, a train attendant was fatally injured by an oncoming train while passengers were being evacuated from a stopped train. The other train was also heading to its evacuation stop," Ukraine's state railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia,reported.

Russia's latest attacks come amid great uncertainty in the negotiation process earlier initiated and mediated by the United States.

Ukrainian, Russian, and US officials met for talks in Geneva nearly a month ago. But the war in Ukraine has shown no signs of easing, with fighting continuing across the front lines on a daily basis.

After weeks of new rounds being postponed, on March 21, Kyiv's diplomats, including Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, arrived in Florida to meet US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who are overseeing the Ukraine peace talks.

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As talks were set to continue through the weekend, Umerovsharedfew details: "We continued discussions on key issues and the next steps within the negotiation track."

Zelenskyy added the key issue now was to understand if Moscow was really ready to "move toward a real end to the war...especially now, when the geopolitical tensions have only increased due to the situation around Iran."

Last week, one of the Kremlin's main envoys, Kirill Dmitriev, also flew to Florida to meet with the US officials.Hedescribedthe talks as "productive."

Some experts believe Russia has benefited from the conflict in the Middle East, as it has partially filled Moscow's budget gaps and shifted global attention away from its war, giving it more room to continue military operations in Ukraine.

Russia Continues Deadly Strikes On Ukraine Amid Stalled Peace Efforts

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