Vladimir Putin would answer a call from Volodymyr Zelensky if it came, a Kremlin aide has said as Russia and Ukraine continue to trade missile strikes.

‘I think ‌he would answer, of course. Putin has ⁠never ​refused talks,’ the Interfax news agency ​quoted Kremlin ​aide Yuri ⁠Ushakov as ⁠saying.

The aide emphasised that if Zelensky wants to speak in person, he is welcome to visit Moscow.

It comes after Finland’s president acted as a messenger between the two leaders this week, conveying the Ukrainian leader’s willingness to begin talks.

Mr Ushakov suggested that the next round of talks to end the conflict should be held in a trilateral format with Russia, Ukraine and the United States.

Asked if Russia believed any European countries should be involved in negotiations, the Kremlin aide said: ‘We have working contacts with the Americans. Therefore, it is logical, of course, that at least the first rounds of negotiations should be held in a trilateral format.’

Last week the two nations agreed to a ceasefire in the Ukrainian town of Oleshky, which was brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.

Pope Leo said during his Sunday prayer that he hoped the move could pave the way for broader peace efforts. 

Vladimir Putin would answer a call from Volodymyr Zelensky if it came, a Kremlin aide has said

President Zelensky also said Ukrainian strikes had succesfully hita Russian oil facility

Pope Leo said: ‘A humanitarian operation has been carried out to help the civilian population in the city of Oleshky. 

I hope that the cooperation between the parties, which made this necessary humanitarian gesture possible, will strengthen their willingness to engage in dialogue and lead to fresh concrete initiatives for peace.’ 

Pope Leo spoke with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky on October 16. 

Putin told Leo that he supported a Vatican initiative to deliver supplies to civilians in Oleshky and was ready to cooperate, the Kremlin said.

On Tuesday, the Vatican’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said that although Leo had recently spoken with Putin and Zelensky, he did not believe the Vatican had played a direct role in arranging the six-day ceasefire.

One of Russia’s largest oil refineries remains burning this morning after it was struck by a Ukrainian drone overnight.

Fires have been seen at the huge Kstovo facility in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Russia said on Sunday that a drone had struck an ‘industrial enterprise’ east of Moscow.

Gleb Nikitin, governor of Nizhny Novgorod region, reported a ‘massive drone attack’, during which an ‘industrial enterprise in the Kstovo district sustained significant damage’.

‘More than 100 drones were destroyed,’ and ‘according to preliminary information, there are no casualties,’ he added in a statement, without specifying the plant’s activities.

Russian investigators are investigating on suspicion of terrorism charges following the strikes. 

A residential building is seen destroyed during a local ceasefire linked to a humanitarian aid mission in Oleshky

Pope Leo said during his Sunday prayer that he hoped the ceasfire in Oleshky could pave the way for broader peace efforts.

Ukrainian media reported an attack on the Kstovo oil refinery, calling it ‘one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, producing fuel and lubricants’.

President Zelensky also said Ukrainian strikes had successfully hit the Kamesky plant in Russia’s Rostov region. 

Moscow said Friday that Ukraine had resumed its strikes on Russian oil refineries after a ‘pause’ of several days.

Senior Russian official Alexander Novak told a reporter from state TV that Ukraine had resumed attacks on Russian plants, hitting three oil refineries and one gas-chemical complex.

Kyiv has repeatedly struck Russian oil and gas sites in retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure since Moscow began its offensive there in February 2022.

US President Donald Trump had been pressuring Kyiv for weeks to stop such attacks, blaming them for the rising cost of diesel.    

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of households in Ukraine were left without power on Sunday after Russia targeted infrastructure in four regions overnight, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.

‘The intensity of the strikes is very high, and the Russians are seeking to maximally exploit the deficit of ballistic missile interceptors,’ Zelensky said.

On Saturday, Ukraine hit Russia with kamikaze drones launched from weather balloons in a bid to plunge Moscow’s airports into chaos.

Kremlin war channels revealed how Zelensky used the unconventional tactic to close airspace around the Russian capital. 

‘This is the type of device the enemy is using to target the Russian capital, in an attempt to disrupt the operations of the Moscow aviation hub,’ reported New Military Columnist. 

The balloons are reportedly used to fly the drones to the target area at high altitude before they are launched to cause maximum damage.

The Kstovo oil refinery, owned by Russian giant Lukoil, is on fire after Ukrainian drone strike on Nizhny Novgorod region

The huge oil refinery remained burning this morning following overnight strikes

Across Russia today there were reports of almost 1,000 delayed or cancelled flights amid growing frustration at Ukraine’s escalating bid to disrupt Putin’s airspace.

Most are regular drones launched from Ukraine.

By early afternoon there were reports of 84 flights delayed and 45 cancelled.

Smoke was seen close to Sheremetyevo amid suspicions an unmanned plane had crashed in the vicinity.

Some reports said the smoke was close to a Rosneft oil depot.

Vnukovo Airport – used by Russian officials and VIP guests – suffered 119 delays and ten cancellations.

Some passengers have been waiting days for their flights as planes are held at other airports, unable to fly to Moscow.

Novosibirsk – the largest airport in Siberia – suffered around 100 disrupted aircraft.

St Petersburg’s Pulkovo reported 138 delays or cancellations.