Russia reports energy strikes, Ukraine claims battlefield gains

Russia reported on Monday that its forces had pounded Ukraine's energy facilities, while Ukraine claimed, on the same day, new offensive successes.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in its daily report on Monday that over the past day, Russian troops carried out strikes on transport, energy and fuel facilities used by Ukrainian forces. Its air-defense units destroyed seven guided aerial bombs, 21 U.S.-made HIMARS rockets, one Neptune cruise missile, and 541 Ukrainian drones.

Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky wrote on social media that Ukrainian troops not only held the line in the southern theater but also achieved gains in offensive operations. Since late January, he said, Ukrainian units have restored control over about 400 square kilometers of territory and eight settlements in the Oleksandrivske direction.

Kyrylo Budanov, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told reporters on the same day that a new round of three-party talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia is expected around Friday, with details still being finalized.

Budanov said that during the previous meeting in Geneva on March 17 to18, the Ukrainian delegation floated the idea of a face-to-face summit between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow has yet to give a definitive answer, he said.

The U.S. dollar weakened in late trading on Monday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, dropped 0.09 percent to 97.705 at 15:00 (2000 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro rose to 1.1792 dollars from 1.1780 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound lost to 1.3490 dollars from 1.3491 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 154.62 Japanese yen, lower than 155.02 Japanese yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar was down to 0.7744 Swiss francs from 0.7754 Swiss francs, and it was up to 1.3696 Canadian dollars from 1.3686 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar advanced to 9.0647 Swedish kronor from 9.0540 Swedish kronor.