Missile and drone strikes pummeled Kyiv for nearly 10 hours on Saturday, targeting civilian infrastructure and the capital’s energy grid a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with President Donald Trump for peace talks.
“They do not want to end the war and seek to use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering and increase their pressure on others around the world,” Zelensky wrote on X following the attacks, which he said involved around 500 drones and 40 missiles.
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At least two people were killed and dozens more wounded, including two children, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strikes left around a third of Ukraine’s capital without heating amid freezing temperatures and snow.
Zelensky called on the United States and European allies to respond forcefully: “If Russia turns even the Christmas and New Year period into a time of destroyed homes and burned apartments, of ruined power plants, then this sick activity can only be responded to with truly strong steps,” he said. “The United States has this capability. Europe has this capability. Many of our partners have this capability. The key is to use it.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down 111 Ukrainian drones Saturday afternoon, several of which were over Moscow. Ukrainian officials also reported clashes along the front lines.
Zelensky was in Canada on Saturday to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, along with other European allies via video conference, to discuss peace negotiations. Carney welcomed Zelensky on Saturday, saying that “we have the conditions and possibility for a just and lasting peace,” but that it “requires a willing Russia.”
Carney also announced $2.5 billion in economic assistance for Ukrainian reconstruction. European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will attend talks on Saturday, according to a commission spokesperson.
The talks in Canada and Florida are expected to include points on Ukrainian security guarantees, an issue that United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said is necessary for an agreement with Russia, as well as territorial discussions on the Donbas region, and postwar reconstruction.
Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Zelensky has said the talks were “specifically intended to refine things as much as we possibly can” and that a peace-plan proposal was “90% ready.”
“Our goal is to bring everything to 100%,” Zelensky said Friday. “As of today, our teams, the Ukrainian and American negotiating teams, have made significant progress.”
The Trump administration previously drafted a 28-point peace proposal that gave major concessions to Russia, drawing sharp criticism from Ukraine and Europe. A new draft, which Zelensky made reference to ahead of his Florida visit, contains 20 points and is understood to propose fewer territorial concessions. Delegations from Ukraine and the U.S. have met several times to push forward the revised peace proposal. However, Moscow has not indicated it is willing to sign the revised deal.
The latest strikes follow similar recent attacks, including a bombing on the country’s second largest city, Kharkiv, which killed two civilians on Friday night. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent months, causing rolling blackouts in Kyiv and other cities.
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