Zelenskyy accuses the Russian leadership of using ‘every opportunity’ to inflict ‘greater suffering’ on Ukraine.
Russia has carried out drone and missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on the eve of a key meeting between the United States and Ukrainian leaders, killing at least one person and leaving a third of the city without heat, according to local authorities.
Russian ballistic missiles and drones rocked Kyiv from the early hours of Saturday morning, where an air alert was in place for nearly 10 hours.
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The attacks killed a 47-year-old woman and wounded at least 22 others, according to Kyiv’s mayor and regional governor. Among those wounded were two children, said the head of Kyiv’s City military administration, Tymur Tkachenko.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was “still ongoing” as of 10:45am (08:45 GMT), with some 500 drones and 40 missiles launched targeting “energy facilities and civilian infrastructure”. The air raid alert for the capital ended at 11:20am local time (09:20 GMT).
In addition to the casualties, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said there was no heat in one-third of the capital, where temperatures hovered around freezing (0 degrees Celsius).
Some 320,000 households also lost power in the broader Kyiv region, which surrounds the capital but does not include it, Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.
Russian forces are “trying to cut off all Ukrainians from our critical resources just to freeze us”, Kyiv-based journalist Kristina Zelenyuk told Al Jazeera.
Upcoming peace talks
The Russian attack came as Zelenskyy prepares to meet with United States President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks on how to end the nearly four-year war.
Zelenskyy said they plan to discuss security guarantees and questions over future territorial control – the main sticking points in the negotiations.
Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw from the parts of the eastern Donetsk region that Russian troops have failed to occupy during almost four years of war, as it seeks full control of the Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Kyiv wants the fighting to be halted at the current lines.
The US, seeking a compromise, has proposed a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves parts of the Donetsk region. Zelenskyy told US news site Axios on Friday that he would seek a stronger position for Ukraine but could put the US-backed plan to a referendum if necessary.
Both Zelenskyy and Trump have expressed optimism about the meeting, with the Ukrainian leader saying most components of a US-Ukraine agreement had been ironed out and that he hopes to finalise a framework on Sunday.
“A lot can be decided before the New Year,” Zelenskyy posted on social media on Friday.
But Saturday’s attack appeared to alter Zelenskyy’s tone. In a post following the aerial barrage, he said Russia’s leadership “does not want to end the war”, and that their drones and missiles speak louder than any “lengthy talks” they engaged in.
Russia’s leadership aims “to use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering and increase their pressure on others around the world”, said Zelenskyy.
Ahead of the meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy is scheduled to speak by phone on Saturday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders, a commission spokesperson said.
Zelenskyy, who departed Ukraine on Saturday, told reporters he would also make a stop in Canada to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney ahead of his US trip.