Russia pummels Ukraine in deadly attack ahead of Zelensky's visit to the US

Kyiv, Ukraine - Russia pummelled Ukraine's capital with drones and missiles on Saturday, killing a woman and cutting power to hundreds of thousands, ahead of President Volodymyr Zelensky's latest talks with US leader Donald Trump.

One person was killed as Russia pounded Ukraine with drones and missiles on Saturday.
One person was killed as Russia pounded Ukraine with drones and missiles on Saturday.  © VLADYSLAV MUSIENKO / AFP

Zelensky said the attack showed Russia did not want to end its invasion launched in February 2022 that has left tens of thousands dead.

Ahead of the Ukrainian president's talks in Florida with Trump on Sunday, Russia said Kyiv and its EU backers were trying to "torpedo" a US-brokered plan to stop the fighting.

On top of the fatality, the barrage of drones and missiles wounded dozens and cut power and heating to hundreds of thousands of Kyiv region residents during freezing temperatures, Ukrainian authorities said.

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Zelensky said some 500 drones and 40 missiles pounded the capital and its surrounding region.

"Russian representatives engage in lengthy talks, but in reality, Kinzhals (missiles) and Shaheds (drones) speak for them," he said.

"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," he added.

Just as Zelensky departed for the US, Ukraine's anti-corruption agency announced a new probe in which it said some MPs were implicated. It tried to raid parliamentary offices but was blocked by security personnel.

During the Russian onslaught, which lasted 10 hours, AFP reporters in Kyiv heard loud explosions, some accompanied by bright flashes that turned the sky orange.

The Russian army said it used hypersonic missiles and drones to target infrastructure and energy facilities "used in the interests of the armed forces of Ukraine", as well as military sites.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the attack left about 600,000 consumers without power, while authorities said apartment blocks, a university dormitory, and a gas station had been among buildings hit.

Neighbouring Poland, a NATO member, scrambled jets and put air defences on alert during the Russian attack in Ukraine, the Polish military said on social media. Air traffic at two airports near the Ukrainian border was also temporarily suspended during the strikes, but resumed later, the country's air navigation agency said.

Zelensky heads to Florida to meet with Trump

The deadly attack came ahead of Zelensky's visit to the US for the latest round of talks with Trump.
The deadly attack came ahead of Zelensky's visit to the US for the latest round of talks with Trump.  © Handout / UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE / AFP

Sunday's meeting in Florida to discuss new proposals comes as Trump intensifies efforts to end Europe's worst conflict since World War II.

The new 20-point plan would freeze the war on its current front line but possibly require Ukraine to pull back troops from the east, where demilitarized buffer zones could be created, according to details revealed by Zelensky this week.

The new plan, formulated with Ukraine's input, is Kyiv's most explicit acknowledgement yet of possible territorial concessions. It is very different from an initial 28-point proposal tabled by Washington last month that adhered to many of Russia's core demands.

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Trump, speaking to news outlet Politico on Friday, said of Zelensky's plan that "he doesn't have anything until I approve it". He added: "So we'll see what he's got."

Part of the plan includes separate US-Ukraine bilateral agreements on security guarantees, reconstruction, and the economy. Zelensky said those were changing daily.

"We will discuss these documents, security guarantees," he said of Sunday's meeting.

"As for sensitive issues, we will discuss (the eastern region of) Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and we will certainly discuss other issues," he added.

On the way to the US, Zelensky will make a stopover in Canada and speak by video with EU allies, to "go through all the issues, provide updates, and exchange details" of the peace plan to be discussed with Trump, he said.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister said Zelensky sought to "torpedo" the initial plan drawn up by Russian and US officials.

Cover photo: Handout / UKRAINIAN EMERGENCY SERVICE / AFP

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