Russia hammers Ukraine’s capital ahead of Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

On the eve of a crucial meeting between the United States and Ukrainian leaders, Russia launched drone and missile strikes on Kyiv, killing at least one person and leaving the city without heat in the region, according to local authorities.

Russian ballistic missiles and drones shook Kyiv on Saturday morning, setting a nearly 10 hour airstress.

According to the mayor and regional governor of Kyiv, the attacks left a 47-year-old woman dead and at least 19 others injured. Two children were among the injured, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s City military administration.

As of 10:45 a.m. (08:45 GMT), Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the attack was “still ongoing” and that 40 missiles and 500 drones had been launched. At 11:20 a.m. local time (09:20 GMT), the capital’s air raid alert came to an end.

Andrii Sybiha, the country’s foreign minister, claimed that one-third of the capital, where temperatures remained below zero (0 degrees Celsius), was without heat.

According to Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk, about 320, 000 households in the wider Kyiv region, which includes the capital but does not include it, also lost power.

upcoming peace negotiations

As Zelenskyy and Donald Trump discuss ending the nearly four-year war in Florida on Sunday, the Russian attack occurred.

The main issues in the negotiations, Zelenskyy said, are security guarantees and questions about pending territorial control.

In order to take complete control of the Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russia has demanded that Ukraine renounce the portions of the eastern Donetsk region that Russian troops have been occupying for almost four years.

Kyiv wants to put an end to the current lines of fighting.

If Ukraine leaves parts of the Donetsk region, the US has proposed creating a free economic zone as a result of a compromise. Zellenskyy stated on Friday that he would seek a stronger position for Ukraine and that he might re-vote the US-backed plan if necessary.

Trump and Zelenskyy both expressed optimism about the meeting, with the Ukrainian leader saying he hopes to finalize a framework on Sunday and that the majority of the US-Ukraine agreement has been ironed out.

Before the New Year’s Eve, Zelenskyy said on Friday on social media that “many things can be decided.”

However, Zelenskyy’s tone was allegedly altered by Saturday’s attack. He claimed in a post that the Russian government “does not want to end the war” and that their drones and missiles “does not want to end the war” and that their “long conversations” were more muted.

Zelenskyy stated that Russia’s leadership intends to “use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even more suffering and put pressure on others around the world.”