Russia attacked Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones on Saturday, ahead of what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said would be a crucial meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida Sunday to work out a deal to end nearly four years of war.
Zelenskyy cast the vast overnight attack on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, which he said involved about 500 drones and 40 missiles and knocked out power and heat in parts of the capital, as Russia's response to the ongoing peace efforts brokered by Washington.
Before the strikes, the Ukrainian leader said his expected talks with Trump would focus on the territory to be controlled by each side once fighting ends in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, started by Russia's 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbor.
The attack continued throughout the morning, and a nearly 10-hour air raid alert for the capital only ended at 11:20 local time (0920 GMT). Authorities said one person was killed by the attack in the Kyiv region, while at least 19 people were wounded in the capital itself, including two children.
"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," Zelenskyy posted on X, calling on the U.S. and Europe to apply more pressure on Moscow.
