Kyiv Hit By Russian Barrage A Day Before Zelenskiy-Trump Meeting
The drone and missile barrage, which lasted for over nine hours, killed one person in Kyiv and injured at least 19.
Russian forces hit Ukraine’s capital with a massive airstrike on the eve of talks between Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Donald Trump to discuss a plan to end Moscow’s war.
The drone and missile barrage, which lasted for over nine hours, killed one person in Kyiv and injured at least 19, disrupted power and water supplies, and sparked across several districts. About one-third of the city of over 3 million residents was left without heating with temperatures hovering around freezing.
Several multi-story residential buildings were set ablaze, as well as cars and other property, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a series of Telegram posts. Eleven people were hospitalized, he said. Authorities imposed emergency power cuts in the capital, overriding rolling blackouts already scheduled, while water supplies were also disrupted.
The broader Kyiv region and the Chernihiv region in northern Ukraine also saw power cuts, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.
The barrage unfolded a day before Zelenskiy is set to meet with Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, in pursuit of a deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion.
The Ukrainian president said Friday he plans to refine Kyiv’s agreements with the US as much as possible, with a comprehensive 20 point peace plan then requiring input from Russia and Europe. He plans to discuss sensitive issues with Trump, including the future of the Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The meeting is set for 3 p.m. local time, according to the US president’s official schedule. Trump is spending the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago club.
Zelenskiy told Axios on Friday that he’s ready to put an eventual framework agreement to a referendum if Russia agrees to a ceasefire of at least 60 days.
Ahead of his talks with Trump, Zelenskiy plans to hold a call with European leaders around 5 p.m. CET on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the matter.
While Zelenskiy is about to head to the US, comments from Moscow late Friday raise doubts about how close a final agreement might be.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in an interview with state television, described Kyiv’s latest plans as “radically different” from the key points Moscow has discussed with the US in recent weeks.
Ukraine and its European allies have “redoubled their efforts to torpedo” any actual accord to end a conflict that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ryabkov said.
A person close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg News earlier in the week that Moscow will seek key changes to the US-Ukraine plan, including more restrictions on Kyiv’s military.
