Russia launched a barrage of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine on Saturday, ahead of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s planned meeting with US leader Donald Trump to work out a plan to end the nearly four-year war.
Zelenskiy said the attack involved 500 drones, 40 missiles and knocked out electricity and heat in parts of capital Kyiv. Two people were killed and 46 were injured, including two children, in Kyiv and the nearby area in the attack that continued throughout the morning. Zelenskiy described the attack as “barbarism.”
“Today Russia demonstrated how it responds to peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and the United States to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said. Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo reported that energy facilities across the country were hit and emergency power cuts were imposed across the city. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said 40% of residential buildings in Kyiv were left without heat on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in a weekly update on Sunday, Zelenskiy said Russia launched 94 missiles, more than 2,100 attack drones, and about 800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine over the past seven days. The Ukrainian leader highlighted the fact that the relentless Russian attacks came amid US-brokered peace talks to end the war.
“These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year right now, and a lot can be decided before the New Year. We are doing everything toward this, but whether decisions will be made depends on our partners – those who help Ukraine, and those who put pressure on Russia so that Russians feel the consequences of their own aggression,” Zelenskiy stressed.
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