President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States ahead of talks with President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war, as Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine overnight on Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring more than 40.
Ukrainian authorities said the attacks caused widespread power and heating outages in the capital, with air raid alerts lasting for nearly 10 hours.
At least 46 people were wounded, including two children, while two deaths were reported in Kyiv and the surrounding region.
Zelenskyy said Russia fired about 500 drones and 40 missiles, targeting energy facilities and civilian infrastructure.
“Today, Russia demonstrated how it responds to peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and the United States to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he said, calling for stronger pressure from Washington and Europe.
State grid operator Ukrenergo said energy facilities across the country were struck, forcing emergency power cuts.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK said more than one million households in and around Kyiv lost electricity, with hundreds of thousands still without power by Saturday afternoon.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said more than 40% of residential buildings in the capital were left without heat as temperatures hovered around freezing.
Explosions were heard across Kyiv as air defence systems were activated, while Ukraine’s air force said regions in the north-east and south were also hit.
The attacks came as Zelenskyy and his delegation arrived in Florida late on Saturday, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya said. Posting on X, he wrote “Good evening, Florida!” alongside a photo of an aircraft bearing the U.S. president’s surname.
Zelenskyy has said Sunday’s talks with Trump would focus on security guarantees and territorial control, the main unresolved issues in efforts to secure a ceasefire in the conflict triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
He said a 20-point peace framework backed by Washington is about 90% complete, but that the question of territory remains the central diplomatic stumbling block.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the entire Donbas region, including areas still under Kyiv’s control, while Ukraine has said any ceasefire should freeze fighting along current front lines.
The United States has proposed a compromise under which a free economic zone would be created if Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts of Donbas, though details remain unclear.
Zelenskyy told Axios that if Washington does not back Ukraine’s position on territory, he would consider putting the peace plan to a referendum, provided Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire.
He later said such a referendum would be impossible while Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continue.
Another key issue in the talks is the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, seized by Russian forces early in the war.
On his way to the United States, Zelenskyy stopped in Halifax, where he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Carney announced an additional C$2.5bn ($1.83bn) in economic support for Ukraine, saying the overnight attack showed the urgency of continued backing.
“The barbarism that we saw overnight, the attack on Kyiv, shows just how important it is that we stand with Ukraine in this difficult time,” Carney said.
In Russia, air defence forces shot down eight drones heading towards Moscow, according to the city’s mayor. Moscow made no immediate comment on the strikes.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Ukraine’s peace proposals differed from discussions Russia had held with Washington, but added that negotiations had reached what he described as a “turning point”.
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