Russia battered Ukraine with missiles and drones ahead of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss a Russia-Ukraine peace plan, the Ukrainian president said.
Russia fired almost 500 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine on Friday night and into the middle of the day Saturday, primarily aimed at Kyiv’s energy facilities and civilian infrastructure, Zelenskyy said in a post on X. The strikes damaged residential buildings and cut off electricity and heating, and at least one person was trapped under the rubble, he said.
The attack took place as Zelenskyy was preparing to fly to Florida to present his 20-point peace plan to Trump on Sunday. MS NOW previously reported that the proposal will focus essential security promises for Ukraine and economic commitments from Western allies. Zelenskyy is also slated to meet with Canadian and European leaders Saturday night.
The Ukrainian leader criticized Moscow in his post, saying the Russians engage in lengthy talks but “in reality,” their drones and missiles “speak for them.”
“This is the true attitude of Putin and his inner circle,” Zelenskyy continued. “They do not want to end the war and seek to use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering and increase their pressure on others around the world. And this means that the pressure in response is still insufficient.”
Russia has battered Ukraine over the past week, prompting heavy condemnation from Zelenskyy. Likewise, Ukraine has hit Russian targets in the lead-up to earlier rounds of talks.
The latest strikes on Kyiv were among Russia’s biggest attacks in months. Trump has not said anything publicly about them. In an interview with Politico on Friday, Trump was reticent about Zelenskyy’s proposal: “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump said. He did, however, appear to express confidence in how Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive the latest peace negotiations. “I think it’s going to go good with Putin,” Trump said.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News. Recommended
