Kyiv
\nRussia has carried out drone and missile strikes on Ukraine\u2019s capital Kyiv on the eve of a key meeting between the United States and Ukrainian leaders, killing at least one person and leaving a third of the city without heat, according to local authorities.
\nRussian ballistic missiles and drones rocked Kyiv from the early hours of Saturday morning, where an air alert was in place for nearly 10 hours.
\nThe attacks killed a 47-year-old woman and wounded at least 22 others, according to Kyiv\u2019s mayor and regional governor. Among those wounded were two children, said the head of Kyiv\u2019s City military administration, Tymur Tkachenko.
\nUkraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was \u201cstill ongoing\u201d as of 10:45am (08:45 GMT), with some 500 drones and 40 missiles launched targeting \u201cenergy facilities and civilian infrastructure\u201d. The air raid alert for the capital ended at 11:20am local time (09:20 GMT).
\nIn addition to the casualties, Ukraine\u2019s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said there was no heat in one-third of the capital, where temperatures hovered around freezing (0 \u200bdegrees Celsius).
\nSome 320,000 households also lost power in the broader Kyiv region, which surrounds the capital but does not include it, Kyiv regional governor Mykola Kalashnyk said.
\nRussian forces are \u201ctrying to cut off all Ukrainians from our critical resources just to freeze us\u201d, Kyiv-based journalist Kristina Zelenyuk told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
Upcoming peace talks
\nThe Russian attack came as Zelenskyy prepares to meet with United States President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks on how to end the nearly four-year war.
\nZelenskyy said they plan to discuss security guarantees and questions over future territorial control \u2013 the main sticking points in the negotiations.
\nMoscow demands that Ukraine withdraw from the parts of the eastern Donetsk region that Russian troops have failed to occupy during almost four years of war, as it seeks full control of the Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
\nKyiv wants the fighting to be halted at the current lines.
\nThe US, seeking a compromise, has proposed a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves parts of the Donetsk region. Zelenskyy told US news site Axios on Friday that he would seek a stronger position for Ukraine but could put the US-backed plan to a referendum if necessary.
\nBoth Zelenskyy and Trump have expressed optimism about the meeting, with the Ukrainian leader saying most components of a US-Ukraine agreement had been ironed out and that he hopes to finalise a framework on Sunday.
\n\u201cA lot can be decided before the New Year,\u201d Zelenskyy posted on social media on Friday.
\nBut Saturday\u2019s attack appeared to alter Zelenskyy\u2019s tone. In a post following the aerial barrage, he said Russia\u2019s leadership \u201cdoes not want to end the war\u201d, and that their drones and missiles speak louder than any \u201clengthy talks\u201d they engaged in.
\nRussia\u2019s leadership aims \u201cto use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering and increase their pressure on others around the world\u201d, said Zelenskyy.
\nAhead of the meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy is scheduled to speak by phone on Saturday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other European leaders, a commission spokesperson said.
\nZelenskyy, who departed Ukraine on Saturday, told reporters he would also make a stop in Canada to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney ahead of his US trip.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kyiv Russia has carried out drone and missile strikes on Ukraine\u2019s capital Kyiv on the eve of a key meeting between the United States and Ukrainian leaders, killing at least one person and leaving a third of the city without heat, according to local authorities. Russian ballistic missiles and drones rocked Kyiv from the early […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-522562","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n