Kyiv was battered by missile and drone attacks for almost 10 hours on Saturday, hitting civilian infrastructure and the city’s power network on the eve of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s scheduled peace talks with President Donald Trump.
“They have no intention of ending the war and are exploiting every chance to inflict more pain on Ukraine and exert more pressure globally,” Zelensky posted on X after the attacks, which he claimed included approximately 500 drones and 40 missiles.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that at least two individuals died and many others were injured, among them two children.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the attacks caused about one-third of the capital to lose heating during freezing weather and snowfall.
Zelensky urged the United States and European partners to take decisive action: “If Russia transforms even the Christmas and New Year season into a period of demolished homes, charred apartments, and wrecked power stations, then this destructive behavior demands a genuinely robust response,” he stated. “America possesses this power. Europe possesses this power. Many of our allies possess this power. What matters is deploying it.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting 111 Ukrainian drones on Saturday afternoon, with several flying over Moscow. Ukrainian authorities also noted combat along the front lines.
On Saturday, Zelensky traveled to Canada for a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, joined by other European partners via video link, to address peace talks. Carney greeted Zelensky on Saturday, stating that “the conditions and potential exist for a fair and durable peace,” though he added that it “depends on a cooperative Russia.”
Carney also pledged $2.5 billion in economic aid for Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts. A commission spokesperson confirmed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will participate in Saturday’s discussions.
The discussions in Canada and Florida are anticipated to cover Ukrainian security assurances—a topic UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has deemed essential for any deal with Russia—along with territorial issues concerning the Donbas region and post-conflict rebuilding.
Prior to his meeting with Trump, Zelensky indicated that the discussions were “specifically designed to fine-tune details to the greatest extent possible” and that a peace plan proposal was “90 percent complete.”
“Our objective is to reach 100 percent,” Zelensky said on Friday. “To date, our delegations—the Ukrainian and American negotiating teams—have achieved substantial headway.”
The Trump administration had earlier prepared a 28-point peace plan that offered significant concessions to Russia, provoking strong objections from Ukraine and Europe. A revised draft, which Zelensky mentioned before his trip to Florida, consists of 20 points and is expected to demand reduced territorial compromises. Ukrainian and U.S. delegations have convened multiple times to advance the updated proposal. Nevertheless, Moscow has shown no signs of readiness to accept the modified agreement.
These recent attacks follow a pattern of similar assaults, including a strike on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, that claimed two civilian lives on Friday evening. Russia has consistently attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent months, resulting in intermittent power outages in Kyiv and other urban centers.