Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone assault on Kyiv early Saturday, injuring at least eight people and causing fires across the Ukrainian capital, less than 48 hours before planned peace talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The attack came shortly after Zelensky confirmed he would meet Trump in Florida on Sunday as part of renewed U.S.-led efforts to end the nearly four-year war. Ukrainian officials said the strikes involved cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and attack drones, triggering air raid sirens and forcing residents to seek shelter in metro stations.
Kyiv’s emergency services reported fires at several locations, including residential buildings and a car repair facility, while elderly residents were evacuated from a care home threatened by flames. The full extent of damage and casualties was still being assessed as of Saturday morning.
A CNN journalist in Kyiv reported hearing repeated explosions and the sound of drones overhead as air defence systems responded.
Oleksiy Sorokin, deputy chief editor of the Kyiv Independent, said the scale and timing of the attack underscored Moscow’s lack of interest in ending the war.
“There’s one side that wants to end the war and another that absolutely doesn’t,” Sorokin said. “By the attacks happening here, we can see that Russia is not really interested in peace.”
Regional Fallout
The assault prompted heightened security measures beyond Ukraine’s borders. Poland scrambled fighter jets and temporarily shut down airports in Rzeszów and Lublin in the country’s southeast, citing unplanned military activity related to national security, according to aviation authorities.
Peace Talks Loom
Zelensky said Friday that a revised 20-point peace framework negotiated with U.S. officials was “about 90 per cent ready” and would form the basis of discussions with Trump. While expressing cautious optimism, the Ukrainian leader said there was no guarantee the meeting would produce a binding agreement.
Trump, speaking to Politico, said he expected the talks to “go good” but added that any final deal would require his approval. He also said he anticipated speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon.”
U.S. and European officials said they hoped the meeting would advance talks, though they acknowledged uncertainty over Moscow’s response. No European leaders are expected to attend the Florida meeting, but European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to join a separate call with Zelensky, Trump and other leaders.
Sticking Points Remain
Kyiv has indicated willingness to make limited concessions, including shelving its bid for NATO membership in exchange for robust security guarantees and considering reciprocal troop withdrawals from parts of eastern Ukraine under international supervision.
Russia, however, continues to demand that Ukraine abandon NATO ambitions and fully withdraw from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, areas partially occupied and illegally annexed by Moscow in 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kyiv giving up remaining parts of Donetsk would “contribute significantly” to a settlement, a position Ukraine has rejected.
Zelensky reiterated that any territorial changes would require approval by Ukrainian citizens through a referendum, stressing that “the fate of Ukraine must be decided by Ukrainians.”
As diplomatic efforts intensify, Saturday’s attack on Kyiv has reinforced fears that Russia may be seeking to shape negotiations through military pressure rather than compromise.