Russia launches a major bombardment on kyiv on the eve of the meeting between Trump and Zelensky | International

Russia hit Ukraine again this Saturday with a large nighttime bombing. The attack lasted 10 hours and had kyiv as its main objective. In the capital and its region, at least two people have died and thirty have been injured. Russian drones and missiles have once again brought destruction across the country, this time on the eve of the meeting to be held on Sunday in Florida between the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Before that key meeting, Zelensky will maintain contacts on Saturday with leaders such as the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the heads of government of Germany, Friedrich Merz, the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, and Canada, Mark Carney, as well as with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron.

The objective is to prepare the meeting with Trump in Palm Beach (Florida), where both must agree on the final draft of a peace plan that has been circulating for months between Washington, kyiv and Moscow. The event is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. in Florida, 9:00 p.m. in mainland Spain.

The Ukrainian leader and the Europeans want to coordinate positions, get involved in the peace talks in some way. Also ensure the support of Western allies in a future security architecture that protects Ukraine after a hypothetical peace agreement.

The bombardment ended on Monday morning, when Zelensky had already started his trip to meet Trump. The Ukrainian president must travel by land to Poland (Ukrainian airspace is closed) and from there, take off for the United States.

“This is the Russian response when the United States and the world make peace proposals,” Zelensky wrote on his social networks. The Ukrainian president’s strategy seeks to distance Trump from Russian interests at the negotiating table and convince him that Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, wants to continue with the war. “Russian representatives have long conversations (with the United States) but what really speaks for them are the Kinzhal missiles and the Shahed drones. Putin and his team do not want to end the war,” Zelensky said.

It was precisely the Kinzhal ballistic missiles, one of the most powerful weapons in the Russian arsenal, that surprised the inhabitants of the capital after midnight. The anti-aircraft alarm sounded at the same time that the rockets arrived in kyiv. Shortly after, electricity disappeared in multiple districts of the city.

Russian bombings seek to destroy the Ukrainian electricity grid during the cold months to demoralize the population, according to the Ukrainian Government. kyiv suffers power outages of seven hours a day on average during the week, although in November the interruption exceeded 14 hours a day. The situation has improved in December due to accelerated works throughout the country to protect electrical substations with giant concrete chests.

A third of kyiv has also been left without heating after the attack, with temperatures around zero degrees, according to Andrii Sibiga, Ukrainian Foreign Minister. Sibiga noted in the morning that some 320,000 homes have been left without power in the kyiv region. Prime Minister Yuliia Sviridenko raised the number of homes in kyiv province that had been left without electricity to 600,000 at noon.

“Russia’s only response to peace efforts is through brutal attacks with hundreds of drones and missiles against kyiv and other cities and regions,” Sibiga denounced on the social network X.

Zelensky has detailed that the invader has used 500 long-range Shahed bomb drones and 40 missiles in tonight’s attack. The Russian tactic has followed the same phases as in previous bombings: first a first round of missiles arrives, then waves of drones appear in the airspace to saturate the anti-aircraft defenses and finally a new strike with missiles occurs.

Bombing in Ukraine’s western provinces has forced the closure of two airports in southeastern Poland. Russia has intensified attacks in recent weeks against the energy network and especially against the logistics routes and ports of the province of Odessa. This region is Ukraine’s main outlet to the Black Sea and Moscow seeks to interrupt the invaded country’s exports by sea.

Differences with Trump

The security measures that Ukraine would obtain after signing an agreement with Russia are one of the points that Zelensky wants to solve in a direct dialogue with Trump, according to the Ukrainian leader. kyiv conditions any decision on ending the war on the United States and its European partners guaranteeing it a level of defense protection similar to what Ukraine would have if it were a member of NATO. “The question is what security guarantees Trump is willing to give us,” Zelensky explained this Saturday, according to the Ukrainian state agency Ukrinform.

In the latest draft of the peace plan proposed by Zelensky this week, two other obstacles with the White House are recognized. Trump wants Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the 25% of Donetsk province they still control. This area would become a demilitarized zone. kyiv demands that the Russian army withdraw into an equivalent territory, something that Washington does not view favorably because it makes it difficult to reach a consensus with Moscow.

The other point of difference that Zelensky and Trump will face is the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The largest atomic plant in Europe has been occupied by Russia since the first year of the invasion, in 2022. The White House proposes that American companies manage the plant in coordination with Moscow and kyiv. Zelensky proposes to Trump to remove Russia from the equation and Putin demands the same, that Ukraine not be present in the Zaporizhia power plant.

The American president stressed on Saturday that nothing is guaranteed and that everything is pending his approval. Zelensky “has nothing until I approve it,” Trump told Political on Friday. “We’ll see what he has,” added the Republican, who assured that he would also speak “soon” with Putin.

Russian position

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described kyiv’s latest plans as “radically different” from the key points Moscow has discussed with the United States in recent weeks. Ukraine and its European allies have “redoubled their efforts to torpedo” any agreement to end a conflict, Ryabkov said in an interview with one of the Russian state television channels.

Zelensky believes that a hypothetical agreement with Russia has to be ratified by the Ukrainians in a referendum. To do this, he considers that it would be necessary for Moscow to accept a ceasefire of at least two months. Several Putin advisers have indicated in recent days that this period of time is excessive.

Zelensky revealed this Saturday, according to the newspaper Ukrainian Pravdathat Russian authorities are contemplating how to allow the millions of Ukrainians residing in Russia and the occupied territories to participate in the referendum. The Ukrainian leader believes that this would only be possible if international observers monitor it.