People instrumentality structure astatine a metro presumption during Russian aerial attacks successful Kyiv connected December 27, 2025, amid the Russian penetration of Ukraine. Ukraine's aerial unit announced a countrywide aerial alert and said drones and missiles were moving implicit respective regions including Kyiv. (Photo by Serhii Okunev / AFP via Getty Images)
Serhii Okunev | Afp | Getty Images
Heavy Russian shelling and explosions struck Kyiv and the surrounding portion aboriginal Saturday morning, sidesplitting astatine slightest 2 radical and injuring 20 much connected a play acceptable for high-level diplomatic talks and a renewed propulsion for peace.
The attacks came conscionable hours earlier European leaders were acceptable to talk by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as portion of a increasing propulsion for a bid woody that volition spot the Ukrainian president clasp talks with President Donald Trump successful the U.S. connected Sunday.
The overnight strikes killed 1 idiosyncratic and injured 20 much successful Kyiv, Ukrainian Minister of Interior Ihor Klymenko said, adding that much than 10 residential buildings successful the metropolis had been damaged.
One idiosyncratic was besides killed successful the metropolis of Bila Tserkva, astir 55 miles southbound of Kyiv, helium added.
The strikes caused the impermanent closure of 2 airports successful southeastern Poland aft the Polish aerial unit scrambled combatant jets, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said connected X.
Zelenskyy said Saturday that 500 Russian drones and 40 missiles had struck the nation, showing that Russian President Vladimir Putin does "not privation to extremity the war."
"If Russia turns adjacent the Christmas and New Year play into a clip of destroyed homes and burned apartments, of ruined powerfulness plants, past this sick enactment tin lone beryllium responded to with genuinely beardown steps," helium posted connected X. "The United States has this capability. Europe has this capability."
The latest strikes came little than 48 hours aft Zelenskyy signaled that a bid woody was close, and conscionable a time earlier talks with Trump successful Florida connected Sunday.
A Ukrainian authoritative acquainted with the readying for Sunday's gathering told NBC News that, successful summation to information guarantees for Ukraine, the Ukrainians are preparing to sermon economical prosperity and reconstruction of the war-torn country.
There are besides talks of holding a associated quality league with Trump and Zelenskyy, not needfully to denote thing new, but to sermon the results of the meeting, the Ukrainian authoritative said.
In a WhatsApp chat with Ukrainian journalists connected Friday, Zelenskyy said, "The 20-point program we person been moving connected is 90% ready," and that negotiating teams successful Ukraine and the U.S. had made "significant progress."
"Our task is to marque definite everything is 100% ready," helium added. "This is not easy, and nary 1 says that 100% volition hap immediately. But still, with each specified gathering and each specified conversation, we indispensable bring the desired effect closer."
Ahead of those talks, Zelenskyy volition talk with European leaders and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen connected Saturday, a European Commission spokesperson told NBC News.
The docket for the talks remains unclear, arsenic does which leaders volition beryllium successful attendance. European leaders person been mostly sidelined successful the main negotiations betwixt the U.S., Ukraine and Russia.
European leaders person focused connected however to enactment Ukraine successful the lawsuit of a bid deal, with talks ongoing implicit information guarantees and funding. But longtime American allies successful Europe person struggled to equilibrium mounting unit from Washington with their reluctance to springiness successful to Russia's hard-line demands.
Trump has made a high-level diplomatic propulsion to extremity the war, but his efforts person tally into Moscow's and Kyiv's wide differing positions and demands.
Putin, who launched a full-scale penetration of Russia's overmuch smaller neighbour successful February 2022, has not backed disconnected maximalist demands that would spot Ukraine blocked from integrating with the West and bounds its quality to support itself. Until Tuesday, Zelenskyy had maintained that helium would beryllium unwilling to retreat troops from the country's eastbound concern heartland, overmuch of which has been occupied by Russian forces, arsenic portion of a program to extremity the war.
The Ukrainian person has since given details of an updated bid plan offering Russia the imaginable withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the eastbound and the instauration of a demilitarized portion successful their place.
Trump told Politico Friday that helium anticipated a "good" gathering with the Ukrainian leader, though helium offered nary endorsement of Zelenskyy's plan.
Zelenskyy "doesn't person thing until I o.k. it," helium said. "So we'll spot what he's got."
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