A third of Kyiv has been left without heating after a major Russian drone and missile attack cut power supplies across the Ukrainian capital, exposing hundreds of thousands of residents to freezing conditions.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia launched nearly 500 drones and about 40 missiles overnight, including ballistic missiles. He said energy facilities and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv were the primary targets.
The bombardment lasted about 10 hours, killing one person and injuring at least 24 others, according to Ukrainian officials.
The strikes came ahead of a scheduled call on Saturday between Zelenskyy and several European leaders, as diplomatic efforts to broker a peace deal gather pace.
Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Florida on Sunday for a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump, who has proposed a plan aimed at ending nearly four years of war that has killed tens of thousands of people.
However, Zelenskyy said the overnight attack showed that international pressure on Moscow remained inadequate.
“If Russia turns even the Christmas and New Year period into a time of destroyed homes and burned apartments, of ruined power plants, then this can only be answered with truly strong steps,” he said. “The United States has this capability. Europe has this capability. The key is to use it.”
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is expected to join the call with Zelenskyy and European leaders, according to a commission spokesperson.
Officials involved in the talks say major unresolved issues include long-term security guarantees for Ukraine, postwar reconstruction, and territorial questions surrounding the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Zelenskyy said his meeting with Trump was intended to finalise details of a proposed peace framework. He said a 20-point plan was “90% ready” and that Ukrainian and US negotiating teams had made significant progress.
According to Axios, Zelenskyy has indicated he would consider holding a national referendum on any peace agreement if Russia agreed to a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days. He reportedly said public approval would be necessary if Ukraine failed to secure a strong position on territorial issues.
Following the latest strikes, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Russia’s response to peace initiatives was “brutal attacks using hundreds of drones and missiles”.
He confirmed that around a third of Kyiv was without heating, with temperatures in the city hovering around 0C.
The Russian assault also prompted Polish fighter jets to scramble, while two airports in south-eastern Poland, Rzeszów and Lublin, were temporarily closed.
The renewed diplomatic push follows meetings last weekend in Miami, where Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, held separate talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives, as well as Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The current proposal is seen as an updated version of an earlier 28-point framework discussed between US envoys and Russian officials. Critics say that earlier draft favoured Moscow’s demands.
Ukraine has been pressing for security guarantees similar to Nato’s article 5 mutual defence clause, though it is unclear whether Russia would accept such terms.
In an interview with Politico, Trump said he expected a “good” meeting with Zelenskyy but declined to back the Ukrainian leader’s plan. “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump said.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, criticised Zelenskyy and European leaders in a televised interview, saying prospects for a deal depended on political will.
He said the current proposal differed sharply from earlier points discussed between US and Russian officials and warned that without addressing the root causes of the conflict, a final agreement would be impossible.
