Russia launches massive drone and missile strikes as Zelenskiy heads for crucial meeting with Trump

NEW YORK (Web Desk) Russia launched a major overnight assault on Kyiv and multiple regions across Ukraine on Saturday, pounding civilian and energy infrastructure with around 500 drones and 40 missiles, just hours before President Volodymyr Zelenskiy prepared to meet United States President Donald Trump to discuss a possible plan for ending nearly four years of war.

The latest strikes knocked out electricity and heating across parts of the Ukrainian capital. A 10-hour air raid alert kept millions of residents sheltering indoors as explosions echoed through the city. Authorities confirmed at least two deaths in Kyiv and the surrounding region and 46 injuries, including two children.

Speaking to reporters, Zelenskiy said Russia’s offensive reflected Moscow’s answer to ongoing US-brokered peace efforts. “Today, Russia demonstrated how it responds to peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and the United States,” he said.

Ukraine’s state grid operator Ukrenergo reported that energy facilities were targeted nationwide, forcing emergency power cuts. DTEK, the country’s largest private power company, said more than one million households in Kyiv and nearby areas lost power, with 750,000 still disconnected by the afternoon. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba added that over 40 percent of residential buildings in Kyiv were left without heating as temperatures hovered around freezing.

On the Russian side, Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defence forces shot down eight Ukrainian drones headed towards the capital.

Zelenskiy, en route to Florida for Sunday’s high-stakes talks with Trump, made a stop in Halifax to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Carney condemned Russia’s strikes as “barbarism” and announced 2.5 billion Canadian dollars ($1.83bn) in additional economic support for Ukraine.

The Sunday talks are expected to center on security guarantees, territorial control, and what a post-war settlement might look like. Zelenskiy said a 20-point draft peace plan was now 90% complete, forming the backbone of Washington’s push to broker a ceasefire.

However, the core diplomatic hurdle remains land and control, especially in eastern Donetsk, where Russia demands Ukraine withdraw from a large urbanised region it has been unable to fully occupy since its 2022 invasion. Ukraine insists any fighting must at least halt at current lines.

Trump, speaking to Politico, said the United States was the determining force behind any agreement. “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump said, though adding he expects Sunday’s meeting to “go well” and hinted he intends to speak with Vladimir Putin “soon.”

Reports suggest the US is considering a proposal under which a free economic zone could be established in areas of Donetsk—if Ukrainian forces pull back—though no details have been finalized. Meanwhile, Axios quoted Zelenskiy as saying he could take the peace plan to a national referendum—but only if Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire to allow a vote to be held safely.

Zelenskiy warned such a referendum was impossible under current bombardment, but said he would engage in “dialogue” with Ukrainians if they disagreed with parts of the plan.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, quoted by Interfax, acknowledged Kyiv’s text differed from what Moscow had discussed with the US, but said discussions had reached a “turning point” in the search for a settlement.

As diplomatic manoeuvres continue, frontline clashes show no sign of slowing. Both sides issued conflicting reports on Saturday regarding control of the eastern town of Myrnohrad and southern Huliaipole. Moscow claimed victory in both, while Kyiv insisted its forces repelled Russian assaults there.

With winter deepening, the latest bombardment underscores the stakes tied to this weekend’s negotiations, which could mark a critical moment in the future of Europe’s most destructive conflict since World War Two.