At least one person died and 19 were injured in the early hours of Saturday, December 27, as a result of a Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, which left 320,000 homes without electricity, the city’s mayor said.
The ballistic missile and drone attack carried out by Moscow, which hit several parts of the city, took place on the eve of a scheduled meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in Florida, to discuss the issue of territories, as part of negotiations aimed at putting an end to the war, which has been ongoing for more than four years, but which so far have not produced concrete results.
The Ukrainian president reacted on social media, stating that the attack on Kiev shows that Russia “does not want an end to the war”.
According to Zelensky, Moscow’s forces used almost 500 drones and 40 missiles in this offensive, which, he stated, had Kiev as its “main target”, namely “energy installations and civil infrastructure”. “Many questions have arisen in recent days – so what is Russia’s response to the proposals to end the war offered by the US and the world? Russian representatives participate in long conversations, but in reality, Kinzhals and ‘shaheds’ speak for them. This is the true attitude of Putin and his closest circle. They do not want to end the war and seek to take every opportunity to cause even more suffering to Ukraine and increase pressure on other countries in the world.”declared the Ukrainian president.
For Zelensky, “the pressure in response is still insufficient.” “If Russia turns the Christmas and New Year period into a time of destroyed houses and burned apartments, of ruined power plants, then this sick activity can only be combatted with truly energetic measures. The USA has that capacity. Europe has that capacity. Many of our partners have that capacity. The key is to use it”, reinforced the head of state of Ukraine.
In the face of these Russian attacks, Zelensky reinforced the importance of continuing to support Ukraine’s defense, ensuring that the country will not reduce diplomatic efforts to end the war. “But diplomacy doesn’t work without security. Security must be guaranteed by the world’s greatest powers, and we will discuss it in private today and tomorrow with European leaders, the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States,” he highlighted.
A series of loud explosions were heard in Kiev during the early hours of the morning, after military authorities alerted the population to the presence of numerous drones and missiles threatening several regions of the country.