At least seven people have been killed in overnight Russian drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his Western allies to put more pressure on Moscow to cease its attacks on the country in advance of peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
Three people, including a five-year-old child, were killed and 10 others were injured in a drone attack on Kyiv, the city’s military administration said on Sunday.
Elsewhere, four people were killed in Russian attacks in Donetsk region, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said, including three who died in a strike on the frontline Ukrainian town of Dobropillya.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that emergency services were dispatched to several city districts following fires and damage.
Earlier, the country’s air force said Russia launched 147 drones overnight, targeting several Ukrainian regions. The air force said 97 of the drones were shot down, and 25 did not reach their targets.
In a statement on social media, President Zelenskyy said attacks such as the one in Kyiv were a daily occurrence for Ukraine.
“This week alone, more than 1,580 guided aerial bombs, almost 1,100 strike drones and 15 missiles of various types were used against our people,” he said. “New solutions are needed, with new pressure on Moscow to stop both these strikes and this war.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces “destroyed and intercepted” 59 Ukrainian drones overnight, centred over the regions of Rostov and Astrakhan.
‘Difficult negotiations’
On Saturday night, United States President Donald Trump said efforts to stop further escalation in the war were “somewhat under control”.
Trump told Clay Travis, the founder of sports website Outkick, during an interview on Air Force One that “rational discussions” and having good relationships with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy were key to negotiating the war’s end.
Last week, Trump had separate discussions with Putin and Zelenskyy aimed at ending the war that began in 2022. They came weeks after Trump and his Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy at the White House.
However, while the talks fell short of Trump’s aim to secure a complete 30-day ceasefire, Putin did agree to stop Russian attacks on energy infrastructure for the period, which Zelenskyy accepted. Yet, since agreeing, both sides have accused each other of targeting energy sites.
Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to meet separately on Monday with US officials in Saudi Arabia as part of the peace negotiations pushed by the Trump administration.
The Kremlin on Sunday downplayed expectations for a rapid resolution to the Ukraine conflict, saying talks were just beginning and that “difficult negotiations” were ahead.
“We are only at the beginning of this path,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.
He said Russia’s “main” focus in its talks with the United States would be discussing a possible resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain deal that ensured safe navigation for Ukrainian agricultural exports in the Black Sea.
Moscow pulled out of the deal – brokered by Turkey and the United Nations – in 2023, accusing the West of failing to uphold its commitments to ease sanctions on Russia’s own exports of agricultural products and fertilisers.
Earlier, Senator Grigory Karasin, leading the Russian delegation, told the Zvezda TV channel, owned by the Defence Ministry, that they “hope to achieve at least some progress” in the meeting.
Alongside fellow negotiator from the FSB intelligence agency, Sergey Beseda, Karasin said they would approach the talks in a “combative and constructive” mood.
“We are going with the mood to fight for the solution of at least one issue,” Karasin told Zvezda.
A senior Ukrainian official told the AFP news agency on Saturday that Kyiv hopes to secure agreement on “at least” a partial ceasefire covering attacks on energy, infrastructure, and at sea.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is expected to attend the negotiations.
