Russian forces hit Ukraine’s capital with a massive airstrike on the eve of talks between Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Donald Trump aimed at nailing down a plan to end Moscow’s war.
Ukraine’s president told reporters from his plane on Saturday that he’ll stop in Canada en route to the US, meeting there with with Prime Minister Mark Carney and, together, holding a video call with European leaders. Zelenskiy reiterated Ukraine’s need for legally binding security guarantees from allies if hostilities are brought to an end.
More than 500 drones and 40 missiles — including Kinzhal hypersonic weapons — were launched in strikes that continued long into Saturday, Zelenskiy said on social media. Air raid sirens have continued in the capital for more than ten hours.
The air raid alert in Kyiv has now continued for 10 straight hours, with Russians carrying out a sustained attack on the civilian population of our capital and the surrounding region. As widespread rescue efforts continue, one woman is already confirmed dead and at least 28… pic.twitter.com/Xp1FYsQ7b1— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) December 27, 2025
“Russian representatives engage in lengthy talks, but in reality, Kinzhals and ‘Shaheds’ speak for them,” Zelenskiy said.
The barrage killed one person in Kyiv and injured at least 27, disrupted power and water supplies, and sparked fires across several districts. About one-third of the city of over 3 million residents was left without heating with temperatures hovering around freezing.
More than 600,000 households in Kyiv and the surrounding region are without electricity, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on Telegram. “Russians are pursuing a campaign built on instilling exhaustion, cold, and fear,” she added.
Several high-rise residential buildings, as well as cars and other property, were set ablaze, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. At least 11 people were hospitalized. Authorities imposed emergency power cuts in the capital, overriding rolling blackouts that had already been scheduled, while water supplies were also disrupted.
The Chernihiv region in northern Ukraine also saw power cuts, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.
Russia’s defense ministry said in a post on Telegram that its strikes “targeted energy infrastructure used by Ukraine’s armed forces as well as defense industry facilities,” and that “all targets were hit.”
The barrage unfolded a day before Zelenskiy is set to meet with Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, in pursuit of a deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion.
A heavily damaged residential building following a Russian Shahed drone strike, Dec. 27.
Zelenskiy said Friday that he plans to refine Kyiv’s agreements with the US as much as possible, with a comprehensive 20-point peace plan then requiring input from Russia and Europe. He plans to discuss sensitive issues with Trump, including the future of the Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as well as a long-term roadmap for Ukraine’s battered economy.
Sunday’s meeting is set for 3 p.m. local time, according to Trump’s official schedule. The US leader is spending the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago club.
Besides Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian negotiating team will include top envoy Rustem Umerov, economy minister Oleksii Sobelev, chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov, presidential office adviser Oleksandr Bevz, and first deputy foreign minister Sergiy Kyslytsya.
Zelenskiy told Axios on Friday that he’s ready to put an eventual framework agreement to a referendum if Russia agrees to a ceasefire of at least 60 days.
Ukrainian emergency services dismantle debris and search for the body of a missing man.
On Saturday Zelenskiy said he was “politically ready” for elections, but that Ukraine needs to prepare in terms of appropriate legislation, and that he expects Russia to attempt to undermine the legitimacy of any vote.
“If the American side raises the issue of a referendum or elections — they definitely can’t take place in such conditions in which we live today, namely the attacks,” he added.
Trump, meanwhile, spoke on Friday with Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, the Polish leader’s office said in a statement. An aide told Poland’s state news agency PAP that Nawrocki stressed to Trump that Putin was the aggressor in the conflict with Ukraine.
While Zelenskiy heads to the US, comments from Moscow late Friday raise doubts about how close a final agreement might be.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in an interview with state television, described Kyiv’s latest plans as “radically different” from the key points Moscow has discussed with the US in recent weeks.
Ukraine and its European allies have “redoubled their efforts to torpedo” any accord to end a conflict, Ryabkov said.
A person close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg News earlier in the week that Moscow will seek key changes to the US-Ukraine plan, including more restrictions on Kyiv’s military.
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