Ukraine-Russia latest: Zelensky says Kyiv strikes show Putin’s ‘true attitude’ ahead of peace talks with Trump – BBC

After the overnight strikes on Kyiv, Russia’s defence ministry says it carried out “a massive strike” on the Ukrainian military’s “infrastructure facilities”.

“The targets of the strike have been achieved. All designated objects have been hit,” it says in a social media update.

The defence ministry says it used “high-precision long-range ground, air, and sea-based weapons” in the attack.

As we’ve been reporting, the Ukrainian capital rose this morning to damaged residential buildings and energy infrastructure. At least two people are known to have been killed and dozens injured, Kyiv authorities say.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to speak to European leaders on a virtual call later this afternoon
• He’s on his way to the US for peace talks in Florida with US President Donald Trump. Zelensky says he’ll also stop off to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the way
• Sunday’s discussions with the US president are expected to address a new 20-point peace plan – our Europe digital editor has more on what that would involve
• Meanwhile the war rages on – at least two people have been killed and dozens injured after Russian strikes on capital Kyiv overnight
• The attacks left a third of the city without power in freezing conditions, according to Ukraine’s foreign minister – and has left residents hoping this is the final winter spent at war

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk says he’ll be one of the European leaders joining a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this afternoon.

In a post on social media, he says also joining the call to discuss the “prospects for peace” are the leaders of France, Germany, the UK, Italy and the EU – ahead of Zelensky’s meeting with Trump in Florida on Sunday.

As a reminder these leaders form part of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of countries that have pledged to support Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Speaking about the overnight attacks on Kyiv, Tusk adds: “Contrary to President Trump’s expectations and despite [Zelensky’s] readiness to make concessions, Russia has once again brutally attacked Kyiv’s residential district.”

Moscow’s mayor says that the Russian military has shot down six drones headed for the city.

In a post on Telegram, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says that the Russian Air Force destroyed three drones, that were “flying towards Moscow”.

Shortly afterwards he adds that “three more drones flying towards Moscow” have been “repelled”.

Emergency services are responding at the crash site, he adds. Ukraine has yet to comment on the reports.

Samira Hussain
Reporting from Kyiv

Although Russia’s 10 hour barrage has come to an end, air raid sirens continue to go off periodically in the capital of Kyiv.

I went to an apartment building in a residential area that was hit by a drone. Crews were already on site, clearing away the debris.

Okasana Semak spent the night in a shelter and heard an enormous explosion when her building was hit.

When I ask her how about the peace negotiations, she says she wants the war to come to an end but worries about the cost to the Ukrainian people.

As a third of the city is without heat, there is hope this is the last winter spent in war.

Kyiv residents have been speaking to the news agency Reuters about ongoing negotiations to end the war, following overnight strikes on the Ukrainian capital.

Fifty-nine-year-old accountant Tetiana says Russia “simply pretends” it wants peace.

“In reality we all know that they do not want it,” she adds.

Similarly, 19-year-old student Dmytro tells the news agency he believes the strikes show ongoing negotiations are “just for show”.

“If something truly needs to be decided, it should happen here and now. Not with meetings here, then there, then elsewhere. Honestly, I’m tired of it all,” he adds.

Mykola, a 42-year-old plumber, says he saw a drone hit a building.

“I got off the bus stop and was walking along this road… I saw [the] drone flying out of the building and descending.”

He tells Reuters he thought the drone would “fly between the buildings”, but that it instead hit the corner.

“It’s awful” says BBC journalist Anastasiya Gribanova, who was in the lift of her building as it was hit by a Russian strike on Kyiv.

In footage captured in the aftermath of the attack, she describes there being a “loud noise” and a “powerful stench” when the strike hit.

Kyiv authorities say at least two people have been killed and dozens injured following overnight Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital.

Emergency services say a woman has died and five more people have been injured – in addition to those we reported earlier.

It says work is “ongoing”, with rescuers working in “four locations in the city”. There is destruction and fires in both residential and industrial sectors, it adds.

In a separate statement, police in Kyiv say a 71-year-old man was killed and his wife seriously injured in the Dnipro district of the capital – and at least 32 people have been injured.

As it’s an active rescue operation, the official number of people killed and injured could change.

Mohamed Madi
Reporting from Kyiv

Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to post about last night’s attack, using it again to paint Russian President Vladimir Putin as a man unserious about peace.

En route to the US to meet Donald Trump, he posts a lengthy statement on his Telegram and X accounts, saying that despite Russia appearing to engage in diplomacy on the surface, the reality was that their “Kinzhals and Shaheds” (ballistic missiles and drones) did the talking for them.

He also says that while world leaders were focused on the bigger picture of ending the war, Ukraine needs help right now.

“Supplies for air defense must be sufficient and timely, especially now, when we need them most. There must be no delays in protecting lives”, he warns.

“Diplomacy will not work without security.”

He says the overnight strikes represent the “true attitude of Putin and his inner circle” and the pressure in response to Russia’s persistent attacks is “still insufficient”.

“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 sick activity can only be responded to with truly strong steps. The United States has this capability. Europe has this capability. Many of our partners have this capability. The key is to use it,” he says.

Shortly before the festive period began, President Zelensky warned the Ukrainian population to expect attacks over Christmas.

On Monday, he said it was Russia’s “nature” to “carry out massive attacks” over Christmas – “especially on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th”.

On 23 December, Russia intensified its assault on the southern region of Odesa, the latest in a series of strikes which have disrupted power supplies in the region for days on end and killed several people.

On the same day, five people were injured when a Russian drone struck a Kyiv apartment block.

At least three people were reported killed across the country, including a four-year-old.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has detailed some points of an updated peace plan agreed by US and Ukrainian envoys.

Describing the plan as “the main framework for ending the war”, he said it proposed security guarantees from the US, Nato and Europeans for a co-ordinated military response if Russia invaded Ukraine again.

On the key question of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas, Zelensky said a “free economic zone” was a potential option.

He told journalists that as Ukraine was against withdrawal, US negotiators were looking to establish a demilitarised zone or a free economic zone. Any area that Ukrainian troops pulled out of would have to be policed by Ukraine, he stressed.

“There are two options,” the Ukrainian president added. “Either the war continues, or something will have to be decided regarding all potential economic zones.”

On Friday, Zelensky told reporters that the 20-point plan was 90% complete: “Our task is to make sure everything is 100% ready.”

• Read more on what we know about the 20-point plan here

When they meet in Florida on Sunday, it’s expected Trump and Zelensky will discuss a 20-point proposal to end the war.

It’s an updated take on an earlier 28-point version, which had been drawn up between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian negotiators.

Trump has kept his cards relatively close to his chest, but told Politico earlier this week: “I think it’s going to go good with [Zelensky]. I think it’s going to go good with Putin.”

Before the Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv overnight, Ukraine’s leader had also appeared optimistic at the possibility of reaching an agreement with the US.

On Thursday he said a call with Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner had yielded “new ideas in terms of formats, meetings, and… timing on how to bring a real peace closer”.

He said the plan now includes security guarantees from the US and Europe against any future Russian invasion, and accepts Ukraine might be willing to withdraw troops from Russian-occupied territory, if Moscow does the same.

However, after the latest strikes on Kyiv, Zelensky repeated his claim that Russia does “not want to end the war and is trying to use every opportunity to inflict more pain on Ukraine”.

As we’ve been reporting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on his way to Florida, to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss the latest proposal to end the war in Ukraine.

Ahead of that meeting on Sunday, Zelensky is expected to speak on the phone with EU leaders and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

While on the plane to Florida, Zelensky tells reporters that he’ll be stopping over in Canada on the way, to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In a post on social media, Zelensky thanks allies for providing air defence supplies, adding that diplomacy would “not work without security”.

“We will be discussing this in particular today and tomorrow with European leaders, with the Prime Minister of Canada, and with the President of the United States,” he says.

Mohamed Madi
Reporting from Kyiv

What set last night’s attack apart was not necessarily the intensity, but the duration.

For almost 10 hours, drones and missiles came in waves, sending Kyiv’s residents into shelters in the night. The alert was not lifted in the capital until 11:00 this morning (09:00 GMT).

In that time, the sound of explosions echoed through the city.

We heard the whine of Shahed drones over the city centre, along with the attempts to shoot them down. Several times, we heard the deep rumble of an impact, and our windows shook.

Ballistic missile warnings continued to be issued through the early hours of the morning – unlike drones, they take minutes, not hours, to reach their target.

Overall, Ukraine says almost 500 drones and 40 missiles were launched towards Kyiv.

Many of them targeted Ukraine’s power infrastructure – and judging by the effects, some must have succeeded. This morning, a third of the capital was without power and heating, Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

It’s a message from Russia ahead of President Zelensky’s meeting with Trump tomorrow – that whenever it wants, across Ukraine, it can make the night hellish.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha says Russian President Vladimir Putin “deliberately ordered a massive bombing of residential areas and critical infrastructure” after Russia hit Kyiv with strikes overnight.

In a post on social media, Sybiha says the strikes left: “Dozens of victims, power outages, and a third of the Ukrainian capital without heating amid winter.”

Temperatures in Kyiv today are expected to hover around 1C (33.8F), with the chance of light snow.

As we’ve been reporting, earlier President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia sent 500 drones as well as 40 missiles in the attack on Kyiv. The city’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, said emergency power outage schedules are now in place while “4,000 residential buildings in the capital are without heat due to damage to the power supply system”.

Ukraine’s energy ministry says engineers are working to restore electricity supply for around 600,000 consumers.

“There are disruptions in water and heat supply in Kyiv. The city’s life-support facilities have been switched to backup power,” it adds.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to the US for fresh talks come after the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was hit by a deadly overnight Russian attack.

Zelensky says the city was struck by 500 Russian drones and 40 missiles overnight, targeting energy and civilian infrastructure.

At least one person has been killed and 28 others were injured, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reports.

Thousands of buildings have had their power cut, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says, and many are without heating, as temperatures plummet to below freezing.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said that 68 people were evacuated from a retirement home in the eastern Darnytskyi district.

• Read more on the overnight strikes here

Both Ukrainian and Russian representatives have been speaking with US officials in recent days – here’s the latest on their discussions:

Ukraine

Earlier this week, Zelensky said that a Thursday call – with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – yielded “new ideas in terms of formats, meetings, and… timing on how to bring a real peace closer”.

There appears to have been some progress in talks between the two countries, with Ukraine’s president praising the “good ideas” put forward by Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Kushner.

Zelensky said there is still “work to be done on sensitive issues”, but “together with the American team, we understand how to put all of this in place.”

Russia

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has said it is studying a proposal brought back from the US by Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev after talks last weekend.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday: “We are examining this material, and depending on the decisions made by the head of state, we will continue our communication with the Americans.”

Russia’s state-affiliated outlet Tass reported that the Kremlin is unwilling to disclose many details about the proposed plan, reporting that Peskov declined to comment further when asked by Russian media.

It added that Peskov says the Kremlin continues “to believe that there should be a veil of secrecy here.”

Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is on his way to Florida for a meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump.

They’ll meet on Sunday for peace talks on a possible pathway to end the war in Ukraine.

It comes after at least one person has been killed and 28 injured in overnight Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

The strikes damaged critical infrastructure – Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko says this morning that “4,000 residential buildings in the capital are without heat due to damage to the power supply system”.

Images from the Ukrainian capital show high rise buildings on fire and spotted with gaping holes, as emergency services work to clear the debris.

Zelensky writes that the offensive is evidence that Vladimir Putin’s teams “do not want to end the war and seek to use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering”.

On his way to the US, Zelensky will stop off to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. He’s also set to call a number of key European allies later this afternoon.