Russia launched another massive night attack in Ukraine when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of dragging peace negotiations and pressed for new meetings with American and European allies.
The last attacks killed at least two people and wounded dozens more on Friday night, according to Ukrainian officials, while the Nations Air Force reported that 582 drones and missiles were shot throughout the country, the vast majority intercepted.
“Eight people have been hospitalized, including two children, a 10 -year -old boy and a 16 -year -old girl, Ivan Fedorov, governor of the Zaporizhzhya region of Ukraine, said Saturday morning.
The assault followed Thursday’s massive attack against the kyiv capital, which Zelenskyy said he killed at least 25 people, including four children, injured more dozen and reduced power to 60,000 residents.
The authorities in the capital declared an official daycare day on Friday.
The last bombings are among the most intense to hit Ukraine during the three and a half years war, underlining the growing tactics of Russia and the paralysis of international mediation despite the weeks of negotiations and diplomacy.
President Donald Trump was the host of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska for a Torbellino summit two weeks ago with the aim of breaking the war. Then, European leaders traveled to the Oval office to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
Since then, Trump has pressed to organize a summit between Zelenskyy and Putin, but peace conversations have stagnated in the middle of a strong bombing of Ukraine by Russia, which has dragged his feet on a meeting.
Zelenskyy accused Moscow on Stallling Friday by insisting that the lower level officials complete the bases before any summit between Putin and Zelenskyy.
That reasoning, he told journalists in kyiv, is “artificial … because they want to show the United States that they are constructive, but they are not constructive.”
Zelenskyy said he hopes to meet next week with Trump and European leaders to revive stagnant peace efforts.
Trump, frustrated by Putin’s delays in direct conversations with Zelenskyy, said a week ago he expected to decide on the next steps in two weeks if direct conversations are not scheduled.
In an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the United States warned Russia to advance towards peace and meet with Ukraine or in front of possible sanctions. The meeting was convened after the main Russian missiles and an attack of drones against Kyiv.
Ukraine has accepted an US proposal for a high fire and a summit between Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, but Moscow has raised objections.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration approved a package of weapons of $ 825 million on Thursday, including extended range missiles to reinforce Ukraine defenses.
The State Department said Thursday that he had notified Congress the sale, and that Ukraine would use funds from NATO allies in addition to foreign military financing from the United States to pay the team.
