MOSCOW: Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s biggest cities in a night-time bombardment that killed at least 11 people and set fire to a renowned religious site, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials said on Monday.
The attacks on the Capital, Kyiv, and the second-largest city, Kharkiv, came after Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke separately by phone with US President Donald Trump on Sunday. The exchange suggests Washington hasn’t given up on its diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
The war in Ukraine is also set to feature in talks on Tuesday between G7 leaders at a summit in France. Zelenskyy and Trump are due to attend the gathering, as the Ukrainian leader pushes to keep the war on leaders’ minds while the Iran war diverts international attention from Ukraine’s plight.
“This is how Russia shows the world its intention to continue the war,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X, referring to the overnight attack. “It is very important that there be a response from the G7 countries… and that this response be decisive and substantive; more pressure on the aggressor and more support for Ukraine’s air defence, especially anti-ballistic capabilities,” the Ukrainian leader said.
