At least seven people were killed in an overnight Russian drone attack in Ukraine, as President Voldymi Zelensky urged Moscow to put more pressure on him to stop attacks on the country prior to peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
Three people, including the five-year-old, have been killed, and 10 have been injured in a drone attack on the capital Kiev, the city’s junta said on Sunday.
Members of the Ukrainian delegation will meet in Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening as part of Washington’s efforts to end the three-year war. “The meeting with the Americans is scheduled to be held tonight,” he said.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkov expressed optimism ahead of his High Stakes speech on Sunday, telling Fox News that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants peace.
Elsewhere, four people have been killed in a Russian attack in the Donetsk region, including three people who died in an attack on the frontline Ukrainian town of Dubropilla.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote in Telegram that emergency services have been dispatched to several urban districts after the fire and damage.
Previously, the country’s air forces said Russia had fired 147 drones overnight in several Ukraine regions. The Air Force said 97 of the drone were shot down and 25 people did not reach the target.
In a statement on social media, President Zelenskyy said attacks like Kyiv were daily events in Ukraine.
“Over this week alone, over 1,580 guided air bombs, almost 1,100 strike drones and 15 missiles of various types have been used against our people,” he said. “We need new solutions and there is new pressure on Moscow to stop both these strikes and this war.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense said its forces “destroyed and intercepted” 59 Ukrainian drones overnight, mainly in the Rostov and Astrakan regions.
“Difficult negotiations”
On Saturday night, US President Donald Trump said efforts to stop further escalations in the war were “somewhat under control.”
In an interview with Clay Travis, founder of sports website Outkick, in an interview with Air Force 1, Trump told Clay Travis that having a “rational argument” and a good relationship with Putin and Zelensky is the key to negotiating the end of the war.
Last week, Trump had separate discussions with Putin and Zelensky, aimed at ending the war that began in 2022. They came a few weeks after Trump and his vice president JD Vance played Zelensky at the White House.
However, talks did not reach Trump’s aim to ensure a full 30-day ceasefire, but Putin agreed to stop Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure for that period, but Zelensky accepted. However, since agreeing, both sides have accused each other of targeting energy sites.
Meanwhile, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to meet individually with Saudi American officials on Monday as part of peace negotiations promoted by the Trump administration. Although now there is the first US Ukraine conference scheduled for Sunday night in Riyadh.
The Kremlin on Sunday downplayed expectations for a rapid resolution of the Ukraine conflict, saying that the speech had just begun and that “difficult negotiations” were ahead.
“We are just the beginning of this road,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state television.
He said Russia’s “main” focus in consultations with the US will discuss the resumption of Black Sea grain trade in 2022, ensuring safe navigation of Ukrainian agricultural exports in the Black Sea.
Moscow was drawn from a transaction mediated by Turkiye and the United Nations in 2023 and accused the West of failing to maintain its commitment to alleviate sanctions on Russia’s own agricultural and fertilizer exports.
Previously, Sen. Grigory Karasin, who leads the Russian delegation, told the Zvezda TV Channel, owned by the Ministry of Defense, at the meeting he “want to at least achieve some progress.”
Alongside Sergey Beseda, a fellow negotiator with the FSB Intelligence Reporting Agency, Karasin said he would approach the consultation in a “military and constructive” mood.
“We have the feeling of fighting to solve at least one problem,” Karasin told Zvezda.
A senior Ukrainian official told AFP news agency on Saturday that Kiev wanted to secure an agreement on a “at least” “at least” halt on a partial ceasefire of attacks at energy, infrastructure and seas.
Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov will be attending negotiations.
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