Russia launched a major attack against Ukraine overnight as talks between Ukraine and the U.S. continued in Florida this week.
Moscow sent 653 drones and 51 missiles across Ukraine, leaving eight people injured, Ukrainian officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attacks, writing on X, “We must continue to put pressure on Russia to force it towards peace.”
Macron said he plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and their British and German counterparts in London Monday.
Zelenskyy said Saturday he had a “substantive phone call” with American officials involved in the talks with the Ukrainian delegation in Miami.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday shared a readout of the talks, which also included President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The readout called the talks “constructive discussions on advancing a credible pathway toward a durable and just peace in Ukraine.”
“American and Ukrainian parties underscored that an end to the war and credible steps toward ceasefire and de-escalation are necessary to prevent renewed aggression and to enable Ukraine’s comprehensive redevelopment plan, designed to make the nation stronger and more prosperous than before the war,” it said.
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After Russia’s Friday night barrage, Ukraine’s air force said 29 locations were hit, and the military was able to shoot down 585 drones and 30 missiles.
Three of the eight wounded were hurt in the Kyiv region, local officials reported.
The “massive” attack also targeted power stations in the country, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant temporarily lost power overnight, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Zaporizhzhia is under Russian control and not in use, but it needs power to cool its shutdown reactors to prevent a catastrophic incident.
Zelenskyy said a drone strike had also “burned down” the train station in the city of Fastiv near Kyiv.
The general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces later said Ukrainian forces said its military hit Russia’s Ryazan Oil Refinery.
