Kyiv, Ukraine — Russia launched a large-scale air attack on Ukraine early Wednesday, causing power outages across most of the country, setting homes ablaze and killing at least six people, including a six-month-old baby, Ukrainian authorities said.
The attack, which involved drones, missiles and fighter jets, targeted vast swathes of the country, including the capital Kyiv, and came as uncertainty swirled over a proposed Putin-Trump summit.
CNN reported Tuesday, citing a Trump administration official, that there were “no plans” for such a meeting in the immediate future. Trump said later he didn’t want the summit to be “a waste of time,” despite the US president saying last week the two leaders would be meeting in Budapest, Hungary, “within two weeks or so, pretty quick.”
Despite Trump’s comments on Tuesday, Moscow said the following day that preparations were continuing.
“Preparations for the summit are ongoing. They could take various forms,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti, adding that there were “no significant obstacles” to the Russia-US top-level meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said energy infrastructure, as well as “ordinary cities” were targeted in Wednesday’s attacks. The strikes had killed six people and wounded 17 across Ukraine, he said.
“Another night proving that Russia does not feel enough pressure for dragging out the war,” Zelensky said on X.
Ukraine’s state-owned energy operator Ukrenergo said emergency power cuts have been introduced across most regions of Ukraine because of the attack. (CNN)
