Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is preparing for face-to-face talks with US president Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, as Russia launched a massive drone and missile barrage on Kyiv, leaving hundreds of thousands without power in freezing temperatures. The attack, described as “barbaric” by Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, involved nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles, according to Zelenskyy.
The intense overnight strikes lasted 10 hours, killing one person and wounding two dozen. Power supplies to the capital remained patchy on Sunday, with Ukraine’s leading private energy provider restoring power to nearly 750,000 households, but emergency outages still in force on the left bank. The temperature in Kyiv was about 0C (32F), and a third of the capital was without heating, said foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.
Zelenskyy stopped in Canada en route to Florida, meeting prime minister Mark Carney, who announced an additional $2.5bn (£1.85bn) of economic aid for Ukraine. Carney condemned the attack and stressed the need for a “just and lasting peace” requiring a “willing Russia”. EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa affirmed that European support for Ukraine would not falter, with von der Leyen pledging to continue pressure on the Kremlin in 2026.
The peace plan, reportedly 90% ready, is an updated version of an earlier 28-point document agreed between US envoys and Russian officials, which was widely seen as skewed towards Moscow’s demands. Zelenskyy has said the meeting is intended to refine details, and that he would need public approval if a strong territorial position is not secured. Ukraine has pushed for security guarantees modelled on Nato’s Article 5 mutual defence pledge under any deal.
Separately, Russia claimed to have captured two more towns in eastern Ukraine: Myrnograd and Guliaipole. The strikes also forced Polish fighter jets to scramble and temporarily closed two airports in south-eastern Poland.
