Russia fires barrage at Ukrainian cities as next round of US-brokered talks is unclear

Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukrainian cities Thursday, striking with 219 drones and 24 ballistic missiles as peace talks appear stalled. The assault targeted Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa, damaging residential buildings and critical infrastructure across the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Moscow is “hesitating” about participating in another round of U.S.-brokered negotiations aimed at ending the nearly four-year conflict. Washington has proposed meetings next week in either Miami or Abu Dhabi, following earlier talks in the UAE.

“Ukraine immediately confirmed it would attend,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “So far, as I understand it, Russia is hesitating.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that another round of talks was expected “soon” but provided no specifics. U.S. officials have not commented on the potential negotiations, though Zelenskyy revealed last week that the Trump administration has set a June deadline for reaching an agreement.

The overnight bombardment left parts of Kyiv without heating during the winter cold snap. In Dnipro, four people were injured, including a 4-year-old girl and a newborn boy, according to regional head Oleksandr Hanzha. Odesa suffered damage to residential buildings, with fires erupting at a market and supermarket, while approximately 300,000 residents lost access to running water.

Oleksii Kuleba, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister for restoration, reported that 2,600 additional buildings in Kyiv lost heating after the attack, adding to 1,100 structures already without heat from previous strikes. In Dnipro, central heating failed for about 10,000 residents.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, issued a statement urging Russia to cease targeting electricity infrastructure, reminding Moscow that such actions violate international humanitarian law.

As the conflict approaches its fourth anniversary this month, significant disagreements remain unresolved. Key issues include territorial control of occupied Ukrainian regions, especially in the eastern Donbas industrial area, and Moscow’s demands for additional land concessions.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine requires Western-backed security guarantees, including a timeline for European Union membership and a comprehensive post-war reconstruction package, before it can consider signing the proposed 20-point settlement.

The Ukrainian leader also noted that Moscow has not responded to a U.S. proposal for an “energy ceasefire” that would halt both Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid and Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil facilities.

Ukraine has increasingly demonstrated its long-range strike capabilities. The Ukrainian military’s general staff reported Thursday that one of its domestically developed drones hit the Ukhta oil refinery in Russia’s Komi region, approximately 1,750 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. An official with Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) told The Associated Press this marked the farthest Ukrainian drone strike of the war.

Ukrainian forces also claimed to have struck one of Russia’s largest storage sites for missiles, ammunition, and explosives in the Volgograd region using a domestically produced “Flamingo” missile, causing major explosions. Additionally, they reported hitting and igniting a fire at the Michurinsk Progress Plant in Russia’s Tambov region, which produces high-technology equipment for aviation and missile systems.

In a separate development, the White House announced Thursday that First Lady Melania Trump helped reunite Russian and Ukrainian children with their families after they became separated during the invasion. Five children were returned to families in Ukraine, while one child was reunited with relatives in Russia. This marks the third family reunification effort involving the First Lady.

As military actions intensify on both sides, the path to meaningful negotiations remains uncertain despite growing international pressure for a resolution to the protracted conflict.