At least seven people were killed in overnight Russian drone attacks in Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his Western allies to put more pressure on Moscow to cease its attacks on the country in advance of peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
Three people, including a five-year-old, were killed and 10 were injured in a drone attack on the capital Kyiv, the city’s military administration said on Sunday.
US and Ukrainian officials will now meet in Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening as part of Washington’s efforts to end the three-year war, a member of the Ukrainian delegation told the AFP news agency. “The meeting with the Americans is planned to take place tonight” in Riyadh, he said.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on Sunday expressed optimism ahead of the high-stakes talks, telling Fox News he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted peace. “I just don’t see that he wants to take all of Europe”, Witkoff added.
Elsewhere, four people were killed in Russian attacks in Donetsk region, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said, including three who died in an attack on the front-line Ukrainian town of Dobropillya.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that emergency services were dispatched to several city districts following fires and damage.
Earlier, the country’s air force said Russia launched 147 drones overnight on several Ukrainian regions. The Air Force said 97 of the drones were shot down, and 25 did not reach their targets.
In a statement on social media, President Zelenskyy said attacks such as the one in Kyiv were a daily occurrence for Ukraine.
“This week alone, more than 1,580 guided aerial bombs, almost 1,100 strike drones and 15 missiles of various types were used against our people,” he said. “New solutions are needed, with new pressure on Moscow to stop both these strikes and this war.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces “destroyed and intercepted” 59 Ukrainian drones overnight, centred over the regions of Rostov and Astrakhan.
Source: Al Jazeera
BDST: 2145 HRS, March 23, 2025
MSK
