Sawt Falasteen - Russia pummels Kyiv ahead of Zelensky's US visit

Zelensky said the attack showed Russia did not want to end its invasion launched in February 2022 that has left tens of thousands dead.

Ahead of the Ukrainian president's talks in Florida with Trump on Sunday, Russia said Kyiv and its EU backers were trying to "torpedo" a US-brokered plan to stop the fighting.

On top of the fatality, the barrage of drones and missiles wounded dozens and cut power and heating to hundreds of thousands of Kyiv region residents during freezing temperatures, Ukraine authorities said.

Zelensky said some 500 drones and 40 missiles pounded the capital and its surrounding region.

"Russian representatives engage in lengthy talks, but in reality, Kinzhals (missiles) and Shaheds (drones) speak for them," he said.

"They do not want to end the war and seek to use every opportunity to cause Ukraine even greater suffering and increase their pressure on others around the world," he added.

Just as Zelensky departed for the US, Ukraine's anti-corruption agency announced a new probe in which it said some MPs were implicated. It tried to raid parliamentary offices but was blocked by security personnel.

During the Russian onslaught, which last 10 hours, AFP reporters in Kyiv heard loud explosions, some accompanied by bright flashes that turned the sky orange.

The Russian army said it used hypersonic missiles and drones to target infrastructure and energy facilities "used in the interests of the armed forces of Ukraine", as well as military sites.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the attack left about 600,000 consumers without power while authorities said apartment blocks, a university dormitory and a petrol station had been among buildings hit.

Neighbouring Poland, a NATO member, scrambled jets and put air defences on alert during the Russian attack in Ukraine, the Polish military said on social media. Air traffic at two airports near the Ukrainian border were also temporarily suspended during the strikes, but resumed later, the country's air navigation agency said.

- Florida talks -

Sunday's meeting in Florida to discuss new proposals comes as Trump intensifies efforts to end Europe's worst conflict since World War Two.

The new plan, formulated with Ukraine's input, is Kyiv's most explicit acknowledgement yet of possible territorial concessions. It is very different from an initial 28-point proposal tabled by Washington last month that adhered to many of Russia's core demands.

Trump, speaking to news outlet Politico on Friday, said of Zelensky's plan that "he doesn't have anything until I approve it". He added: "So we'll see what he's got."

Part of the plan includes separate US-Ukraine bilateral agreements on security guarantees, reconstruction and the economy. Zelensky said those were changing daily.

"We will discuss these documents, security guarantees," he said of Sunday's meeting.

"As for sensitive issues, we will discuss (the eastern region of) Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and we will certainly discuss other issues," he added.

On the way to the US, Zelensky will make a stopover in Canada and speak by video with EU allies, to "go through all the issues, provide updates, and exchange details" of the peace plan to be discussed with Trump, he said.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister said Zelensky sought to "torpedo" the initial plan drawn up by Russian and US officials.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST