On the 27th (local time), a day before talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia carried out a large-scale airstrike on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. With positions still far apart on core issues such as territory, the move is seen as an effort to pressure Ukraine into concessions through intensified military action.

Reuters, citing Kyiv authorities, reported that at least eight people were injured in Kyiv in the airstrike.

According to AFP, large explosions continued in Kyiv from early morning. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that the national air defense was operating due to Russian missile attacks and advised residents to move to shelters.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russian drones were attacking Kyiv as well as northeastern and southern regions simultaneously, and issued a nationwide air-raid alert. Reuters reported that DTEK, the largest private power company in Ukraine, implemented emergency power outages in areas near Kyiv due to the raids.

The Russian airstrike targeting the Ukrainian capital came just before Presidents Trump and Zelensky are set to meet in the United States on the 28th to discuss a plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

President Zelensky said the 20-point cease-fire plan that Ukraine made public after talks with the United States was “90% complete.” He said he would discuss with President Trump the issue of ceding territory in Donbas and options for operating the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, adding that “many things can be decided before the New Year.”

However, Politico reported that President Trump maintains that “nothing is decided without my approval.”