Russia Strikes Ukrainian Homes as Kyiv’s US Talks Cut Short

At least 20 people were killed when Russia struck residential buildings in Ukraine, hours after the latest talks in the US to find a way to end Moscow’s years-long invasion were cut short by a day.

Kremlin forces dropped five guided aerial bombs onto residences in Zaporizhzhia in the country’s southeast, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an X post. Three children were among those killed, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.

A day earlier, US President Donald Trump agreed to help release Russian diesel fuel into the global markets following a phone call with President Vladimir Putin. Trump claimed the increase in supply would help lower diesel prices for American farmers, ranchers and truckers — key voting blocs ahead of US midterm elections next month.

Read more: Trump Says Putin to Supply US With Diesel Ahead of Midterms

The move drew a furious response from Zelenskyy.

“Every additional billion dollars they can earn from exports will be spent on nothing but sourcing and importing critical components and equipment to manufacture weapons, upgrading ‘shaheds,’ producing missiles, and recruiting even more mercenaries to fight at the front,” he said.

Zelenskyy spoke with allies including the presidents of Finland and France on Saturday, and the governments of Germany and the UK issued statements confirming their commitment to maintaining strong sanctions on Russia.

Separately, Zelenskyy aide Dmytro Lytvyn confirmed to reporters that talks in Miami with Trump envoys to discuss ways to end the war had ended with negotiators heading home early. The Financial Times had reported earlier that the Ukrainian negotiating team cut short talks, citing a senior Ukrainian official who wasn’t identified.

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday called the talks “constructive” in a post on X. The meetings, which also included representatives from Ukraine’s European allies and from NATO, had been expected to continue into Saturday.

Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, raised the possibility that the US could halt intelligence sharing with Ukraine if Kyiv doesn’t halt its regular strikes on Russian oil refineries, the FT reported.

Russian forces launched 160 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on its Telegram channel. Some explosive-laden UAVs penetrated air defenses and striking targets in 14 settlements across the country, according to the statement.

Russian strikes caused widespread power outages in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Saturday, the energy company DTEK reported on Telegram. Water supplies have also been disrupted in the capital, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. The disruption was the result of Russia hitting an energy facility near Kyiv, he said, without elaborating on which site was targeted.

Zelenskyy said that allowing Putin to export diesel fuel was a weak decision by the US that will give the Russian leader more money to continue his war. “It only feeds Putin and gives him the ability to fight even more,” he said in audio comments sent to reporters via WhatsApp Friday evening.

“I believe our team is simply being used as a smokescreen,” Zelenskyy said. “And that is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other.”