KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a wave of attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv early Tuesday, striking residential buildings and energy infrastructure, according to video footage and local authorities.
A residential building in the central Pechersk district and another in Kyiv’s eastern district of Dniprovskyi were badly damaged, Mayor Vitalii Kitschko said.
Video footage posted to Telegram showed a large fire spread through multiple floors of the nine-story building in Dniprovskyi. At least four people were injured, said Tymor Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv city administration.
Ukraine’s energy ministry said energy infrastructure had been hit, without specifying what type or the extent of the damage.
Russian air defenses destroyed 249 Ukrainian drones overnight above various Russian regions, including occupied Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The majority of the drones — 116 — were shot down over the Black Sea, according to the defense ministry.
The attacks followed talks between U.S. and Ukraine representatives in Geneva on Sunday about a U.S.-Russia brokered peace plan.
Oleksandr Bevz, a delegate from the Ukrainian side, told The Associated Press the talks had been “very constructive” and the two sides were able to discuss most points.
Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Monday it had not seen the updated plan.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with Russian officials for several hours in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday after the Trump administration jump-started negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press.
Driscoll, who became part of the U.S. negotiating team less than two weeks ago, is now heading up the latest phase of talks involving the terms of a possible peace plan with Russia.
The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations, also noted the Ukrainians were aware of the meeting.
The official wouldn’t offer details on how long the negotiations were expected to last or what topics were being discussed but noted all sides have indicated they wanted to reach a deal to halt the fighting as quickly as possible.
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Toropin reported from Washington.
By ISOBEL KOSHIW and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN
Associated Press
