Russian missile and drone attacks kill 4 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy pleads for air defense
KYIV Ukraine AP Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine overnight into Saturday killed at least four people and wounded officers stated and prompted fresh pleas from Ukraine s president for Western air defense systems In the capital Kyiv two people were killed and were wounded in a ballistic missile attack in the early hours of Saturday Kyiv s police mentioned A fire broke out in a non-residential building in one location while debris from intercepted missiles fell in an open area at another site damaging windows in nearby buildings Ukraine s State Crisis Amenity wrote on the message app Telegram Explosions in the capital The city is under ballistic attack Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram during the onslaught In the Dnipropetrovsk region two people were killed and seven wounded acting regional Gov Vladyslav Haivanenko explained adding that apartment buildings and private homes were damaged in the strikes Ukraine s air force announced Russia launched nine missiles and drones of which four missiles and drones were intercepted In Russia the Defense Ministry announced its air defenses shot down Ukrainian drones over Russia overnight Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed Saturday that such attacks intensify Ukraine s need for Patriot defense systems It is precisely because of such attacks that we pay special attention to Patriot systems to be able to protect our cities from this horror It is critical that partners who possess relevant capability implement what we have discussed in latest days he wrote in English on X America Europe and the G countries can help ensure that such attacks no longer threaten lives he disclosed Zelenskyy is hoping Ukraine can purchase Patriots from the U S to fortify its air defenses particularly in cities Zelenskyy on Friday urged the United States to expand its sanctions on Russian oil from two companies to the whole sector and appealed for long-range missiles to hit back at Russia Zelenskyy was in London for talks with two dozen European leaders who have pledged military help to shield his country from future Russian aggression if a ceasefire stops the more than three-year war The meeting hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer aimed to step up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin adding momentum to latest measures that have included a new round of sanctions from the United States and European countries on Russia s vital oil and gas export earnings The talks also addressed solutions of helping protect Ukraine s power grid from Russia s almost daily drone and missile attacks as winter approaches enhancing Ukrainian air defenses and supplying Kyiv with longer-range missiles that can strike deep inside Russia Zelenskyy has urged the U S to send Tomahawk missiles an idea U S President Donald Trump has considered Kirill Dmitriev Putin s envoy for venture and economic cooperation mentioned Friday he believes Russia the U S and Ukraine were quite close to a diplomatic response to end the three-year war Speaking to CNN after arriving in Washington for talks with U S bureaucrats Dmitriev declared a planned summit in Budapest between Trump and Putin had not been canceled but would likely occur later Trump declared Tuesday his plan for a swift meeting with Putin was on hold because he didn t want it to be a waste of time Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made clear in society comments Tuesday that Russia is opposed to an immediate ceasefire A White House official established Friday that Dmitriev who revealed his visit on X will meet with U S envoy Steve Witkoff The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to publicly discuss the private meeting Morton revealed from London Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine This version has been corrected to show that Dmitriev will meet Witkoff
