Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian Leader Vladimir Putin of making a "mockery of the entire world" and said Russia is blocking a ceasefire, after launching 14 ballistic missiles and 250 long-range drones overnight.
Described as "one of the biggest combined attacks" on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the City's Military Administration confirmed at least 15 people have been injured in the latest wave of Russian bombardment.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the main target of the attacks was the capital, which has prompted Zelensky to call for further action against Russia.
He said in a post on Telegram: "It was a tough night for all of Ukraine. With each such attack, the world becomes convinced that the reason for the war being dragged out is Moscow."
The aftermath of the Russian attack in Kyiv
Reuters
The Ukrainian President called for additional sanctions "against key sectors of the Russian economy [to] force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire".
The overnight strikes come after some 800 attacks on targets inside Russia, including the capital, Moscow, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed there would be a response to the attacks.
Just yesterday, Russia and Ukraine each handed over 390 soldiers and civilians in the biggest prisoner exchange since Russia invaded in February 2022.
It was the first in the "thousand for a thousand" programme, with more prisoners set to be exchanged over the weekend.
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Commenting on the prisoner exchange on social media platform X, Zelensky said: "Thank you to everyone who is helping and working 24/7 to bring Ukrainian men and women back home. It is very important to return everyone who remains in captivity.
"What matters most is that Ukraine is bringing its people home. I thank everyone around the world who is helping. And just as we succeed in this, we must succeed in everything else. A ceasefire is needed. Diplomatic steps toward a real peace are needed. A new and effective security architecture is needed. We are bringing our partners together to make this happen.
"It is clearly time to increase the pressure on Russia, to achieve not just one result, but everything that is necessary."
Donald Trump said the prisoner exchange "could lead to something big" and congratulated both sides of the negotiations.
A Ukrainian resident looks on with his dog at the damage from the attack
Reuters
Last Monday, US President Donald Trump had a two-hour phone call with Putin in which the Russian President said a ceasefire with Ukraine is "possible".
The Kremlin said that Moscow is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about future peace talks, although both sides must compromise, Russian state media reports.
Putin also "expressed gratitude to Trump for the US role in resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine".
Trump said: "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war."
