Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities late on Aug. 17, mere hours before President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet for peace talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
In Kharkiv, at least 18 people were injured, and seven killed, including a 1.5-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy, Kharkiv Mayor reported on Aug. 18. Around a dozen apartment buildings were damaged, along with five parked vehicles.
Rescue operations continue at the sites of Russian attacks as of 8 a.m. local time.
Terekhov reported earlier that a missile had struck a residential building in the Industrialnyi district of Kharkiv. Over 1,000 windows were damaged by the blast wave, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Explosions were also heard in the northeastern city of Sumy around 10:45 p.m. local time. Oleh Hryhorov, the governor of Sumy Oblast, that a missile had struck near an educational institution in the city. No casualties were reported.
The governor later reported that Russia struck the border village of Nova Sloboda with a guided aerial bomb, injuring a 57-year-old woman and damaging 10 houses. A drone strike also targeted the village of Myropillia, injuring a driver. The man was hospitalized.
In the southern city of Odesa, explosions were reported around 11:40 p.m. amid the ongoing missile attack, according to the news outlet Suspilne.
Ukraine’s Air Force has also warned of glide bomb attacks along Ukraine’s front line regions as well as the threat of drone swarms across the country.
The Russian attack comes as Zelensky will on Aug. 18 for peace talks with Trump, alongside European leaders.
The visit comes days after met Russian President at , to which Zelensky was not invited. While Trump said he and Putin ” in peace talks, the summit saw to end the war in Ukraine and no promise of a ceasefire while talks continue.
The New York Times reported, citing European officials, that Putin outlined a peace plan that would involve Ukraine ceding unoccupied territory in exchange for Moscow’s not to invade again.
Despite Trump touting the progress of peace talks in recent days, the U.S. president has previously with Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities amid ongoing peace negotiations with Kyiv.
“I’ve gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending,” Trump during a news conference in the Oval Office on May 30.
“All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don’t like being surprised, so I’m very disappointed in that way,” Trump added.
Russia has increased its intensity of attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months amid ongoing peace negotiations, attempting to gain more leverage at the negotiating table and pressure Ukraine into an unfavorable peace deal.
