Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine was “once again” not given advance notice by its allies before Russia launched its latest attacks on Kyiv.
Russian ballistic missiles struck energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital overnight, leaving one person dead and two others injured.
The early-morning assault on Monday also damaged a medical centre and a non-residential building, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Kyiv strike was part of a wider campaign that saw almost 2,700 Russian attack drones launched against Ukraine over the past week.
The Ukrainian president’s comments appeared to signal renewed frustration with Western allies, as tensions with Donald Trump continue to grow.
“Another Russian ballistic missile attack came in several waves overnight, and once again, there was no early warning from our partners,” Mr Zelensky said.
He said Russia had fired 16 ballistic missiles in what he described as a deliberate assault on Kyiv and the surrounding region.
The attack followed weekend talks between Mr Zelensky and senior US envoys, held as both sides sought to ease tensions between Ukraine and the United States.
Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine was “once again” given no advance warning by its allies before the latest Russian attacks on Kyiv
One person was killed and two injured in an overnight Russian airstrike on Kyiv (Pictured: police officers examine a fitness club building damaged by a Russian missile)
Mr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump has accused of being unwilling to bring the war with Russia to an end, held discussions with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner over the weekend. The talks came as Moscow and Kyiv intensified attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure.
Russian strikes have cut power to thousands of people across Ukraine, while Ukraine mounted its biggest drone assault on Saint Petersburg since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Ukrainian drones hit Saint Petersburg late on Sunday, setting an oil refinery on fire. One person was killed and five others were taken to hospital, according to reports from the city.
Russia has continued to launch missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities on a daily basis, while Kyiv insists its own attacks represent retaliation for Moscow’s campaign.
Mr Zelensky said Russia had attacked Ukraine during the past week with nearly 2,700 drones, 1,700 guided aerial bombs and 66 missiles, the majority of them ballistic.
“The primary targets are energy facilities,” the Ukrainian leader said. “The Russians are seeking to plunge the country into darkness.”
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He added that the United States should recognise that Moscow had taken no reciprocal measures in response to sanctions relief or agreements.
Mr Zelensky has also accused Russia of violating Donald Trump’s so-called “energy ceasefire” 76 times. He warned US officials that Moscow was seeking to leave Ukrainians without heat and electricity ahead of winter.
A police officer photographs a truck damaged in a Russian missile strike
The Russian attack came after President Zelensky held weekend talks with senior US envoys in an effort to reduce tensions between Ukraine and the United States
Yet Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump clashed as the US President blocked new sanctions on Russia and struck a diesel deal with Moscow, fuelling fears in Kyiv and Europe the White House was steering towards Moscow.
Mr Trump said on Sunday that he was in the process of negotiating a peace between Russia and Ukraine and making ‘great progress’.
But he claimed: ‘Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him… he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.’
‘Zelenskyy is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States.’
Earlier, after speaking to Mr Trump’s business partner Witkoff and son-in-law Mr Kushner, Mr Zelensky said ‘a lot depends’ on the US position in the war.
He said: ‘It is clear that there are many things that matter to all of us and that this war must be brought to an end.’
The Ukrainian president said he was ready to work ‘constructively’ and ‘honestly’, adding: ‘We expect exactly this approach from all our partners – both from the Europeans and, of course, from the American side.’
The Kremlin, however, confirmed Ukrainian attacks on its cities will not change its war aims.
Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine, and, in a fifth year of war, few see a way out of the conflict.
‘There’s a general feeling: they’re attacking, we’re attacking – it’s become the dreadful routine of war,’ Saint Petersburg resident, Galina, said.
Sergei, another Saint Petersburg resident, said he felt his apartment block shake and quickly realised it was a drone attack.
‘I don’t know if I was scared, what must be will be,’ he said.