Russia launches fresh missile, drone strikes ahead of Geneva talks

Russia unleashed a new barrage of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine overnight, injuring at least 25 people, just hours before senior Ukrainian and American officials were due to meet in Geneva in an effort to revive stalled peace negotiations.

Emergency services said at least 16 people were wounded in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv and the surrounding region during the early hours of Thursday. In the south-eastern region of Zaporizhia, seven people were reported injured after strikes damaged 19 apartment blocks, four houses and several other buildings. Two more people were hurt in Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine.

Al Jazeera reported that in the capital, Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said attacks in the early hours caused damage to a nine-storey residential building in the Darnytskyi district and sparked fires in a house and garages elsewhere in the city. No casualties were reported in Kyiv.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, said air defence systems had been activated to intercept incoming threats and urged residents to remain in shelters until the danger had passed.

Ukraine has faced sustained overnight bombardments in recent months, with Russia targeting urban centres and critical infrastructure during the winter period. Energy facilities have frequently been among the objectives, despite diplomatic efforts led by Washington to secure a negotiated end to the conflict, now entering its fifth year and widely regarded as Europe’s deadliest war since the Second World War.

The latest strikes came ahead of a scheduled meeting in Geneva between Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The talks are intended to pave the way for a broader trilateral session involving Moscow, Kyiv and Washington in early March.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had spoken by telephone with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday for around 30 minutes. Witkoff and Kushner were also on the call, which focused on the agenda for the Geneva meeting and preparations for a full round of negotiations.

Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly called for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he hoped the Geneva discussions would help elevate negotiations to leader level. “This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war,” he said, adding that Trump supported the proposed sequence of steps.

Putin has previously rejected the idea of meeting Zelenskyy, questioning his legitimacy as Ukraine’s leader.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s envoy for economic affairs, was also expected in Geneva to hold discussions with US representatives on economic matters.

Despite Trump’s repeated assertions that he could bring the conflict to an end swiftly after returning to office, negotiations have yet to produce a breakthrough. Talks based on a US proposal unveiled late last year have stalled over contentious territorial questions, particularly control of the eastern Donbas region.

Moscow is pressing for full control of the Donetsk region and has indicated it could attempt to seize it by force if no agreement is reached. Kyiv has rejected the demand and insists that any settlement must include binding security guarantees to prevent future aggression. Ukraine’s constitution also prohibits the formal cession of territory.

With positions entrenched and fighting continuing on the ground, prospects for a swift resolution remain uncertain.In the capital, Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said attacks in the early hours caused damage to a nine-storey residential building in the Darnytskyi district and sparked fires in a house and garages elsewhere in the city. No casualties were reported in Kyiv.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, said air defence systems had been activated to intercept incoming threats and urged residents to remain in shelters until the danger had passed.

Ukraine has faced sustained overnight bombardments in recent months, with Russia targeting urban centres and critical infrastructure during the winter period. Energy facilities have frequently been among the objectives, despite diplomatic efforts led by Washington to secure a negotiated end to the conflict, now entering its fifth year and widely regarded as Europe’s deadliest war since the Second World War.

The latest strikes came ahead of a scheduled meeting in Geneva between Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The talks are intended to pave the way for a broader trilateral session involving Moscow, Kyiv and Washington in early March.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had spoken by telephone with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday for around 30 minutes. Witkoff and Kushner were also on the call, which focused on the agenda for the Geneva meeting and preparations for a full round of negotiations.

Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly called for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he hoped the Geneva discussions would help elevate negotiations to leader level. “This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war,” he said, adding that Trump supported the proposed sequence of steps.

Putin has previously rejected the idea of meeting Zelenskyy, questioning his legitimacy as Ukraine’s leader.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin’s envoy for economic affairs, was also expected in Geneva to hold discussions with US representatives on economic matters.

Despite Trump’s repeated assertions that he could bring the conflict to an end swiftly after returning to office, negotiations have yet to produce a breakthrough. Talks based on a US proposal unveiled late last year have stalled over contentious territorial questions, particularly control of the eastern Donbas region.

Moscow is pressing for full control of the Donetsk region and has indicated it could attempt to seize it by force if no agreement is reached. Kyiv has rejected the demand and insists that any settlement must include binding security guarantees to prevent future aggression. Ukraine’s constitution also prohibits the formal cession of territory.

With positions entrenched and fighting continuing on the ground, prospects for a swift resolution remain uncertain.