LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged overseas companions to use extra stress to Moscow as Russia adopted up Tuesday’s historic talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia with a significant missile and drone strike.
The U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh — to which Ukraine was not invited — represented “an essential step ahead” towards ending Russia’s three-year-old invasion of its neighbor, in line with a State Division readout.
Hours after the discussions concluded with a dedication to proceed talks, Russia launched a significant missile and drone barrage into Ukraine. Ukraine’s air pressure reported 167 drones and two Iskander ballistic missiles launched into the nation, with 106 intercepted and 56 extra misplaced in flight.
Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov reported a “huge enemy strike on a densely populated space of ​​town” inflicting electrical energy, heating and water outages.
Ukrainian forces seek for drones within the sky over Kyiv, Ukraine, throughout a Russian drone strike on Feb. 18, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Zelenskyy stated in a publish to social media that the strike focused “civilian vitality services,” in step with longstanding Russian doctrine. “For almost three years now, the Russian military has relentlessly used missiles and assault drones in opposition to them,” he stated.
“Simply yesterday, after the infamous assembly in Riyadh, it grew to become clear that Russian representatives have been as soon as once more mendacity, claiming they don’t goal Ukraine’s vitality sector,” Zelenskyy continued.
“But, nearly concurrently, they launched one other assault, with drones placing electrical transformers,” he wrote. “And that is throughout winter — it was minus 6 levels Celsius at evening.”
“We should always remember that Russia is dominated by pathological liars — they can’t be trusted and should be pressured,” the president stated.
Kyiv’s exclusion from the Saudi talks have badly unsettled Ukraine and its European allies. Trump was unapologetic when talking with reporters Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
“They’ve had a seat for 3 years and a very long time earlier than that,” Trump stated of Ukraine, suggesting Kyiv may have made a cope with Moscow to keep away from the large lack of lives and land.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives to satisfy with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Feb. 15, 2025 in Munich, Germany.
Sean Gallup/Getty Photos
Trump stated he believes he has “the facility to finish this struggle,” whereas falsely claiming Ukraine began the battle in opposition to Russia. The struggle started when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022, a marketing campaign that adopted eight years of cross-border Russian aggression in Crimea and Ukraine’s japanese Donbas area.
“I believe it is going very properly,” Trump stated of U.S. efforts to finish the struggle. “However right now I heard, oh, ‘Nicely, we weren’t invited.’ Nicely, you’ve got been there for 3 years. You need to have ended it three years — it’s best to have by no means began it.”
Trump additionally stated that Ukraine ought to maintain new elections — presently not doable because of the imposition of martial regulation — and falsely claimed that Zelenskyy’s public approval ranking was “all the way down to 4%.”
Zelenskyy advised that the U.S.-Russia talks have been merely reviving ultimatums issued by Moscow within the early phases of its invasion.
“I’ve the impression that there are actually some negotiations taking place and so they have the identical temper, however between Russia and america,” Zelenskyy stated throughout a go to to Turkey.
“Once more, about Ukraine with out Ukraine,” he added. “It is fascinating, if Ukraine did not yield to ultimatums in essentially the most troublesome second, the place does the sensation come from that Ukraine will comply with this now?”
On this handout image launched by the official Saudi Press Company, Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes fingers with Russian Overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov throughout their assembly at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 18, 2025.
-/SPA/AFP through Getty Photos
“I by no means supposed to yield to Russia’s ultimatums and I do not intend to now,” Zelenskyy added.
In Riyadh, the U.S. and Russia agreed to nominate as-yet unnamed particular representatives to proceed peace talks, in line with the Russian Overseas Ministry.
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov instructed the state-controlled Channel One tv channel that Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy — Keith Kellogg — would negotiate a settlement with Kyiv and European nations.
Kellogg arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday morning, the place he’s anticipated to carry talks with Ukrainian leaders.
ABC Information’ Fidel Pavlenko and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
