Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on foreign partners to intensify pressure on Moscow, after Russia followed up its historic U.S.-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia with a large-scale missile and drone strike on Ukraine.

The U.S.-Russia discussions in Riyadh, which excluded Ukraine, were described by the State Department as an “important step forward” toward ending Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine.

However, hours after the talks concluded, Russia launched a heavy missile and drone barrage, targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian areas.

• Ukraine’s air force reported 167 drones and two Iskander ballistic missiles launched, of which 106 were intercepted and 56 more failed in flight.
• Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov reported a massive strike on a densely populated area, causing electricity, heating, and water outages in the city.

Zelenskyy condemned the timing of the attack, calling it proof that Russia lied about not targeting Ukraine’s energy sector during the Saudi negotiations.

“Just yesterday, after the notorious meeting in Riyadh, it became clear that Russian representatives were once again lying, claiming they do not target Ukraine’s energy sector,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

He emphasized the humanitarian impact of the strikes, noting that drones hit electrical transformers amid freezing temperatures:

“This is during winter—it was minus 6 degrees Celsius at night.”

Zelenskyy further warned against trusting Moscow, stating:

“Russia is ruled by pathological liars—they cannot be trusted and must be pressured.”

Ukraine and its European allies were deeply unsettled by their exclusion from the Saudi talks.

Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, U.S. President Donald Trump was unapologetic, suggesting Ukraine had ample opportunity to negotiate with Moscow and avoid war.

“They’ve had a seat for three years and a long time before that,” Trump said.

He further claimed that he has “the power to end this war”, while falsely asserting that Ukraine started the conflict—despite Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, following eight years of cross-border aggression in Crimea and the Donbas.

Trump also suggested that Ukraine should hold new elections, ignoring the martial law restrictions that make elections impossible, and falsely claimed that Zelenskyy’s approval rating was “down to 4%”.

During a visit to Turkey, Zelenskyy expressed concerns that the Saudi negotiations mirrored past Russian ultimatums from the early days of the invasion.

“I have the impression that there are now some negotiations happening, and they have the same mood, but between Russia and the United States,” Zelenskyy said.

As the U.S. pursues direct negotiations with Moscow, Ukraine faces continued military aggression, raising concerns about Kyiv’s role in shaping any future peace settlement.