Zelensky: Russian attack ahead of Trump meeting ‘demonstrative and cynical’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Monday that a Russian attack hours before his high-stakes meeting with President Trump at the White House was “demonstrative and cynical.”

“This was a demonstrative and cynical Russian strike. They are aware that a meeting is taking place today in Washington that will address the end of the war,” Zelensky said in a post on social platform X.

“Everyone seeks dignified peace and true security,” the Ukrainian leader added. “And at this very moment, the Russians are attacking Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, the Sumy region, and Odesa, destroying residential buildings and our civilian infrastructure.”

Seven people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, were killed in the Russian drone strike in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, according to Zelensky, who said dozens of other people were injured.

Zelensky also said missile strikes in Zaporizhzhia killed three people and injured 20 people. He added that a Russian strike targeted an energy facility in Odesa.

The strikes follow a historic summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, and they come ahead of Zelensky’s meeting with European leaders and Trump on Monday at the White House, where the Ukrainian leader said he expects to discuss “key issues.”

“The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything. Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts,” Zelensky said in his Monday post.

“That is precisely why we are seeking assistance to put an end to the killings. That is why reliable security guarantees are required. That is why Russia should not be rewarded for its participation in this war. The war must be ended. And it is Moscow that must hear the word: ‘Stop,’” he added.

Updated at 8:03 a.m. EDT

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