Russian Strikes Kill at Least Three in Ukraine Ahead of Expected U.S. Peace Talks

Russian attacks killed at least three people overnight in Ukraine as Kyiv prepared for a possible visit by U.S. envoys seeking to revive peace efforts. The strikes hit residential areas in several cities, and Ukrainian officials said the attacks now occur during the day as well as at night.

A “massive” attack on the Odesa region killed one person and injured at least five others, including a child, regional head Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. Several residential buildings were damaged, including two multistory blocks. In Dnipro, overnight strikes killed two police officers, officials said. A drone attack in Kyiv injured three people after hitting a residential building.

“

They confirmed they will have a meeting in Moscow and another one in Kyiv. We expect the latter to take place in the coming days. This is very important. It is important that America remain actively engaged.

The attacks came after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said preliminary dates had been set for meetings in Moscow and Kyiv. He said Ukraine’s negotiating team remained in near-constant contact with the United States and expected the Kyiv meeting in the coming days.

“They confirmed they will have a meeting in Moscow and another one in Kyiv. We expect the latter to take place in the coming days. This is very important. It is important that America remain actively engaged,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine was ready for substantive, high-level negotiations.

“

That reaching a long-term settlement can’t be expected without solving the territorial issue.

Russia’s state news agency Tass reported that U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would visit Moscow first, followed by Kyiv on Saturday and Sunday. The report could not be independently verified. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm the Moscow visit, while U.S. officials did not immediately confirm either trip. Witkoff and Kushner last visited Moscow in January 2026, when they met President Vladimir Putin. A visit to Kyiv would be their first.

After that meeting, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov called the talks constructive but said “that reaching a long-term settlement can’t be expected without solving the territorial issue.” Further talks later lost momentum as the White House focused on its conflict with Iran. Putin described the negotiations as “frozen” at a news conference on Wednesday. The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine remains largely deadlocked.

“

Frozen