Zelenskyy links Russian strikes on Kyiv airports to US envoys' Moscow visit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian attacks on Kyiv and Boryspil international airports, which serve the Ukrainian capital, were "clearly" a response to the possibility that US negotiators might fly to Kyiv following talks in Moscow. Speaking on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had taken note of the move and would adjust its operations in Russian airspace next week, which he said had become dangerous due to Ukrainian drones and missiles. He stressed that Ukraine posed no threat to diplomacy.

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, making their first visit to Moscow since January, did not comment on Zelenskyy's remarks. They left Moscow shortly after the talks and were due to meet Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday.

The Kremlin's tone appeared unchanged following the meeting. After three hours of talks, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the Russian president told the American delegation that Russia was making "real progress" on the battlefield, was confident of achieving its goals, and emphasized the need to address "all the root causes of the conflict". Ushakov said the Americans had outlined several ideas for a possible settlement but did not disclose details.

Air attacks continue

The aerial war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified as ground forces struggle to advance along the 1,250km frontline. Russia has increasingly deployed fast, jet-powered drones, and air raid sirens have become a routine part of life in Kyiv. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin had ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv starting at midnight Saturday, though Russia has not agreed to a broader three-day ceasefire. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would refrain from striking Moscow through Monday.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a Russian strike on an industrial facility killed five workers and wounded five others, according to regional military head Oleksandr Hanzha. Russia's defence ministry said it had targeted two metallurgical plants it claimed were used for military production. A separate strike in the region's Nikopol district wounded a 62-year-old man and damaged homes and an apartment building. In Dnipro city and the nearby Pidhorodne community, one person was killed and five injured, two of them seriously. Other fatal strikes hit Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region, the Bucha district near Kyiv, and a shopping centre in the Mykolaiv region. In Russia's Belgorod region, two people were killed and three wounded in Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched ballistic missiles from its Rostov and Voronezh regions and used 167 attack drones on Saturday.