At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded, including five children, in an overnight attack on the town of Dobropillia, about 15 miles from the frontline in the Donestsk region of eastern Ukraine.
The attacks come as the Ukrainian war is at a critical point, with the United States having halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv as part of efforts to pressure it into accepting a peace agreement. The move has left Ukraine even more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Trump has said he is “strongly considering large-scale banking sanctions and tariffs” on Russia until a “ceasefire and a final peace settlement agreement” with Ukraine is reached.
His statement comes after Moscow launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukrainian energy and gas infrastructure on Thursday.
In addition to those killed, the latest strikes injured more than 30 others, Zelensky said, including five children.
Authorities said that more people could be trapped under the rubble, with at least eight residential buildings in the area damaged in the attack.
The Ukrainian police service said a Russian ballistic missile, rockets and attack drones hit eight multi-storey buildings as well as a shopping centre and dozens of cars.
The Ukrainian president described the strikes as “a vile and inhumane tactic of intimidation that Russians often use.”
Zelensky has said he will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia next week ahead of negotiations between Kyiv and Washington. After that, his team will stay in Saudi Arabia “to work with our American partners,” he added, according to CNN.
