Zelensky: Strike on Kyiv shows that Putin is ‘not preparing for peace’

A fatal Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv early this morning shows that the Kremlin is not interested in pursuing peace in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky says.

AFP journalists in the capital heard a volley of explosions ring out over the city and saw the body of one person killed covered in a black plastic sheet on a street littered with debris.

Zelensky announced that one person was killed and at least four others were wounded — including a child — in the attack that he said damaged apartment blocks, office buildings, and civilian infrastructure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not preparing for peace — he continues to kill Ukrainians and destroy cities,” Zelensky writes on social media after the attack.

“Only strong steps and pressure on Russia can stop this terror. Right now we need the unity and the support of all our partners in the fight for a just end to this war,” he adds.

Those comments come on the back of mounting rhetoric from Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv over the possibility of negotiations that could end the nearly three-year Russian invasion.