Zelensky Says Will Meet Trump Next Week As Russia Intensifies Attacks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he will meet with US President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly next week, as Russia launched one of its largest aerial assaults against Ukraine.

Russia executed a massive overnight attack, deploying 40 missiles and approximately 580 drones across Ukraine, resulting in at least three deaths and dozens of injuries, according to Zelensky's Saturday statement.

In retaliation, Ukraine struck Russia's southwestern Samara region, killing four people, according to the local governor. This marks one of the deadliest Ukrainian counterattacks on Russian soil since Moscow began its 2022 invasion.

Zelensky confirmed his upcoming meeting with the US President, stating he plans to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia during the talks with Trump.

Ukraine continues to advocate for Western-backed security measures to deter future Russian aggression. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued warnings that any Western military presence in Ukraine would be considered unacceptable and legitimate targets for attack.

A US-initiated effort to swiftly end the conflict has faltered, and Russia has effectively dismissed the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky—which Kyiv maintains is the only path toward peace.

"We expect sanctions if there is no meeting between the leaders or, for example, no ceasefire," Zelensky stated in comments released by the Ukrainian presidency on Saturday.

"We are ready for a meeting with Putin. I have spoken about this. Both bilateral and trilateral. He is not ready," Zelensky added.

In Russia's most recent aerial bombardment of Ukraine, "a missile with cluster munitions directly struck an apartment building" in the central city of Dnipro, Zelensky reported on social media.

He shared images showing burning vehicles and buildings, with rescue workers evacuating victims amid scattered debris.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the attacks claimed one life and injured at least 30 people, with one individual in critical condition, according to regional governor Sergiy Lysak.

The strikes occurred just one day after three Russian fighter jets reportedly violated Estonian airspace—a NATO member on the alliance's eastern flank—an accusation Moscow denies.

This incident has heightened Western concerns about dangerous provocations from Moscow, especially following Poland's recent complaint that approximately 20 Russian drones entered its territory.

Zelensky reiterated his call for "joint solutions" to intercept drones over Ukraine "together with other countries."

Russia, which has been gradually seizing Ukrainian territory for months, announced Saturday that its forces had captured the village of Berezove in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

In northeastern Kharkiv region, "intense actions" continue around the strategic area of Kupiansk, according to Zelensky, referring to a railway hub Ukraine reclaimed during its 2022 offensive.

Inside Russia, four people were killed "in an enemy drone attack last night," reported Samara governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev on social media.

He earlier indicated that "fuel and energy facilities" were targeted, without detailing the extent of damage.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed that "strategic objects of the Russian aggressor were struck," adding that their forces "inflicted damage" on the Saratov Oil Refinery and attacked the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery in the Samara region.

"Preliminary information indicates that explosions and fires were recorded at the site as a result of the strike," the statement on social media noted.

Russia's defence ministry reported Saturday that its air defence systems "intercepted and destroyed" 149 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 27 over Saratov region and 15 over Samara region.

Three rounds of direct peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have produced little beyond large-scale prisoner exchanges.

Russia maintains inflexible demands, including Ukraine's complete surrender of the eastern Donbas region—portions of which Ukraine still controls.

Kyiv has rejected territorial concessions and seeks European troops deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers, a proposition Moscow finds unacceptable.