Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine have killed at least nine people and caused power outages in 12 regions, officials said Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met US and European officials in Norway to seek additional military support.
Zelenskyy was joined in Oslo by US envoy Steve Witkoff, while another US envoy, Jared Kushner, was expected to participate in a meeting virtually. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb were also scheduled to meet with the Ukrainian leader.
Zelenskyy said the discussions would focus on strengthening Ukraine’s air defences and joint weapons production. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow hoped to arrange a meeting between the US envoys and Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, possibly on Wednesday, praising Washington’s mediation efforts.
Amid uncertainty over continued US military assistance, Zelenskyy said he had a “substantive conversation” with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and sought help in securing further air defence supplies and continued intelligence sharing.
Zelenskyy has warned that Ukraine is running short of US-made Patriot interceptors needed to counter Russian ballistic missiles. He also said delays in missile deliveries purchased by other countries and restrictions on Ukraine’s use of the military-grade Starshield satellite service were affecting its defence capabilities.
Rubio, however, denied that Washington was deliberately withholding assistance, saying there had been no change in US policy. He said Patriot ammunition was in short supply and needed in other parts of the world.
European countries are increasing their support as concerns grow over a possible decline in US assistance. According to Germany’s Kiel Institute, European countries and EU institutions have allocated 237 billion euros ($266 billion) to support Ukraine, compared with 115 billion euros ($129 billion) from the United States.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas questioned whether US negotiators had acted as impartial mediators, saying European support had helped Ukraine resist pressure to surrender territory to Russia.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued across Ukraine. Regional police said four people were killed and 27 wounded, including children, in attacks on the Kyiv region over the past day.
Three people were killed and four injured in an attack on the Kyiv-Odesa highway on Tuesday morning, while two others died in a strike on warehouses near Dnipro, authorities said. The attacks also damaged hundreds of buildings and triggered power outages in 12 regions, grid operator Ukrenergo reported.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces targeted logistics centres, port infrastructure and cargo ships in the Odesa region. It also reported that Russian air defences had intercepted 136 Ukrainian drones overnight across several Russian regions, reports UNB.