Russia Hits Ukraine with Biggest Strike of Year on Eve of Peace Talks
A Day of Horror in Ukraine as Russia Launches Biggest Strikes of the Year
REPORTER:
A day of horror in Ukraine as Russia pummels the country with its biggest strikes this year to date. The country’s energy infrastructure may have been the target. But civilians are not spared.
REPORTER:
In the city of Kharkiv, firefighters carry the injured away as they battle a blaze in a tower block.
REPORTER:
In Zaporizhzhia, next to a burned-out car, two teenagers caught in a strike lie dead on the road.
REPORTER:
And in the capital, Kyiv, shards of glass from broken windows cover the ground. Survivors recount close calls.
Ms. Chou (RESIDENT OF DAMAGED BUILDING):
My ears were blocked by the blast; I couldn’t hear anything. A child was in the corridor and I ran into this room, you can see what happened here. Thank God the grandmother was lying on the other side of the bed and was not injured.
REPORTER:
Just as Ukraine and Russia prepare to sit down with US mediators, there’s little sign of trust. Russia had promised not to hit Ukrainian energy targets like this plant for a week—giving Ukrainians a reprieve amid the fiercest winter since the war started.
REPORTER:
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has broken that promise.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE):
Either Russia now believes a week has only about four days, instead of seven, or they are betting only on war, and simply waited for the coldest days of this winter, when temperatures in large parts of Ukraine dropped below minus 20 degrees Celsius.
REPORTER:
And Ukraine’s allies are skeptical, too.
REPORTER:
Direct talks are now underway, and this is important progress. But Russian attacks, like those last night, do not signal seriousness about peace.
Jens Stoltenberg (NATO SECRETARY GENERAL):
I don't see really any signs from Russia to want peace. They are going for the maximalist demands, and that's why our response is clear, we need to put more pressure on Russia so that they would go from pretending to negotiate to actually negotiate.
REPORTER:
And even in the United States, President Donald Trump's hopes for a peace deal are being tested.
US Official:
Yeah, I spoke with the President about it this morning and his reaction was, unfortunately, unsurprised.
REPORTER:
In Russia, though, the focus seems to be mainly on Russia’s economy, which President Vladimir Putin said grew 1% last year.
REPORTER:
So far, two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi are still on this week. But the latest strikes are raising doubts about how much they can achieve.
REPORTER:
Devin Tsai and John Van Trieste for TaiwanPlus.
