Russia launches over 500 drones at Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia fired more than 500 drones and two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight, authorities said Wednesday, as Ukraine’s president and European leaders persevered with talks aimed at strengthening Ukrainian defenses and bringing momentum to so far unsuccessful U.S.-led peace efforts .

The main Russian nighttime targets were civilian infrastructure, especially energy facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as another winter approaches three years after Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor. The attacks targeted mainly western and central Ukraine and wounded at least five people, the Ukrainian air force said.

Russia’s aerial assaults that hit civilian areas and its army’s drive to crush Ukrainian defenses along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line have not abated in recent months, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to stop the fighting . While Zelenskyy has accepted Trump’s proposals for a ceasefire and face-to-face peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has voiced reservations.

Putin said Wednesday he believed “that if common sense prevails, it is possible to agree on an acceptable option for ending the conflict,” adding that Trump has “a sincere desire” to find a settlement.

“It seems to me that there is a certain light at the end of the tunnel,” Putin said at a press conference in Beijing, wrapping up a four-day visit to China. “Let’s see how the situation develops. If not, then we will have to achieve our goal by military means.”

He said he was ready to receive Zelenskyy for talks in Moscow, but only if the meeting is “well prepared.” Kremlin officials have previously said a summit could happen only after a broad agreement has been hammered out first by lower-raking delegations.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leader described the overnight strikes as “demonstrative.”

“Putin is demonstrating his impunity,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram Wednesday, urging tougher sanctions on Russia. “Only due to the lack of sufficient pressure, primarily on the war economy, does Russia continue this aggression.”

Meetings in Beijing bring together Russia’s supporters

As part of diplomatic maneuvering, Putin was in China meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un , as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The three countries support Russia’s war effort, Washington says. Pyongyang has sent troops and ammunition to Russia, while China and India have bought Russian oil , indirectly helping its war economy.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief said that China’s alliance with Russia is supplying vital support for its invasion.

“Russia is not acting alone. China provides Russia with up to 80% of dual use imports,” Kaja Kallas said in a speech Wednesday at the annual European Union Institute for Security Studies conference in Brussels. “This allows the killing to continue in Ukraine.”

In his daily video address on Tuesday evening, Zelenskyy said the number of Russian drone attacks is growing, including in broad daylight, and reported “another buildup of Russian forces in some sectors of the front.”

He said it revealed “an open disregard by Russia for everything the world is doing to stop this war.”

Ukraine and its allies discuss new military aid

Zelenskyy arrived in Denmark on Tuesday for talks with Northern European and Baltic countries about new military aid and further diplomatic support for Ukraine. He said in Copenhagen that a program for weapons sourced from the United States and paid for by Europe for delivery to Ukraine already has commitments of more than $2 billion. The goal, he said, is to add around $1 billion to the fund each month.

British Defense Secretary John Healey, meanwhile, was in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for meetings on how to strengthen Ukraine’s military.

Zelenskyy was due later Wednesday in Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, ahead of a Thursday meeting there of European countries assessing what kind of postwar security guarantees they might be able to provide with the United States.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday he expected clarity after the Paris talks about what each country can provide.

Rutte said he is “discreetly part of all the conversations” alongside NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, because the plans would draw resources from alliance countries and officials need to “prevent spreading our resources too thinly.”

Associated Press writers Sam McNeil in Brussels, Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

乌克兰基辅——乌克兰当局周三表示，俄罗斯连夜向乌克兰发射了 500 多架无人机和 20 多枚导弹。与此同时，乌克兰总统和欧洲领导人继续进行旨在加强乌克兰防御并为迄今为止不成功的美国主导的和平努力注入动力的会谈。

乌克兰总统泽连斯基表示，俄罗斯夜间袭击的主要目标是民用基础设施，特别是能源设施。此时，距离俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰已过去三年，又一个冬季即将到来。乌克兰空军称，袭击主要针对乌克兰西部和中部地区，造成至少五人受伤。

尽管美国总统特朗普试图制止冲突，但近几个月来，俄罗斯对平民区的空袭以及其军队沿1000公里（620英里）前线摧毁乌克兰防御的行动并未减少。虽然泽连斯基接受了特朗普提出的停火和与俄罗斯总统普京举行面对面和平谈判的提议，但克里姆林宫对此表示保留意见。

普京周三表示，他相信“如果常识占上风，就有可能就结束冲突的可接受方案达成一致”，并补充说，特朗普“真诚地希望”找到解决方案。

普京在结束为期四天的访华之行时，在北京举行的新闻发布会上表示：“在我看来，隧道尽头似乎已经出现了一丝曙光。让我们拭目以待局势的发展。如果不行，那么我们将不得不诉诸武力来实现我们的目标。”

他表示愿意在莫斯科接待泽连斯基举行会谈，但前提是会谈“准备充分”。克里姆林宫官员此前曾表示，峰会只有在级别较低的代表团首先达成广泛协议后才能举行。

与此同时，乌克兰领导人将夜间的罢工描述为“示威性的”。

泽连斯基周三在Telegram上发文称：“普京正在展现他的逍遥法外”，并敦促对俄罗斯实施更严厉的制裁。“正是由于缺乏足够的压力，尤其是在战争经济方面，俄罗斯才会继续这种侵略行为。”

北京会议汇聚了俄罗斯的支持者

作为外交斡旋的一部分，普京访问中国，会见了中国国家主席习近平、朝鲜领导人金正恩以及印度总理莫迪。华盛顿方面表示，这三个国家支持俄罗斯的战争行动。平壤已向俄罗斯派遣军队和弹药，而中国和印度则购买了俄罗斯石油，间接地帮助了俄罗斯的战争经济。

欧盟外交政策负责人表示，中国与俄罗斯的联盟为其入侵提供了至关重要的支持。

“俄罗斯并非孤军奋战。中国向俄罗斯提供了高达80%的两用物项进口，”卡娅·卡拉斯周三在布鲁塞尔举行的欧盟安全研究所年会上发表讲话时说。“这使得乌克兰的杀戮得以继续。”

泽连斯基在周二晚间的每日视频讲话中表示，俄罗斯无人机袭击的数量正在增加，包括在光天化日之下进行的袭击，并报告称“俄罗斯军队在一些前线地区再次集结”。

他说，这暴露出“俄罗斯公然无视世界为制止这场战争所做的一切努力”。

乌克兰及其盟友讨论新的军事援助

泽连斯基周二抵达丹麦，与北欧和波罗的海国家就向乌克兰提供新的军事援助和进一步的外交支持进行会谈。他在哥本哈根表示，一项由欧洲支付费用、从美国采购武器并交付给乌克兰的项目，目前已获得超过20亿美元的承诺。他表示，目标是每月向该基金追加约10亿美元的资金。

与此同时，英国国防大臣约翰·希利正在乌克兰首都基辅参加有关如何加强乌克兰军事力量的会议。

泽连斯基原定于周三晚些时候前往巴黎与法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙举行会谈，随后欧洲各国将于周四在巴黎举行会议，评估它们可能与美国一起提供何种战后安全保障。

北约秘书长马克·吕特周三表示，他希望在巴黎会谈后能够明确每个国家能够提供什么。

吕特表示，他与北约最高盟军司令亚历克西斯·格林克维奇将军一起“谨慎地参与了所有对话”，因为这些计划将占用盟国的资源，官员们需要“防止资源过于分散”。

美联社驻布鲁塞尔记者萨姆·麦克尼尔、驻英国曼彻斯特记者凯蒂·玛丽·戴维斯和驻日内瓦记者杰米·基顿对本报道亦有贡献。