Zelenskyy warns of massive Russian attack within 48 hours
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- Zelenskyy warned of a "massive" new Russian attack on Ukraine, saying intelligence indicated Moscow had "readied missiles" for strikes "within the next 48 hours" and urging citizens to heed air raid alerts.
- Russian missile strikes on the Kyiv region on Friday killed at least 10 people and injured around 100, hitting an arms exhibition where representatives of the Ukrainian defence industry were present.
- Russian guided aerial bombs struck Slovyansk, killing five more people, with Zelenskyy confirming Latvia's consulate in the city was damaged in the attacks.
- EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas condemned the consulate strike as showing "Moscow's utter disregard for international law" and pledged Latvia the bloc's "full support."
- Zelenskyy is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week to discuss peace proposals, having spoken Wednesday with envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about "energizing diplomacy."
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the ASEAN summit in the Philippines that further arms sales to Kyiv were "unacceptable," though Rubio said US policy "hasn't changed" and arms continue flowing through NATO's PURL initiative.
Why it matters: Russia escalated kinetic strikes—killing 15+ and hitting a NATO ally's consulate—the same week Zelenskyy is scheduled to negotiate peace in Washington and Lavrov just warned Rubio in Manila that arming Kyiv is unacceptable. The 48-hour window means missiles could land before or during the Trump meeting, putting the diplomatic track on a collision course with the battlefield.
