KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s biggest cities in a nighttime bombardment that killed at least 11 people and set fire to a renowned religious site, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials said Monday.

The attacks on the capital, Kyiv, and the second-largest city, Kharkiv, came after Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke separately by phone with US President Donald Trump on Sunday.

The exchange suggests Washington hasn’t given up on its diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

The war in Ukraine is also set to feature in talks on Tuesday among G7 leaders at a summit in France.

Zelensky and Trump are due to attend the gathering, as Ukraine’s president pushes to keep the war on leaders’ minds while the Iran war diverts international attention from Ukraine’s plight.

“This is how Russia shows the world its intention to continue the war,” Zelensky said in a post on X referring to the overnight attack, which damaged a historic religious site in Kyiv.

“It is very important that there be a response from the G7 countries … and that this response be decisive and substantive: more pressure on the aggressor and more support for Ukraine’s air defense, especially anti-ballistic capabilities,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Children among the injured in Kyiv

The overnight assault by Russia involved hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles.

The barrage killed five people in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

At least 30 people were injured, including two children aged 5 and 6, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s Military Administration.

A series of powerful explosions were heard across Kyiv, with a wave of ballistic missiles followed by Shahed drones as many people sought shelter underground and officials urged residents to take cover. Clouds of black smoke drifted over the city.

Five strikes hit civilian sites in the city’s........

© The Times of Israel