The Albany Gazette - Russia brushes off talks after largest assault on Ukraine

The hours-long bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country and came after a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without a breakthrough.

Trump also said he had made no progress in discussions with Putin on ending more than three years of bitter fighting since the Kremlin ordered its troops into neighbouring Ukraine.

Earlier, AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defence systems fended off the attack.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke to Trump and said they agreed to work on bolstering the country's defences against aerial bombardment.

"We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies," Zelensky said on social media after the call.

Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of Friday felt different from others.

"Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions," he said.

The Kremlin said Friday it was "preferable" to achieve the goals of its invasion through political and diplomatic means.

"But as long as that is not possible, we are continuing the special operation," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a briefing, referring to Russia's invasion.

- 'War and terror' -

Zelensky said air alerts began echoing out across the country as the Trump-Putin call was getting under way.

"Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror," he said on social media.

He urged the United States in particular to increase pressure on Moscow, which on Friday announced fresh territorial gains on the front line with the capture of a village in the Donetsk region.

Poland said its embassy building in Kyiv had been damaged in the attack but that staff were unharmed.

Germany's foreign ministry meanwhile said that the timing of the attack showed that Moscow was continuing to "rely on brute force".

"Ukraine needs more to defend itself, not less," the ministry said on social media.

Berlin was exploring the possibility of purchasing more Patriot air defence systems from the United States for Ukraine, a German government spokesman told reporters.

In Kyiv, one person was pulled from the rubble after the strikes, which also wounded at least 26 people, emergency services said.

The barrage, according to the air force, comprised 539 drones and 11 missiles.

A representative of Ukraine's air force told Ukrainian media that the attack was the largest of the Russian invasion.

- 'Complete disregard' -

Overnight Russia attacks have escalated over recent weeks.

An AFP tally found Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, when direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall.

In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station.

Yuliia Golovnina, who said she sheltered at the metro regularly, described the worry that came with hearing an explosion during an attack.

"Will there be another one? Will something collapse on you?" the 47-year-old said.

"In those seconds, you just hold your breath and wait to see what happens next," she added.

In Kyiv, concerns mounted over whether the US would continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine's ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages.

The US announced this week it was reducing some of its aid deliveries.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this was a clear signal that the 27-nation European Union needed to "step up".

Ukraine has also ramped up its retaliatory strikes in Russia, where a woman was killed by a Ukrainian drone attack overnight, the acting governor of the Rostov region said.

Talks, spearheaded by the United States to secure a ceasefire, have stalled.

Delegations from the two sides last met more than a month ago, when they agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.

Russia announced a fresh swap of prisoners of war with Ukraine on Friday as part of that agreement.

(S.Perez--TAG)