Russia strikes Dnipro as Ukrainian officials seek security pledges in Paris

Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing three people including a child and wounding dozens, officials said.

The strike late on Wednesday was the latest in a string of Russian attacks that have caused civilian casualties and intensified in recent weeks, as the US continues efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.

Thirty people, including five children, were wounded in the attack, said Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration.

Local authorities said the drones caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, including an educational institution, a dormitory, a gymnasium and multiple residential buildings.

Emergency services said the strikes started multiple fires across the city.

In a reaction to the Dnipro attack, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to support his country with air defence weapons.

“Every defence package from partners for Ukraine now, every form of support from the world for our resilience, is literally protecting lives,” Mr Zelensky wrote on the messaging service Telegram on Thursday.

“Russia uses every day and every night to kill.”

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian delegation was in Paris for meetings with representatives of countries from the so-called “coalition of the willing” including France, Germany and the UK, said Andrii Yermak, head of the Presidential Office.

The multinational force is expected to be a long-term security guarantee to deter future Russian aggression once a ceasefire is in place.

The delegation also includes foreign minister Andrii Sybiha and defence minister Rustem Umerov.

Mr Yermak said talks with US representatives were also scheduled.

“We are working on important aspects for the security of Ukraine and all of Europe,” Mr Yermak wrote on Telegram.

Meanwhile. Ukraine and the US continue working on along-delayed minerals deal and Mr Zelensky said on Thursday that a memorandum of intent — not the full agreement — could be signed online later in the day as a first step, granting the US access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources.

“A few days ago, the American side proposed returning to an earlier step — a memorandum of intent — while lawyers continue working on the full agreement,” Mr Zelensky said at a briefing in Kyiv.

“I think this memorandum is important. It’s the first step.”

The framework of the mineral deal had stalled in February following a contentious Oval Office meeting between US President Donald Trump, vice president JD Vance, and Mr Zelensky.

Negotiations have since resumed on a revised framework.

A previous version of the framework agreement, obtained by The Associated Press, outlined plans for a jointly owned and managed investment fund between the US and Ukraine, intended to support the reconstruction of Ukraine’s war-torn economy.

But as Kyiv works to deepen ties with Western allies, it has voiced concerns over alleged military cooperation between Russia and China.

Mr Zelensky said that Kyiv has received intelligence confirming China is supplying weapons to Russia, including gunpowder and artillery.

He told the news conference that Ukrainian security and intelligence agencies report that some Chinese representatives are involved in weapons production on Russian territory.

“We are ready to speak in detail about this,” Mr Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine expects to share documentation to support the claims next week.

“We see the cooperation between these two countries in this area, and we must acknowledge it is happening.”

The Associated Press could not confirm Mr Zelensky’s statement.

China has provided strong diplomatic support for Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of neighbour Ukraine in February 2022.

Beijing has also offered an economic lifeline to Moscow through trading in energy and consumer goods.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that its air defence systems shot down overnight 71 Ukrainian drones across six regions.

Of those, 49 drones were intercepted over the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, it said.

Kyiv’s forces seized a strip of land in the area during a surprise incursion in August 2024.

Additional drones were downed over the Bryansk, Vladimir, Oryol, Ryazan, and Tula regions, the ministry said.

And in Ukraine, Russia launched five missiles along with 75 strike drones overnight, the air force said on Thursday.

Air defence forces destroyed 25 drones, while another 30 were jammed.