Russian Missile Strike Hits Odesa Port, Killing 8, as U.S. Hosts Kremlin Envoy for Peace Talks

A Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, killed eight people and wounded 27, Ukraine’s emergency service said Saturday. The attack came as a Kremlin envoy prepared to travel to Florida for talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end nearly four years of conflict.

The strike late Friday struck a busy area near the port. Ukraine’s emergency service said some of the wounded were on a bus near the impact site; trucks in a nearby parking lot caught fire and several cars were damaged. Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa regional administration, said the area was hit with ballistic missiles.

Moscow did not immediately claim responsibility for the Odesa attack. The Russian Defense Ministry said it had struck what it described as “transport and storage infrastructure used by the Ukrainian armed forces,” as well as energy facilities and sites it said supported Kyiv’s war effort.

Diplomatic Push and High-Level Meetings

The attack unfolded as part of a broader diplomatic push framed by the U.S. administration. A Kremlin envoy was scheduled to travel to Florida for discussions on an American-drafted plan to end the war. The initiative follows meetings this week in Berlin involving U.S., Ukrainian and European officials.

Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said late Friday that his delegation had completed separate meetings in the United States with American and European partners and that the parties agreed to continue “joint work in the near future.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was preparing for contacts to learn the results of the Berlin meetings, without offering details.

Escalating Strikes on Energy and Military Targets

Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Ukrainian drones struck several Russian targets, including an offshore oil rig, the patrol ship Okhotnik in the Caspian Sea and a drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field operated by Lukoil. Ukrainian forces also reportedly hit a radar installation in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The extent of damage in these incidents was still being clarified.

There was no immediate comment from the Russian government or from Lukoil. U.S. sanctions have recently targeted major Russian oil producers, including Lukoil and state-owned Gazprom, aiming to reduce revenues that Moscow uses to sustain the war.

Financial Support and Economic Outlook

European Union leaders agreed Friday to provide Ukraine a €90 billion interest-free loan to help cover military and economic needs over the next two years. The package will be financed on capital markets after EU members failed to reach an agreement to use frozen Russian assets to back the funding.

The International Monetary Fund estimates Ukraine will require about €137 billion in 2026–2027 as its economy reels from nearly four years of war. Kyiv’s government has warned it faces a severe financial shortfall and urgently needs funds by spring to avoid default.

Notable Meetings and Reactions

Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, was reported to be scheduled to meet in Miami with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. A U.S. official previewed the meeting on condition of anonymity. The talks were expected to follow Berlin consultations on topics including U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine and possible territorial concessions.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the outcome will depend largely on how the United States responds after consulting with Russia. Speaking alongside Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said, “The key question remains how the United States responds after consultations with the Russians. At this point, I honestly don’t know, but I will know later today.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled he is holding firm to expansive demands of Ukraine and expressed confidence on Friday that Russia would achieve its goals militarily if negotiations fail to meet Moscow’s terms.

Reporting contributed by Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Illia Novikov in Kyiv.