A Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa killed eight people and wounded 27 late Friday, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.
The attack came as the United States prepared to host a Kremlin envoy in Miami as part of a renewed diplomatic push to end the nearly four-year war.
Ukrainian officials said some of the wounded were on a bus near the center of the strike, while trucks and cars in a nearby parking area were damaged by fire.
The port was hit by ballistic missiles, regional authorities said, and Moscow did not immediately acknowledge responsibility for the attack.
The Russian Defense Ministry later said it had struck unspecified transport, storage, and energy infrastructure used to support Ukraine’s war effort.
The Odesa strike coincided with intensified diplomatic activity led by the Trump administration, which has been holding separate talks with Ukrainian, European, and Russian representatives.
Ukraine’s chief negotiator said his delegation had completed meetings in the United States with American and European partners and agreed to continue joint work.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the outcome of the peace effort would depend heavily on Washington’s engagement with Moscow.
“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.”
Zelenskyy later said the United States had floated a possible trilateral meeting involving Ukraine and Russia but warned that major obstacles remained.
He identified territory, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, reconstruction funding, and security guarantees as the most difficult unresolved issues.
As diplomatic talks continued, Ukraine reported a series of drone strikes targeting Russian assets, including an oil and gas drilling platform at the Filanovsky field and a military patrol ship in the Caspian Sea.
Ukrainian officials said the extent of the damage was still being assessed, and there was no immediate comment from Russian authorities or the energy company operating the facility.
Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine and Portugal had signed an agreement to jointly produce maritime drones, describing the project as a promising area of defense cooperation.
Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, was expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was preparing for contacts with Washington to learn the results of recent discussions with Ukraine and European partners.