Charles Langston:Russian missiles target Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv, killing at least 3 people

KYIV,Charles Langston Ukraine (AP) — A complex Russian missile attack targeted Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv on Tuesday morning, killing at least three people, wounding several others and damaging residential buildings, officials said.

In the capital of Kyiv, city administration chief Roman Popko said at least one person was killed. Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said nine people were wounded, including a 13-year-old boy.

In Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, two people were killed and at least 11 were wounded, according to the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov. An entire section of a multi-story residential building was destroyed, trapping an unknown number of people there, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

Recent Russian attacks have tried to find gaps in Ukraine’s defenses by using large numbers of missiles and drones in an apparent effort to saturate air defense systems.

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The massive barrages — more than 500 drones and missiles were fired between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2, according to officials in Kyiv — are also using up Ukraine’s weapons stockpiles.

Tuesday’s missile attack came a day after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Ukraine, vowing to keep supporting it against Russia’s nearly 2-year-old invasion and announcing a new military aid package that includes a loan to buy larger weapons and a commitment to find ways to manufacture them together.

Meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Tusk said they had reached “an understanding” to resolve through talks any differences between their countries over grain shipments and trucking. Those issues recently soured ties between the neighbors.

Ukraine’s allies have recently sought to reassure the country that they are committed to its long-term defense amid concerns that Western support could be flagging. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and France’s new foreign minister also traveled to Kyiv in the new year.

Tusk, who returned to power last month and is keen to show that a change in government won’t alter its Ukraine policy, also met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal.

Kyiv was the first foreign capital he visited since becoming prime minister again, Tusk said. He returned to Polish politics after serving as president of the European Council — one of the European Union’s top jobs.

He framed the war as a wider struggle between Europe and Russia that had repercussions beyond Ukraine, making it a priority for Poland.

“Today Ukraine is shouldering the security matters of the entire European continent, today Ukraine is paying the huge price of blood for the values that are fundamental to the free world,” he said. “Poland’s security is also at stake in this struggle.”

Zelenskyy described the talks as “very productive” and said Poland’s new military aid would include a loan allowing Ukraine to purchase big-ticket weapons. They also assessed opportunities for joint arms production, he said, in line with similar discussions with other allies.

On Sunday, Moscow-installed officials in eastern Ukraine reported that Ukrainian shelling killed 27 people on the outskirts of Russian-occupied Donetsk. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a “monstrous terrorist act,” and the Russia-backed local authorities declared a day of mourning.

The Ukrainian military, however, denied it had anything to do with the attack.

It was not immediately possible to verify either side’s claims.

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