At least one killed as Russian missile strike hits Kiev, Ukraine says

A pre-dawn Russian missile salvo on the Ukrainian capital killed at least one civilian and injured four others, sparking several fires in the city of three million, Ukrainian officials said.

A series of powerful explosions shook the capital around 0230 GMT on Wednesday as local officials said air defences were working to thwart the attacks.

"This Russian terror against Ukraine will not stop on its own," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy said after the attack, urging unity among partners for a just end to the war.

"Putin is not preparing for peace - he continues to kill Ukrainians and destroy cities."

Prospects for renewed peace negotiations to end the war that Russia launched on Ukraine nearly three years ago have increased after US President Donald Trump said that he had been in contact with Kiev and Putin.

Zelenskiyy also said on Tuesday that Kiev would soon hold talks with US officials.

Ukraine's air force said it shot down six out of seven ballistic missiles launched in the attack. Out of 123 drones, the military shot down 71 and likely used electronic countermeasures against 40 more.

Local officials on the Telegram app said that at least one person was killed and four injured, including a 9-year-old child, in the attack on Kiev.

Photos shared by the state emergency services showed rescuers putting out flames engulfing a carcass of a non-residential building in the region surrounding Kiev where no casualties were reported.

The overnight attack also damaged critical infrastructure and injured two people in the northern region of Chernihiv, local officials said.