Russian aerial attack hits Ukrainian hospital, days before Zelenskyy meets Trump

Russian forces launched powerful glide bombs and drones against Ukraine's second-largest city in overnight attacks, hitting a hospital and wounding seven people, an official said on Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to travel to Washington and ask US President Donald Trump for more American military help.

The Russian attack on Kharkiv in Ukraine's northeast hit the city's main hospital, forcing the evacuation of 50 patients, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said. The attack's main targets were energy facilities, Zelenskyy said, without providing details of what was hit.

“Every day, every night, Russia strikes power plants, power lines, and our (natural) gas facilities,” Zelenskyy said.

Russian long-range strikes on its neighbour's power grid are part of a campaign since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022 to disable Ukraine's power supply, denying civilians heat and running water during the bitter winter.

The Ukrainian leader urged foreign countries to help blunt Russia's long-range attacks by providing more air defence systems for the country, which is almost the size of Texas and hard to defend from the air in its entirety.

“We are counting on the actions of the US and Europe, the G7, all partners who have these systems and can provide them to protect our people,” Zelenskyy said. “The world must force Moscow to sit down at the table for real negotiations.”

Zelenskyy is due to meet with Trump in Washington on Friday.

The talks are expected to centre on the potential US provision to Ukraine of sophisticated long-range weapons that can hit back at Russia.

Trump has warned Moscow that he may send Tomahawk cruise missiles for Ukraine to use. Such a move, previously ruled out by Washington for fear of escalating the war, would deepen tensions between the United States and Russia.

But it could provide leverage to help push Moscow into negotiations after Trump expressed frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to budge on key aspects of a possible peace deal.

Tomahawks would sharpen Ukraine's ability to fight back against Russia, though its long-range attacks are already taking a toll on Russian oil production, Ukrainian officials and foreign military analysts say.

Its strikes using newly developed long-range missiles and drones are causing significant gas shortages in Russia, according to Zelenskyy.