Russia strikes cities from east to west in Ukraine ahead of key Zelenskyy meetings in US

By ILLIA NOVIKOV and VASILISA STEPANENKO
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities say Russian missiles pounded cities across Ukraine, starting fires, killing at least five people and trapping others under rubble. The missile attack early Thursday was Russia’s largest in more than a month. It came as Poland said it would stop providing weapons to its ally. The strikes happened as world leaders meet at United Nations General Assembly in New York. In a speech there, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced Russia as “a terrorist state.” Zelenskyy was to meet Thursday with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders in Washington with an additional $24 billion aid package hanging in the balance.