Blasts have boomed across Kyiv after Russia launched its first missile attack on the Ukrainian capital since August, as the Biden administration assured NATO it will bolster its support for Ukraine in the few months before Donald Trump's return as president.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the pledge while visiting NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels, and also said the deployment of North Korean troops to help Russia in the Ukraine war would get a "firm response".
President-elect Trump, who has questioned US military support for Ukraine, says he will quickly end Russia's war without saying how, raising concerns among US allies he could try to force Kyiv to accept peace on Moscow's terms. Biden leaves office on January 20.
Blinken's visit to Brussels came as Russia targeted eight regions of Ukraine, firing six ballistic and cruise missiles and 90 drones, the Ukrainian air force said.
Ukrainians have been waiting for a big missile attack for months, worried it could deal a new blow to the hobbled energy system and cause long blackouts as winter sets in.
No casualties or major damage were reported in the attack on Kyiv on Wednesday, which forced elderly women and small children to take shelter in an underground metro station.
"Putin is launching a missile attack on Kyiv right now," Andriy Yermak, the head of the president's office, wrote on Telegram.
Falling debris came down in the region outside Kyiv, injuring a 48-year-old man and causing a fire at a warehouse, the head of Kyiv region's administration said.
Kyiv has faced Russian drone attacks almost nightly for weeks.
About 100 residents took shelter in the central metro station Universitet, including small children sleeping on yoga mats and elderly women sitting on fold-out chairs.
Russia targeted Ukrainian power facilities with strikes earlier in 2024, causing blackouts.
The situation has since improved, but officials believe the Kremlin might plan to attack the grid again soon.
Andrii Kovalenko, a senior official at the National Security and Defence Council, warned Russia was ready to conduct another "massive" attack and had accumulated a large number of cruise missiles.
After Wednesday's strike, power grid operator Ukrenergo said it would limit electricity supply for businesses due to "significantly" lower power imports and lower generation.
It was unclear whether the new restrictions were linked to the latest attack.
Despite regular drone attacks, Russia has not struck Kyiv with missiles since August 26 when it launched a massive attack across the country that officials said deployed more than 200 drones and missiles.
In Brussels, Blinken said after meeting Rutte at the alliance’s headquarters they discussed ongoing support for Ukraine, where Russian forces have been making gains on the eastern front lines, and the work NATO must do strengthen its defence industrial base.
The outgoing US administration would "continue to shore up everything we're doing for Ukraine", he said.
"President Biden fully intends to drive through the tape and use every day to continue to do what we have done these last four years, which is strengthen this alliance," Blinken said.
The deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia in the conflict "demands and will get a firm response", he said.
Rutte said "Russia has not won" in Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022.
"Obviously we have to do more to make sure that Ukraine can stay in the fight and is able to roll back as much as possible the Russian onslaught and prevent (President Vladimir) Putin from being successful in Ukraine," he said.
Blinken is expected to meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha later, as well as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Christopher Cavoli, top EU officials and British foreign secretary David Lammy.
