Russia bombards Kyiv before 'frank' talks with US and aid pledges

Moscow [Russia], July 11: Russia unleashed heavy airstrikes on Ukraine on Thursday before a conference in Rome at which Kyiv won billions of dollars in aid pledges, and U.S.-Russian talks at which Washington voiced frustration with Moscow over the war.
Two people were killed, 23 were wounded and there was damage in nearly every part of Kyiv from missile and drone attacks on the capital and other parts of Ukraine.
Addressing the Rome conference on Ukraine's reconstruction after more than three years of war, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged allies to "more actively" use Russian assets for rebuilding and called for weapons, joint defence production and investment.
Participants pledged over 10 billion euros ($12 billion) to help rebuild Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said. The European Commission, the EU's executive, announced 2.3 billion euros ($2.7 billion) in support.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Vladimir Putin over the lack of progress towards ending the war raging since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and has accused the Russian president of throwing a lot of "bullshit" at U.S. efforts to end the conflict.
At talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov while in Malaysia, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had reinforced the message that Moscow should show more flexibility.
Zelenskiy said Thursday's assault by Russia had involved around 400 drones and 18 missiles, primarily targeting the capital.
Explosions and anti-aircraft fire rattled the city. Windows were blown out, facades ravaged and cars burned to shells. In the city centre, an apartment in an eight-storey building was engulfed in flames.
Air defences stopped all but a few dozen of the drones, authorities said, a day after Russia launched a record 728 drones at Ukraine.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation