As a ceasefire brokered by First Lady Melania Trump took effect in a city in southern Ukraine, Russia continued pounding Ukraine's cities overnight.
The local ceasefire, due to last until Saturday in Russia-occupied Oleshky near the Crimean Peninsula, began at 3:00 a.m. local time to permit humanitarian aid to reach the city's inhabitants who are stranded amid shortages of food, water, and medicines.
But it came as Kyiv reported Russian ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting some of Ukraine's biggest cities overnight.
As many as 16 ballistic missiles and 280 drones were launched by Russia, resulting in casualties, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early Tuesday.
"Almost everywhere, Russia's targets were the energy sector, logistics, and ordinary urban infrastructure," Zelenskyy said.
"Strikes are taking place every day. Russia is constantly taking new steps toward escalation."
The developments come ahead of a new round of trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S.
Following a visit to Europe by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for separate talks with Zelenskyy and Putin, the leaders emphasized that they were open to negotiations , but security guarantees were essential.
Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Putin is preparing for talks with the leaders of neighboring Finland and Norway to discuss a possible peace agreement, citing people familiar with the matter. Talks, which would be held over the phone, may happen as soon as Tuesday, the report said.
