BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) 鈥� Ukrainian President denounced Russia鈥檚 latest deadly attacks on Kyiv on Saturday as he visited Serbia, one of the few European countries that has maintained friendly relations with Moscow throughout its .
Four people, including a child, were killed in the overnight strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region. Ukrainian forces hit Russian oil facilities.
Zelenskyy arrived in Belgrade on Friday for his .
Speaking at a news conference in Belgrade with Zelenskyy, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described Ukraine as a 鈥渇riendly nation鈥� and said he was honored to welcome the Ukrainian leader 鈥� the first visit by a Ukrainian president in eight years.
The two leaders discussed their countries鈥� efforts toward joining the European Union, bilateral ties and ways to expand cooperation.
Kyiv鈥檚 residents face that Ukraine鈥檚 depleted air defenses are amid Moscow鈥檚 4-year-old full-scale invasion, while repeated Ukrainian strikes on oil facilities have and rattled Russians.
Paperwork holds up missile production licenses
Vucic, who has maintained close ties with Moscow and refused to sanction Russia over the invasion 鈥� drawing pressure from the EU to change course 鈥� reiterated that Serbia respects Ukraine鈥檚 territorial integrity and said that position would not change.
鈥淭he situation in Ukraine is difficult,鈥� Zelenskyy said at the press conference. 鈥淭here was another missile strike last night 鈥� ballistic missiles targeting our infrastructure. There were also attack drones.鈥�
Zelenskyy said that deliveries of Patriot air defense interceptors 鈥� the sole air defense weapon in Ukraine鈥檚 arsenal able to shoot down ballistic missiles 鈥� have slowed compared with a year ago.
鈥淭here are fewer of these missiles in 2026. In 2025 there were more, I鈥檒l tell you honestly, in terms of monthly supplies,鈥� he said.
Zelenskyy said Washington has agreed to let Ukraine manufacture its own Patriot air defense interceptors, but that they are 鈥渟tuck dealing with paperwork.鈥�
鈥淭he process for some of these licenses is also taking a long time,鈥� he said.
Boy killed with grandparents in Kyiv region
The talks in Belgrade came after multiple Russian drones destroyed the home of a family in the Brovary district, northeast of Kyiv, killing a 3-year-old child and his grandparents, local officials said.
Three other members of the same family and a neighbor who came to their aid were hospitalized, local authorities said. The attack reduced the house to rubble and wrecked outbuildings and cars.
Zelenskyy said at least one other person died in a 鈥渟trike involving six ballistic missiles against civilian infrastructure鈥� in the capital.
In its daily report, Ukraine鈥檚 air force said it had downed or intercepted 135 of 151 drones launched by Russia overnight. The attack also involved six ballistic missiles and other guided missiles.
Russia has relentlessly pounded civilian areas of Ukraine, even though Moscow insists its forces target only military facilities.
Ukraine鈥檚 air defenses shot down around 5,300 drones and missiles last month, Ukraine鈥檚 defense ministry said Friday, just under 60% of the around 9,000 attack drones and missiles Russia fired in the same period.
Moscow is exploiting Ukraine鈥檚 critical shortage of interceptors for the the sole air defense weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy has pleaded with other countries, especially the U.S., to send more of the ammunition made scarcer by the . Failing that, he wants to or from Elon Musk to use his to guide strikes inside Russia that can hit its missile launchers.
Following the latest attacks, Zelenskyy appealed on X for more sanctions to 鈥減revent the production of these ballistic missiles,鈥� along with 鈥渁nti-ballistic capabilities鈥� and 鈥渋nterceptor missiles.鈥�
Ukraine strikes Russian oil facilities
In Russia, six people were wounded when a fire broke out at the Ilsky Oil Refinery, in the southern Krasnodar region, due to debris from a falling drone, local officials said.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian forces struck the refinery in Krasnodar, along with the Syzran Oil Refinery in the Samara region, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) inside Russia.
Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, governor of Russia鈥檚 Samara region, said drones hit an 鈥渋ndustrial enterprise,鈥� but he did not mention the refinery.
Ukraine鈥檚 almost daily long-range drone and missile strikes using domestically developed weapons have for months. The operation has brought a fuel crisis that is embarrassing the Kremlin.
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Yurchuk reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Elise Morton in London contributed to this report.
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