Kyiv was the main target of an hourslong assault that killed at least two people, officials said. The barrage came hours before the top American and Russian diplomats met.

Russia launched a large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, marking a second consecutive night of ferocious attacks on the country, as Russia ramps up its bombardment more than three years into the war.

Kyiv. Hundreds of Russian drones and more than a dozen missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital early on Thursday, killing two people in a second massive air strike on Ukraine in two days as Kyiv seeks critical aid from its partners at a meeting in Rome.