US President Donald Trump said Russia just wanted to "keep killing people" and hinted at sanctions after Moscow launched its largest ever drone and missile attack on Ukraine in the three-year-old war.
Trump said Friday he was "very unhappy" about his telephone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying: "He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good".
The US president said he and Putin talked about sanctions "a lot", adding: "He understands that it may be coming".
Hours-long Russian bombardments sent Ukrainians scurrying for shelters across the country and came after the call between Trump and Putin, which ended without a breakthrough.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard drones buzzing over the capital and explosions ringing out throughout the night as Ukrainian air defense systems fended off the attack.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke to Trump Friday and said they agreed to work on bolstering Kyiv's defenses.
"We spoke about opportunities in air defense and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies," Zelensky said on social media after the call.
Tymur, a Kyiv resident who said he had experienced previous Russian attacks, told AFP that the assault in the early hours of Friday felt different from others.
"Nothing like this attack had ever happened before. There have never been so many explosions," he said.
The Kremlin said Friday it was "preferable" to achieve the goals of its invasion through political and diplomatic means.
At least three people were wounded in Russian drone and artillery strikes on several parts of Eastern Ukraine overnight Friday to Saturday, regional governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram.
Zelensky said Friday air alerts began echoing out across the country as the Trump-Putin call was getting under way.
Overnight Russian attacks have escalated over recent weeks.
An AFP tally found Moscow launched a record number of drones and missiles at Ukraine in June, when direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow appeared to stall.
In Kyiv, AFP journalists saw dozens of residents of the capital taking shelter in a metro station.
In Kyiv, concerns mounted over whether the US would continue delivering military aid, which is key to Ukraine's ability to fend off the drone and missile barrages.
The US announced this week it was reducing some of its aid deliveries.
