Vladimir Putin has unleashed a wave of deadly strikes on Ukraine just hours before Volodymyr Zelensky meets Donald Trump for crucial talks in the White House.

A girl aged one-and-a-half and a 16-year-old boy are among the five killed after a five-floor residential building was hit by multiple Russian drone strikes in Kharkiv overnight.

In the past 24 hours, Russian strikes have killed eight and wounded 35 across Ukraine.

Rescuers were scouring for survivors under the rubble of the burning block of flats this morning as the deadly missiles devastated blocks of flats in a horrible scene.

Kharkiv governor Oleh Synyehubov said: ‘The enemy targeted four Geran-2 [Shahed] type UAVs at a five-story apartment building.

‘Fires broke out in apartments on the first, third, and fifth floors. Destruction of ceilings and collapses were recorded.’