US President Donald Trump stated he was “not surprised” by Russia’s missile and drone attack on Kyiv early Thursday, which killed at least 21 people. The deadly strikes occurred as the US president continues to push for peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, even with the ongoing conflict.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised,” given the long-standing war between the two nations. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike—the second-largest attack since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022—Moscow’s response to diplomatic efforts to end the war.
US special envoy Keith Kellogg commented on X that the targets were “not soldiers and weapons but residential areas in Kyiv,” noting that civilian trains and EU and British mission council offices were hit. Both the European Union and Britain summoned Russian envoys to protest the attacks, though no casualties were reported at their offices. Zelensky also mentioned that a Turkish business and the Azerbaijan embassy were damaged.
Leavitt told reporters that Trump would have more to say on the situation later. She acknowledged the deadly nature of the Russian attacks and the significant damage done by Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries in August. “Perhaps both sides of this war are not ready to end it themselves,” she said. “The president wants it to end but the leaders of these two countries need it to end and want it to end.”
The attacks happened less than two weeks after Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska, a meeting he had hoped would advance his peace efforts. Zelensky took to X, saying, “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.” He called for new sanctions on Russia, adding, “It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.”
Russia claimed its attack hit military industrial facilities and air bases and maintained its interest in peace talks. Moscow regularly denies targeting civilians, but Ukrainian officials state that hundreds of civilians have died in recent Russian strikes on populated areas, with thousands killed since the war began.
During the attack on Kyiv, explosions echoed and clouds of smoke rose into the night sky as drones whirred overhead. Mayor Vitali Klitschko described it as one of the largest attacks on the city in recent months, which wounded at least 63 people and damaged buildings in all city districts. Ukraine’s military reported that Russian attacks struck 13 locations across the country, and the national grid operator said energy facilities were hit, causing power cuts.
A push by Ukraine and its allies to end the invasion has yielded little, despite Trump’s recent meetings with both Putin and Zelensky. Russia has increased its airstrikes on Ukrainian towns and cities far behind the front lines and is pushing a grinding offensive across the east to pressure Ukraine into ceding territory.
‘Another Grim Reminder’
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attack “another grim reminder of what is at stake.” She said, “It shows that the Kremlin will stop at nothing to terrorize Ukraine, blindly killing civilians and even targeting the European Union.” She noted that two missiles struck near the EU office within 20 seconds of each other.
Von der Leyen added that EU countries would soon introduce a 19th package of sanctions against Russia and are working on using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine. Zelensky wrote on X that he had discussed diplomatic efforts to “stop the killings, to end this unprovoked Russian aggression, and to guarantee real security for our people” with von der Leyen. He also said he and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had discussed security guarantees for Ukraine that would be outlined on paper next week.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the assault, which he said damaged the British Council building. He wrote on X, “Putin is killing children and civilians and sabotaging hopes of peace.” Ukraine’s military reported that its air defenses shot down 563 of nearly 600 drones and 26 of 31 missiles launched by Russia. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses destroyed 102 Ukrainian drones in at least seven regions overnight, while Ukraine’s drone force said it hit the Afipsky and Kuybyshevskyi oil refineries.
