Russia pounded Ukraine’s capital with another major missile and drone attack, killing at least two people and causing fires across Kyiv. The attack took place shortly before the US for the first time joined talks on a European-led peacekeeping force to aid Ukraine once the war ends
In another tense and sleepless night for Kyiv residents, with many of them dashing in the dark with children and blankets to the protection of subway stations, at least 19 people were wounded, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Administration.
The night was punctuated with the chilling whine of approaching drones that slammed into residential areas, exploded and sent balls of orange flames into the dark during the 10-hour overnight barrage between Wednesday and Thursday.
Russia fired 397 Shahed and decoy drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv and five other regions, authorities said.
“This is a clear escalation of Russian terror: hundreds of Shahed drones every night, constant missile strikes, massive attacks on Ukrainian cities,” president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Telegram post.
Two rounds of direct peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations have yielded no progress on stopping the fighting.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday there is no date for a possible third round of negotiations.
Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defences with major attacks that include increasing numbers of decoy drones.
The previous night, it fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones, topping previous nightly barrages for the third time in two weeks.
“The continued increase in the size of strike packages is likely intended to support Russian efforts to degrade Ukrainian morale in the face of constant Russian aggression,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said.
In tandem with the bombardments, Russia’s army has started a new drive to break through parts of the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line, where short-handed Ukrainian forces are under heavy strain at what could prove to be a pivotal period of the war.
The pressure has caused alarm among Ukrainian officials, who are uncertain about continuing vital military aid from the US and president Donald Trump’s policy towards Russia.
On Thursday, however, Mr Zelenskiy said Ukraine has received all necessary political signals for US military aid to resume, after what he described as constructive talks with Mr Trump.
Mr Zelenskiy said that Ukraine had a timetable and details of upcoming weapons supplies.
Meanwhile, the US has for the first time joined talks on a European-led peacekeeping force to aid Ukraine once the war ends, after UK prime minister Keir Starmer said the mission is now fully prepared for deployment.
French president Emmanuel Macron described the so-called coalition of the willing as “ready to go” once a ceasefire is agreed, as he and Mr Starmer spoke with allies on the last day of the French president’s state visit to the UK.
Planning for the coalition began in March following a summit in central London, with the aim of policing a future end to the war in Ukraine.
That summit saw European allies rally to the Ukrainian cause, following Mr Zelenskiy’s tumultuous visit to the White House at the end of February.
Under the coalition plans, troops from France and the UK would be placed in Ukraine, while other countries would provide logistical support, all with the aim of deterring further Russian aggression.
European leaders have insisted the arrangement would be dependent upon an American “security guarantee”, likely in the form of air support, something Mr Trump has been unwilling to openly say he would provide.
However, in a signal of changing attitudes in Washington, a representative of Mr Trump’s administration joined the coalition of the willing meeting for the first time.
Keith Kellogg, a retired general and the US president’s special envoy to Ukraine, dialled into the call alongside Lindsey Graham, a Republican US senator mobilising sanctions against Russia, and his Democrat colleague Richard Blumenthal.
Hailing their attendance, Mr Starmer said: “We announced plans for a new multinational force Ukraine headquartered in Paris, so that we’re ready to support a peace deal when it comes but while (Russian President Vladimir) Putin turns his back on peace, we are running more support for Ukraine right now to defend their people and force Putin to the table.” - Agencies
