Overnight into Friday, Russian strikes targeted more than a dozen locations across Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, wreaking havoc in residential areas, as reported by local officials. This escalation comes just hours after US President Donald Trump expressed disappointment about the lack of progress towards a ceasefire during a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
The devastating attack injured eight individuals and caused significant damage to multi-story buildings in two districts of the city. According to Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, the assault was characterized by a barrage of missiles targeting the city. In the early hours of Friday, the Ukrainian Air Force reported multiple missiles launched toward Kyiv and issued warnings about an approaching ballistic missile. Shortly thereafter, a loud explosion echoed through the city, causing panic among residents.
Reports from CNN journalists on the ground describe heavy smoke enveloping parts of the city center, accompanied by the sound of drones buzzing overhead. This latest wave of assaults is part of a troubling trend, with Russia conducting near-nightly air strikes on Ukraine that involve hundreds of missiles and drones. Just this week, Ukraine’s foreign minister disclosed that in June alone, Russia launched over 330 missiles—including nearly 80 ballistic missiles—alongside 5,000 combat drones and 5,000 gliding bombs targeting Ukraine.
On Thursday, President Trump spoke with Putin for nearly an hour, during which he expressed his frustration regarding the stalled ceasefire negotiations. “We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine,” Trump stated. His disappointment was evident as he remarked, “I’m not happy about that,” and when asked if progress was made regarding a deal with Ukraine, he firmly stated, “No.” He emphasized, “I didn’t make any progress with him today at all.”
The timing of these strikes is particularly concerning as the Trump administration has paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. This decision follows a review of military spending and American support for foreign nations, with Trump noting that it was intended to protect US stockpiles. Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the US has been the largest single donor of military aid to Ukraine, providing air defense systems, drones, rocket launchers, radars, tanks, and anti-armor weapons. However, there are growing concerns about dwindling US stockpiles.
The balance of aid to Ukraine has shifted significantly since Trump returned to power, raising questions about the future of US support for Kyiv. Notably, Trump and Putin did not address the pause in shipments to Ukraine during their call, as reported by Russian state media TASS, citing a Kremlin aide. Nevertheless, Trump did mention the desire to end the war “as early as possible,” to which Putin reportedly responded that Russia would not “back down” from its war objectives in Ukraine, according to TASS.
