Russian Strikes Reported in Kyiv Following US-Russia Ceasefire Discussions

Russian Strikes Reported in Kyiv

Russian strikes were reported at more than a dozen locations across Kyiv overnight into Friday, including residential areas, according to a local official. This occurred hours after US President Donald Trump stated that no progress had been made towards a ceasefire deal during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Eight people were reported wounded in the attack, which damaged multi-story buildings in two city districts, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.

In the early hours of Friday morning, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that multiple missiles had been launched toward Kyiv and issued a warning about a ballistic missile approaching the capital. Shortly afterward, a loud explosion was heard in the city.

Heavy smoke was observed in some parts of the city center, and drones were audible overhead, according to CNN journalists.

In recent weeks, Russia has conducted frequent air attacks on Ukraine involving missiles and drones. Earlier this week, Ukraine’s foreign minister stated that in June alone, Russia launched over 330 missiles, including nearly 80 ballistic missiles, 5,000 combat drones, and 5,000 gliding bombs against Ukraine.

US-Russia Ceasefire Discussions

On Thursday, President Trump held a nearly hour-long call with President Putin and expressed frustration about the lack of progress in 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 said. "I’m not happy about that."

When asked if he felt he made progress with Putin on a deal with Ukraine, Trump responded:

"No." "I didn’t make any progress with him today at all."

US Military Aid to Ukraine

The strikes occurred as the Trump administration paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including air defense missiles, following a review of military spending and American support to foreign countries.

Trump stated that the decision was made to protect US stockpiles.

The US has been the largest single donor of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. The aid has included air defense systems, drones, rocket launchers, radars, tanks, and anti-armor weapons, leading to concerns about the levels of US stockpiles.

The balance of aid to Ukraine has changed since Trump returned to office, raising questions about the future of US support for Kyiv.

According to Russian state media TASS, citing a Kremlin aide, Trump and Putin did not discuss the pause in shipments to Ukraine during their call. However, Trump mentioned the goal of ending the war "as early as possible," to which Putin responded that Russia would not "back down" from its objectives in Ukraine, according to TASS.