Overnight, Kyiv was struck by Russian missiles targeting more than a dozen locations, including residential neighborhoods, according to a local official. This series of attacks occurred just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump remarked that he had made “no progress” in negotiating a ceasefire during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Eight individuals sustained injuries during the prolonged assault, which caused significant damage to multi-story buildings across two districts, reported Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration.
In the early hours of Friday, the Ukrainian Air Force indicated that several missiles were launched towards the capital, issuing a warning of a ballistic missile en route. Shortly after, a loud explosion echoed through the city.
CNN journalists reported heavy smoke in various parts of the city center, along with the sound of drones buzzing overhead.
In recent weeks, Russia has executed nearly nightly air strikes on Ukraine, utilizing hundreds of missiles and drones. Ukraine’s foreign minister noted that in June alone, Russia launched over 330 missiles, including nearly 80 ballistic missiles, along with 5,000 combat drones and 5,000 gliding bombs.
During a nearly hour-long conversation on Thursday, Trump expressed frustration over the lack of progress in ceasefire talks with Putin. “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. “I’m not happy about that.”
When asked if he felt any advancement was made with Putin on an agreement concerning Ukraine, Trump responded decisively: “No.” He added, “I didn’t make any progress with him today at all.”
These attacks coincide with the Trump administration’s decision to temporarily halt certain military aid shipments to Ukraine, which includes air defense missiles, as part of a review of military spending and American support to foreign entities.
Trump acknowledged that this decision was made to protect U.S. stockpiles. The United States has been the largest single contributor of military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, providing air defense systems, drones, rocket launchers, radar systems, tanks, and anti-armor weaponry. This shift in aid dynamics has raised concerns regarding the sustainability of U.S. support for Ukraine.
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However, during their conversation, Trump and Putin did not discuss the pause in military shipments, as per Russian state media TASS, citing a Kremlin aide. Nonetheless, Trump did mention ending the conflict “as early as possible,” to which Putin asserted that Russia would not “back down” from its objectives in Ukraine, according to TASS.
