Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv hit a Ukrainian government building on Sunday in what Ukrainian officials are calling the largest attack since the war began in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched over 800 drones, nine missiles, and four ballistic missiles across Ukraine as part of the Sunday attack. A Ukrainian air force spokesperson told the Associated Press that this was the largest Russian drone offensive since Russia’s initial full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The Russian strikes came as U.S. and European-led pushes for peace talks between the two nations have hit an apparent stalemate. President Donald Trump has remained optimistic but said Wednesday that Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin are “not ready” for peace yet.
In Zelensky’s X post Sunday, he said Kyiv’s Cabinet of Ministers building was damaged in the Russian offensive, along with several residential buildings, warehouses, homes, and a kindergarten building. He said the attacks killed four people and injured over 44 others.
“Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war. It has been repeatedly said in Washington that sanctions will follow a refusal to talk,” Zelensky wrote.
Zelensky has reposted messages from several world leaders condemning the attack. He said he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and they plan to strengthen Ukrainian defenses with French support and coordinate “diplomatic efforts, next steps, and contacts with partners to ensure an appropriate response.”
TRUMP SAYS UKRAINE AND RUSSIA ‘NOT READY’ FOR PEACE DESPITE OPTIMISM
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called for harder-hitting sanctions on Russia following Sunday’s attack.
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers building sits in the center of Kyiv near other government buildings in the Ukrainian capital. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said this is the first time since February 2022 that Russia has attacked the Ukrainian government headquarters.
