Zelensky: Russia Destroys Peace Talks With Bloodshed
Russia launches one of its largest attacks on Kyiv, killing at least 10 people and damaging EU diplomatic buildings, as Zelensky condemns Moscow for destroying peace negotiations.
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Kyiv woke to devastation this Thursday morning after one of the heaviest Russian assaults of the war, with missiles and drones tearing through apartment blocks and killing at least 10 people.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Moscow launched 629 projectiles overnight, 598 drones and 31 missiles, including hypersonic Kinzhals and ballistic weapons that are notoriously difficult to intercept. It was the second-largest bombardment since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Images released by President Volodymyr Zelensky showed a residential block ripped apart, leaving a massive crater where families once lived. At dawn, emergency crews and residents were sifting through shattered glass and debris in the capital’s streets.
Zelensky accused Moscow of “systematically targeting civilians” while disregarding ongoing ceasefire talks promoted by US President Donald Trump. “All deadlines have been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined. Russia must be held accountable for every strike, for every day of this war,” he said.
The European Union condemned the attack after a strike damaged a building belonging to its diplomatic mission in Kyiv.
“I am horrified,” wrote European Council President Antonio Costa on X. “My thoughts are with the victims and also with the staff of the EU delegation, whose building was damaged in this deliberate Russian strike.”
Zelensky urged Ukraine’s allies to impose tougher sanctions and called on both China and Hungary, two countries accused of soft-pedaling Moscow’s aggression, to harden their stance.
The assault follows a deadly strike on Kyiv just weeks ago that killed more than 30 people, including five children, underscoring the escalating human toll as the war drags into its fourth year.