Moscow pounded Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine with the largest missile and drone attack since the three-year war in Eastern Europe started, less than a day after President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin’s military launched 550 drones and missiles at Ukraine during the overnight attack, according to Ukraine’s air force. Most of the drones were Shahed drones, but 11 Russian missiles were also fired.
Ukraine’s officials said the attack hit residential buildings, lit cars on fire and damaged ambulance vehicles. One person was killed and at least 24 people were injured, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Klitschko wrote on Telegram that 12 people were in the hospital and that five ambulances were damaged.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote Friday morning on the social platform X that the first air raid alerts in Ukraine’s cities went off “almost simultaneously with media reports discussing a phone call between President Trump and Putin. Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror.”
Russia’s defense ministry stated it had intercepted 48 drones launched by Ukraine.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine came less than 24 hours after Trump talked with Putin. The president said Thursday he made “no progress” on attempts to end the three-year war between the two sides.
Later Thursday, the president told reporters he was “very disappointed” with his conversation with Putin.
“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there. I’m just saying, I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad,” Trump said late Thursday.
Trump spoke over the phone with Zelensky on Friday morning. Ukraine’s president described the conversation as “important and fruitful,” noting the two leaders touched on Russian strikes on Ukraine and “broader frontline developments.”
“We spoke about opportunities in air defense and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies. We have also agreed to a meeting between our teams,” Zelensky wrote on X after the call with Trump on Friday.
“We had a detailed conversation about defense industry capabilities and joint production,” Ukraine’s leader added. “We are ready for direct projects with the United States and believe this is critically important for security, especially when it comes to drones and related technologies.”
Trump’s calls with Putin on Thursday and conversation with Zelensky on Friday morning were the first interactions with the leaders since the Defense Department halted delivery of some air defense missiles and munitions to Ukraine over concerns of depleting U.S. stockpiles.
“We’re giving weapons … and we’re working with them and trying to help them. But we have — you know, [former President] Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons. And we have to make sure we have enough for ourselves,” Trump told reporters Thursday afternoon.
Trump has pushed to end the war in Eastern Europe that kicked off with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022, but with limited success. Putin told Trump during their call that Russia would not refrain from its military goals in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin’s readout.
Putin did not discuss the weapons pause with Trump and said Russia is willing to continue talks with Ukrainian officials, said Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s close aide.
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