11 Killed as Russia Hits Kyiv Again on Eve of Trump-Zelensky Meet at Nato Summit
Russia fired 68 missiles and 351 drones at Kyiv, killing 11 and injuring around 60, as rescue teams pulled 64 people, including two children, from the rubble. Image Credit : Wikimedia
New Delhi: Russia unleashed a massive missile and drone barrage on Kyiv early Monday, killing at least 11 people and injuring at least 60 others, just hours before a critical Nato summit in Turkey. The strikes came on the eve of the summit, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet US President Donald Trump. Emergency workers combed through the rubble to rescue people trapped underneath. The attack comes just days after a Russian strike on Kyiv killed 31 people.
Kyiv’s military administration chief, Tymur Tkachenko, said the buildings hit were ordinary homes. Officials said the attack involved a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones. Residential buildings in the Podilskyi and Darnytskyi districts were among those hit, as rescue teams continued searching the wreckage for survivors. Zelensky expressed concern over delays in military aid to Ukraine, saying such delays would only encourage Russia to keep attacking.
The war has escalated on several fronts over the past week. The latest developments began on July 4, when Russia announced it had captured the key eastern town of Kostiantynivka, with the Kremlin calling it a milestone in its eastern offensive. Ukraine rejected the claim within hours, with Zelensky saying military operations in Kostiantynivka were still ongoing.
Amid the escalating fighting, Trump held separate phone calls with Putin and Zelensky on July 4. He spoke with Putin for nearly 90 minutes, reiterating his desire to help end the conflict. Putin reportedly told Trump that Russia would continue pursuing its military objectives, adding that peace talks were possible only on Moscow’s terms.
Trump also spoke separately with Zelensky, with the conversation centred on the current course of the fighting, Ukraine’s defence needs, and possible paths to ending the conflict.
The White House later confirmed that Trump will meet Zelensky in person at the Nato summit in Ankara, which begins July 7. Trump is also set to meet Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on the sidelines of the same summit.
