Russia Launches Ballistic Missile Attack on Kyiv as Zelenskyy Pursues Peace Talks with Trump and European Leaders

Russian forces conducted a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv on Thursday, prompting local authorities to issue urgent shelter-in-place warnings to residents. The attack damaged a market area near the Shuliavska metro station, where rescue operations were underway to clear debris. Explosions were reported across the capital, and air raid alerts were issued across much of Ukraine's territory. Separately, authorities in the northeastern city of Sumy reported one fatality from a drone attack. This marks the second Russian air strike on Kyiv within a week, following a significant assault on Monday that destroyed a 1,000-year-old monastery and killed at least ten people.

The missile attack occurred hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded high-level diplomatic discussions in France. At a Group of Seven meeting, Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, characterizing the conversations as a "coordinating conversation" aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Trump stated on Wednesday that Russia was sustaining higher military losses than Ukraine and suggested both Putin and Zelenskyy appeared willing to pursue diplomatic solutions.

Despite ongoing peace discussions, the Kremlin indicated through recent communications with Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not proposed a direct meeting with Zelenskyy, signaling limited progress in formal negotiations despite diplomatic overtures from Western leaders.