Russia strikes Kyiv hours after US envoys depart, killing 2

Russia launched a combined ballistic missile and drone attack on Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, killing at least two people and injuring 10 others, as a three-day pause in strikes on the Ukrainian capital expired just hours after US peace envoys departed the city.cbsnews+2

The barrage, which began around 3:30 a.m. local time, triggered fires and damage across at least five districts of the capital, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said people were trapped in a residential building in the Solomianskyi district, where a five-story apartment block was hit, and that five of the injured were hospitalized, including two in serious condition.glavnoe+2

Three-Day Truce Ends in Missile Fire

Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the pause in attacks on Kyiv while President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow on Saturday and Kyiv on Sunday for peace talks. Russia's state news agency TASS confirmed the suspension expired Monday evening local time.aljazeera+1

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched dozens of missiles and 166 drones targeting mainly the Kyiv region and the southern Odesa region. It reported downing 142 drones, 31 of 32 cruise missiles, and two ballistic missiles. Neighboring Poland began military aviation operations to protect its airspace, forcing the suspension of flights from Lublin Airport.euronews+2

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the timing of the assault. "The moment the US President's peace envoys left, Putin launched another massive, horrific attack against Kyiv, damaging residential areas and killing at least two people," he said, adding: "His ballistic missiles speak louder than his words on diplomacy."united24media

Diplomatic Signals Amid Destruction

Despite the resumption of strikes, both sides signaled openness to further talks. Witkoff said Monday that the discussions had yielded "substantive progress" and raised the prospect of reviving three-way negotiations between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow did not rule out trilateral talks but that "it is too early to say anything about the venue or the exact dates."rte+1

President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios that the US envoys had conveyed that "the Russians are ready to negotiate," and that Washington was pushing to de-escalate the conflict before winter, when Russia has historically targeted Ukraine's energy grid to cut power and heating to millions. The weekend talks included US proposals around energy facilities, grain shipments, and oil and gas exports, Zelensky said, though he declined to elaborate.euronews+2

A White House official told Reuters that next steps regarding the war would be announced in the coming weeks.aljazeera