URGENT UPDATE: Russia has launched a severe attack on Kyiv with missiles and drones, injuring at least eight people, just a day before critical discussions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. Explosions shook the Ukrainian capital for several hours early on Saturday, July 15, 2025, as ballistic missiles and drones targeted multiple locations.
The attack began in the early morning hours and persisted into daylight, with local officials reporting that at least seven sites across Kyiv were struck. A 16-year-old child is among those injured, underscoring the human toll of this escalating conflict. Significant damage occurred, including a fire in an 18-storey residential building in the Dnipro district and impacts on a 24-storey building in Darnytsia district. Fires also erupted in the Obolonskyi and Holosiivsky districts.
Emergency responders are currently working to contain the aftermath, with reports of industrial and residential buildings affected in the wider Kyiv region. In the Vyshhorod area, rescue teams managed to free one person trapped under the rubble of a destroyed house.
This military escalation coincides with President Zelensky’s scheduled meeting with President Trump in Florida on Sunday, July 16, 2025. The leaders aim to finalize discussions on a 20-point plan regarding security guarantees and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Zelensky indicated that the plan is “about 90% ready” but could not confirm if any agreements would be finalized by the end of their discussions.
Zelensky expressed the need for European involvement, stating, “We must find some format in the near future in which not only Ukraine and the US are present, but Europe is represented as well.” This meeting marks a crucial moment in a US-led diplomatic effort to bring an end to the ongoing conflict, which has seen sharply conflicting demands from both Moscow and Kyiv.
As this situation unfolds, the international community watches closely, with the implications of these attacks likely to influence the forthcoming talks. The urgent need for resolution looms larger than ever as violence escalates just as diplomacy is set to take center stage.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops.
