Russia pummels Kyiv with drones and missiles after Putin-Trump call

KYIV – Heavy smoke choked central Kyiv on Friday after Russia launched its biggest aerial assault in its war against Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no indication of wanting to end hostilities after a conversation with President Donald Trump.

Russian forces pummeled Ukraine with 539 drones and 11 missiles, with the “main direction of the strike” targeting Kyiv, Ukraine’s air force said in a statement. That barrage surpassed the previous record, made Sunday, when Moscow hit Ukraine with a total of 537 missiles and drones. At least one person has been found dead so far, and there are more than two dozen injured.

“The first air raid alerts in our cities and regions yesterday began to blare” shortly after Trump spoke to Putin by telephone, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “It was a brutal, sleepless night.”

He added that Ukrainian forces had begun to use interceptor drones, which destroyed “dozens” of Russian drones.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said, as it always does after attacking Ukraine’s cities, that the assault struck only military targets.

Trump said that he was “very disappointed” in his conversation with Putin on Thursday and that he did not think the Russian leader wanted a ceasefire or an end to the three-year-old conflict.

“I don’t think he’s there,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t think he’s looking to stop.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Donald Trump agreed to cooperate on air defense as the Ukrainian leader sought to press Washington to resume key weapons deliveries.

The two leaders held a phone call hours after Russia unleashed one of the biggest air strikes on the Ukrainian capital since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022. The U.S. leader also had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, after which Trump said he was “very disappointed” by the talks.

“We spoke about opportunities in air defense and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies,” Zelenskyy said in a post on social media platform X on Friday, adding that teams from their governments will meet. Trump was “well informed” about the recent strikes, he said.

The phone diplomacy signaled a renewed attempt by Trump to make good on his campaign promise to bring a swift end to the war as it approaches the three-and-a-half-year mark. Efforts have been stymied as Russia maintains its maximalist position.

The Ukrainian leader also aimed to address an abrupt U.S. decision to suspend the transfer of artillery rounds and air defense to Ukraine, a move that took Zelenskyy’s government and allies off guard. Among the weapons being stopped are 155mm artillery shells and Patriot air-defense missiles, which are key for Ukraine to repel air attacks.

The conversation was “very important and fruitful,” Zelenskyy said.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Friday that allies recognize Washington’s need to maintain its stocks but hope to ensure Ukraine keeps getting military supplies.

“I totally understand for the U.S. to make sure that the stockpiles are at a level that we have the collective defense we need,” he told reporters. “At the same time, of course, we all hope for a level of flexibility to make sure that also Ukraine has what it needs.” He said the weight of backing Ukraine was already shifting to European allies.

Kyiv’s main European backers have sought to mobilize weapons and cash to calibrate to a U.S. administration that has shown no interest in sending Ukraine weapons, as aid approved during the Biden era is expected to run out.

Yet European nations are facing shortages and lagging in key capabilities such as the air defense systems Kyiv has been scouting for, including U.S.-made Patriot missiles. U.S. officials have also pointed to global supply issues with production of Patriot systems slower than demand.

German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said Friday that Berlin was holding “intensive talks” about how to fill the gap left by the U.S. suspension on shipments of some weapons to Ukraine - including the procurement of Patriot defense systems.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described it as an “absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv” in a statement posted on X. “One of the worst so far. Hundreds of Russian drones and ballistic missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital. Putin clearly shows his complete disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war.”

He called for additional sanctions on Russia “without delay” and that Ukraine “be provided with all necessary means to defend itself.”

The number of drones used in Moscow’s attacks has been increasing steadily – and causing greater damage - as Russian forces try to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defense, Ukrainian officials say.

Earlier this week, Sybiha wrote on X that Russia had launched “over 330 missiles, including nearly 80 ballistic missiles, at Ukraine’s peaceful cities and communities, as well as over 5,000 combat drones and 5,000 (glide) bombs” in June alone.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said that the Friday attack struck six districts in Kyiv, including one where “more than 30 apartment buildings, five educational institutions and many private houses were damaged.” He said one body has been recovered from the rubble.

According to the city’s general prosecutor’s office, 26 people were injured in the attack, and emergency services said fires broke out in two districts of the capital, with falling debris damaging others.

“Russia again staged a night of terror in Kyiv: shelling of civilians, civilian objects,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram, posting photos of the fires. “Residential buildings, educational, medical, and transport infrastructure suffered.”

Railroad infrastructure was damaged, causing a two-hour delay in passenger service heading to the west of the country as trains were rerouted, Ukraine’s state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said the building of the Polish Consulate in Kyiv was damaged but there were no injuries.

Sybiha, the foreign minister, also posted that in Odesa, the “Chinese Consulate General’s building … suffered minor damage as a result of Russian strikes on the city.”

There were six injured in attacks on the city of Kryvyi Rih.

Ellen Francis in Brussels and Kate Brady in Berlin contributed to this report. Bloomberg News also contributed to this report.