AT least 10 people including one child have been killed in one of the biggest Russian air strikes in Ukraine.
A local branch of the British Council was hit after the Russian forces launched a mass attack using drones and ballistic missiles to hammer capital Kyiv.
ReutersFire and smoke rise in the city after Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv[/caption]
ReutersAn explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during Russian drone and missile strikes[/caption]
ReutersPeople stand at the site of a building housing the local branch of the British Council after it was hit during Russian missile and drone strikes[/caption]
GettyRescuers work at the site of a residential building hit by a Russian missile on August 28[/caption]
Smoke billowed from the crumbled column of a five-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district, which suffered a direct hit.
Rescue teams were on site to pull people trapped underneath the rubble.
The massive strikes came just days after Putin met Trump for peace talks.
Moscow launched a combination of 598 drones and 31 cruise and ballistic missiles, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration.
They hit nearly 100 buildings, including a shopping mall in the city centre, he added.
A local branch of the British Council was also damaged after being hit by drones and missiles.
Just weeks ago, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused British intelligence of using the British Council as cover in Moscow.
Thousands of windows were shattered as residents cleared glass and debris from damaged buildings.
Among the dead was a 14-year-old girl, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
More than 30 people were injured, authorites said, adding that the numbers are expected to rise.
The attack came as Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over stalled diplomatic efforts towards a peace deal spearheaded by Trump.
Furious Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.
“We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace, but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions.”
Russian forces have been slowly but steadily gaining ground in Ukraine in recent months.
Trump held a high-profile summit with Putin in Alaska this month in a failed attempt to convince him to agree to a ceasefire.
GettyRescuers work at the site of a residential building hit by a Russian missile on August 28[/caption]
ReutersRescuers stand at the site of a building which was hit by Russian missile and drone strikes[/caption]
GettyAftermath of the devastating strikes[/caption]
ReutersRescuers work at the site of a building which was hit by Russian missile and drone strikes[/caption]
The summit was followed by a meeting with Zelensky and European allies at the White House to discuss the future of Ukraine.
But there has been little progress since then.
Western leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian troops move deeper into Ukraine.
Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine said it wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks.
Moscow has cast Kyiv’s demands as unrealistic and has raised particular objection to the notion of stationing Western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.
Zelensky said on Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday.
The Ukrainian leader said he saw “very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations”, urging extra “pressure” to “force Russia to take real steps”.
“All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined,” Zelensky said.
ReutersResidents sit at the site of an apartment building hit during Russian drone and missile strikes[/caption]
ReutersAn explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during Russian drone and missile strikes[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
