Russia Resumes Kyiv Strikes After Three-Day Pause for US Envoys
SCMP · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Russia resumed strikes on Kyiv early Tuesday, ending a three-day pause that had been ordered by President Vladimir Putin during visits by US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner . The attacks wounded six people and damaged buildings across the Ukrainian capital, including a five-storey residential block in the Solomianskyi district . Ukrainian authorities reported the strikes triggered fires and car alarms across the city, with air alerts active in at least a dozen regions by 5:30am . The strikes came just a day after Witkoff claimed "substantive progress" in peace discussions with both Ukraine and Russia .
Key Points
- Six people were wounded in the strikes, which damaged buildings across Kyiv including a five-storey residential block in the Solomianskyi district
- Putin ordered the three-day pause in attacks during the US envoys' visits to Moscow on Saturday and Kyiv on Sunday
- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Putin in Moscow before holding separate talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv
- Russia began repositioning ballistic missiles and heavy bombers from eastern airfields toward locations closer to Ukraine
- Poland announced "aviation operations" had commenced following the Russian attack on Kyiv
Why It Matters
The resumption of strikes immediately after the expiry of the humanitarian pause underscores the fragility of any diplomatic breakthrough, while raising questions about whether the US-mediated talks can produce a durable ceasefire in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II .
The resumption of strikes immediately after the expiry of the humanitarian pause underscores the fragility of any diplomatic breakthrough, while raising questions about whether the US-mediated talks can produce a durable ceasefire in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II .