KYIV -- Russia hammered the Ukrainian capital with ballistic missiles, killing at least two people in a major attack hours after White House envoys left Kyiv amid a renewed push for peace negotiations.
The September 8 attack followed a lull in near daily attacks and underscored Russia's intent to press forward in its nearly 4 1/2-year war on Ukraine despite astronomical casualties.
Emergency workers pulled bodies from the rubble in one district of Kyiv while firefighters battled to put out fires from the attack, which also included jet-powered drones -- a relatively new weapon that Ukraine has struggled to defend against.
At least 10 people were wounded, emergency officials reported.
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Russia Pounds Kyiv In Deadly Overnight Attack
The Russian attack included dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles along with more than 160 drones overnight, Ukraine's military said.
Over the past week, Russia has hit Ukraine in near daily attacks. Ukraine’s ability to defend against the assaults has been severely constrained by a lack of missile interceptors, above all US-built Patriots.
Later on Septembe 8, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen announced the bloc would provide Ukraine with $3.7 billion "to purchase crucial products for Patriot air defence systems."
The same day, Britain announced $135 million for Ukraine, also for boosting air defenses including Patriot missiles.
The Russian onvernight attack came hours after US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner departed Kyiv following meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials. Prior to Kyiv, the pair visited Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
It was the first time the White House officials had traveled to Kyiv; by contrast, Witkoff has met with Putin eight times since the beginning of 2025.
US efforts to push peace negotiations have been dormant in recent months as Washington has prioritized the conflict with Iran, now in its sixth month.
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Russia's Defense Ministry said the attack targeted Ukrainian defense and military logistics facilities.
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova said she spent the night in a shelter as "Kyiv was exploding and burning" during a Russian attack.
"What happened in Kyiv last night was hell," she wrote on X. "I would not wish it on anyone who lives in peace and falls asleep safely in their own bed."
After meeting Zelenskyy, Witkoff described discussions as constructive and said Washington had heard "new ideas" from Moscow. Kushner said the United States was working on a broader "peace package."
Zelenskyy, for his part, called his discussions with the Americans "very substantial" and said Ukraine was prepared to move toward trilateral talks involving Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow.
National-security advisers from Britain, France, and Germany also joined part of the Kyiv discussions.
The Kremlin has shown no indication it has softened its hard-line position on its war aims. In comments to reporters after the September 5 meetings with Putin, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov said Russia would press forward to "eliminate" the "root causes" of the conflict.
"Root causes" is a phrase representing a grab bag of Russian grievances dating back to before the 2022 invasion, including the assertion that Zelenskyy is not a legitimate president and the Ukrainian government was oppressing native Russian speakers in Ukraine.