KYIV -- Russia hammered the Ukrainian capital with drones and ballistic missiles, killing at least five people in a major attack hours after White House envoys left Kyiv amid a renewed push for peace negotiations.
The September 8 bombardment followed a lull in near daily attacks, underscoring Moscow's intent to press forward in its nearly 4 1/2-year full-scale 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.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitshcko said five people were confirmed dead, and emergency officials reported at least 16 people were wounded.
The Russian attack included dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles along with more than 160 drones, Ukraine's military said.
The onslaught came 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 President Donald Trump's administration has prioritized the war with Iran, now in its sixth month.
That conflict has severely depleted stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles, which are the only weapon effective against Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles. European countries that operate Patriot systems have been working to help make up the shortfall and maintain supplies to Ukraine.
In recent months, Ukraine’s ability to defend against the nearly daily Russian assaults has been severely constrained by a lack of missile interceptors, above all US-built Patriots.
The European Union will provide Ukraine $3.7 billion "to purchase crucial products for Patriot air defense systems," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced hours after the attack. Britain also announced $135 million to help Ukraine boost air defenses including Patriot missiles.
Trump and Putin spoke by telephone on September 8, and Putin gave his assessment of the battlefield, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov said. Putin also made clear that Russia had no hostile plans towards Europe, something a growing number of European nations have voiced concern about.
Trump, Ushakov said, told Putin that he wanted a swift end to the war, which he said would allow Russian-US ties to be fully restored.
The White House had no immediate comment on the phone call.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha called on Kyiv's allies to "to act and increase pressure on the aggressor."
Russia's Defense Ministry said the attack on September 8 targeted Ukrainian defense and military logistics facilities.
EU Ambassador Katarina Mathernova said she spent the night in a shelter as "Kyiv was exploding and burning."
"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, 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.
