KYIV -- Ukrainians mourned the dead as rescuers searched building debris for survivors following one of Russia's biggest missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital amid faltering efforts to bring a halt to Russia's 42-month-old war.
Officials declared August 29 a day of mourning in Kyiv for the 25 confirmed killed in the Russian assault a day earlier.
The attack, which involved more than 600 drones and missiles, was the biggest since a major summit nearly two weeks earlier between presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Donald Trump of the United States.
US officials had voiced optimism that the face-to-face meeting would lead to a cessation of fighting and a possible meeting between Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
But Russian officials, including Putin, have signaled virtually no willingness to back off from hard-line demands, which include Ukraine giving up substantial territory.
"Russia is now striking at everyone in the world who wants peace," Zelenskyy said on August 28 in his nightly video address.
"It is a strike against Ukraine.... And it is also a strike by Russia against President Trump," he said.
At the White House, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the overnight attacks had frustrated Trump.
"He was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised. These are two countries that have been at war for a very long time," she told reporters on August 28.
One of the worst-hit sites was in Kyiv's Darnytsya district, where a section of a five-story residential building was directly hit.
At the August 12 Alaska summit, Trump signaled that Washington was open to the request from Kyiv for security guarantees that would help protect Ukraine in the future.
European allies have pledged to provide Ukraine with measures to ensure security in the event of a cease-fire, with possible US involvement as well.
Leaders from France and Germany, meanwhile, pledged on August 29 to provide more air-defense weaponry for Ukraine after the Russian barrage.
"Despite intensive international diplomatic efforts, Russia shows no intention to end its war of aggression against Ukraine," President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a joint statement.
New EU Sanctions, New US Missiles
In New York, Andriy Yermak, a top Zelenskyy adviser, met with White House envoy Steve Witkoff.
Ukrainian officials have signaled wariness with the direct US diplomacy with Russia, and some of the Russian proposals that Witkoff has discussed with US and European officials.
"Ukraine welcomes all peace initiatives put forward by the United States. But unfortunately, each of them is being stalled by Russia. We are open to direct negotiations at the leaders’ level and ready to discuss the broadest spectrum of issues," he said in a post to X prior to the meeting.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would soon adopt a new package of sanctions, the 19th since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
The UN Security Council set an emergency meeting on the air strikes for August 29 at the request of Ukraine.
Separately, the State Department approved a sale of air-launched cruise missiles and related equipment to Ukraine for some $825 million.
The decision appears to be the first major sale of new weapons for Ukraine announced by the Trump administration. Previously, the White House had approved equipment sales only to sustain existing weapons.
The package includes Extended Range Attack Munitions, which have a range of "several hundred" miles, according to one of the manufacturers.
The weapons package would reportedly be paid for by Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, and then transferred to Ukraine.
