By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll in a major Russian missile and drone strike on the Ukrainian capital rose to 23, including four children, officials said Friday, as U.S.-led efforts to end the three-year war remain stuck in apparent limbo.
Authorities in the Kyiv region declared Friday an official day of mourning. Flags flew at half-staff and all entertainment events were canceled after Russia hammered Ukraine with almost 600 drones and more than 30 missiles overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, including rare strikes on downtown Kyiv.
Rescue workers pulled 17 people from the rubble after the Kyiv attack, among them four children, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. The youngest victim was a 2-year-old girl. Some bodies have yet to be identified, and eight people remain unaccounted for, authorities said. More than 50 people were wounded.
“Thousands of personnel from the Interior Ministry’s agencies and units worked at the strike sites in Kyiv, rotating every few hours,” Klymenko said of the 30-hour rescue operation.
Efforts to stop the fighting with a ceasefire and end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II through a comprehensive peace settlement have made no progress despite intense diplomatic maneuvering.
European Union defense ministers expressed outrage Friday over Russia’s continuing onslaught in Ukraine and vowed to exert more pressure on Moscow.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said that, at the request of Ukraine, the U.N. Security Council was due to hold an emergency meeting Friday in response to the latest Russian aerial attack.
Putin set to attend summit in China with Iran, North Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump has bristled at Russia’s stalling on an American proposal for direct peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump said a week ago he expected to decide on next steps in two weeks if direct talks aren’t scheduled.
Trump complained last month that Russian President Vladimir Putin ” talks nice and then he bombs everybody.” But the latest attack on Kyiv drew no public condemnation from the Trump administration, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noting that Ukraine has been striking Russian oil refineries.
Putin is due to attend a summit meeting in China from Sunday that will also include Iran and North Korea, countries which like Beijing have aided Russia’s war effort, according to the United States.
From Sept. 9, world leaders are expected to attend the U.N. General Assembly, where Russia’s invasion will likely be discussed.
Senior Ukrainian officials in New York for talks with US
Meanwhile, Western officials are still working on security guarantees for Ukrain e that aim to deter another Russian invasion if a peace deal is signed.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, were in New York on Friday to discuss the possible guarantees and further cooperation, according to a Ukrainian official.
Zelenskyy noted Friday that Russia hasn’t budged from its terms for stopping its invasion. Ukraine, on the other hand, has accepted an American proposal for a ceasefire and a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
Russia has repeatedly raised objections about the peace proposals. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Friday that security guarantees should be the result of peace negotiations rather than a prerequisite for talks to take place.
“The provision of security guarantees is not a condition, but rather the result of a peaceful settlement that eliminates the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine,” Zakharova said. “That in turn will guarantee the security of our country,” she said.
Zelenskyy wants more international pressure on Moscow
Zelenskyy urged countries to crank up the pressure on Russia’s economy through sanctions and tariffs.
“Russia refused to stop the killing — they even said ‘no’ to President Trump. We’re seeing negative signals from Russia regarding a possible leaders’ summit,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post. “Honestly, we think Putin is still interested only in continuing this war.”
The Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, noted that recent American presidents have shied away from taking a tougher line with Putin for fear of a potential nuclear conflict.
“Putin knows that Washington and its allies have more than enough capacity to reverse his gains in Ukraine, but it is nearly certain that he doubts the United States has the will to do so,” the Atlantic Council said in an assessment this week.
It added that “the second Trump administration has repeatedly signaled that the United States has no vital interests at stake in this war.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine