Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin of ordering “senseless terror” after Russian missiles struck Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, killing civilians just days after a temporary pause in attacks during US-led peace efforts.
At least two people were killed and 10 injured in the capital, where explosions were heard for almost five hours. Buildings were damaged and fires broke out across several districts, while a residential block was among the sites hit.
Ukraine said its air defences destroyed 31 of 32 Russian cruise missiles during the assault. However, ballistic missiles penetrated the country’s defences, highlighting Kyiv’s continuing shortage of interceptors for the weapons that are most difficult to stop.
Strikes were also reported in Odesa, Kharkiv and Sumy, where a railway station was damaged. Ukrainian authorities said 175 aerial weapons had been intercepted in total, although they did not disclose how many Russian warheads got through.
Mr Zelensky said Moscow had deliberately sought to inflict the greatest possible loss of life.
“No strike against Ukraine and against life can be left unpunished. Russia must be stopped,” he said. “Every day we make the case to our partners for our need for interceptors. Ballistic missiles remain particularly difficult to intercept.”
The attacks came after US President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, held separate meetings with Mr Putin in Moscow and Mr Zelensky in Kyiv. Ukraine and Russia had agreed to refrain from striking the two capitals during the diplomatic visits, but the pause ended on Tuesday.
Mr Zelensky has said the American representatives brought forward ideas for reviving negotiations, though no breakthrough was announced. Mr Trump also spoke to Mr Putin for about an hour on Tuesday, according to Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.
Ukraine warns of £20 billion defence shortfall
The renewed bombardment came as Kyiv warned that it still faces a multibillion-pound shortfall in military funding ahead of winter.
Yevhenii Khmara, Ukraine’s defence chief, told the Ukraine Defence Contact Group that €70 billion pledged at the last NATO summit had resulted in €62 billion being provided. The remaining €8 billion, he said, was still outstanding, while the wider defence deficit stood at €23 billion.
He urged allied governments to make the necessary financial decisions by November so that additional equipment could reach the battlefield during the winter campaign.
Britain’s Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the meeting that Ukraine needed 300 Patriot missiles from partner stocks, 500 air-to-air interceptors and £2 billion for drones.
The UK has pledged £100 million for a winter air-defence package, including Patriot missiles, while also promising large-calibre artillery rounds and further drones. Germany has donated two Patriot launch systems.
Mr Streeting said more than 25,000 of the 120,000 drones promised by Britain for delivery this year had so far reached Ukraine. Defence officials maintain that the target remains achievable, with deliveries expected to increase towards the end of the year.
“We owe it to the Ukrainian people to give them every bit of support through what is inevitably a challenging winter,” Mr Streeting said, adding that Britain’s commitment to Ukraine remained “unwavering”.
The European Commission has also approved a €3.2 billion loan for Ukraine to purchase components for Patriot air-defence systems, according to Ukraine’s Defence Ministry.
Mr Zelensky thanked Germany and Britain for their latest contributions but said the scale of Russia’s aerial campaign meant Ukraine’s allies needed to provide substantially more support.
The latest provisions were announced as Romania said a drone had entered its airspace before crashing in neighbouring Moldova. Spanish fighter jets tracked the aircraft for around half an hour, while Moldovan authorities said it caused fires in a field but no injuries.
