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 injured.
“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 non-stop 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.
U.S. President Donald Trump has bristled at Putin’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 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.
European Union defense ministers expressed outrage Friday over Russia’s continuing onslaught in Ukraine and vowed to exert more pressure on Moscow.
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.
Meanwhile, Western officials are working on security guarantees for Ukrain e that aim to deter another Russian invasion if a peace deal is signed.
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.
The Ukrainian leader 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 over fears 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
