Russia pummeled Kyiv with a combined barrage of 68 missiles and 351 attack drones late Sunday, killing at least 11 people and wounding roughly 60, just as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepared to travel to Turkey for the annual NATO summit. The assault, which Zelensky described on social media as a deliberate escalation, underscored the high stakes of the alliance's upcoming discussions on bolstering Ukraine's air defenses.
Zelensky confirmed early Monday that emergency crews had rescued 64 people from the wreckage, including two children. “All necessary services are on the ground, doing everything possible to rescue people and provide assistance to everyone who needs it,” he wrote. The attack came after the Ukrainian leader warned over the weekend that intelligence indicated Moscow was “preparing a new massive strike.”
The NATO summit, set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Ankara, will focus heavily on sustaining support for Ukraine as Russia's invasion grinds into its third year. Ukraine is not a member of the alliance, but NATO has become the primary vehicle for Western military aid. Russia has long opposed any expansion of the alliance toward its borders, and the conflict shows no signs of abating.
In a high-stakes bilateral meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon local time, President Trump is expected to sit down with Zelensky. A senior U.S. official said Sunday the encounter is designed “to talk about how we can end the war.” The official added, “The President feels a real sense of urgency to try to bring this to a stop. Both sides have articulated that President Trump plays a unique role in his ability to try to mediate this.” Trump and Zelensky last met at the G7 in France in mid-June, after which the U.S. president said Russia “should make a deal” to end the conflict, citing mounting casualties.
Zelensky has been pressing European allies and the United States to provide more Patriot missile systems and interceptor missiles, which he argues are essential to countering Russian ballistic missiles. “Our warriors performed well today in intercepting drones and cruise missiles, but unfortunately not Russian ballistic missiles,” he said Monday. “And the reason lies in the insufficient supply of interceptor missiles.”
In recent weeks, Zelensky has also sought American permission to produce Patriot missiles domestically, a move that could reduce dependence on foreign stockpiles. “As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings,” he said. “The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror.”
The human toll of the war remains staggering. According to the Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Conflict Tracker, the full-scale invasion launched in 2022 has resulted in nearly 56,000 civilian casualties, 3.7 million internally displaced persons, and 5.9 million registered refugees. The latest attack on Kyiv is a grim reminder of the ongoing devastation as diplomatic efforts continue.
For more on the diplomatic maneuvering, see Trump's separate talks with Zelensky and al-Sharaa at the Ankara summit. Meanwhile, the domestic strain on Russia is growing; Putin faces unprecedented backlash as the war drags on.
