The Foreign Office summoned Russia’s ambassador to the UK over the strikes, with Sir Keir Starmer condemning the attacks as ‘senseless’, as ITV News Correspondent Ian Woods reports
At least 21 people have been killed, including four children, after Kyiv was bombarded overnight by Russia’s second biggest aerial attack since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Rescuers searched through the rubble on Thursday following the missile attack on Ukraine’s capital, which left dozens more wounded.
Buildings belonging to the European Union and the British Council were damaged in the strikes, causing both the EU and the United Kingdom to summon the top Russian diplomats in their capitals.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that she was “outraged” by the incident, calling it “another grim reminder of what is at stake.”
“It shows that the Kremlin will stop at nothing to terrorise Ukraine, blindly killing civilians, men, women and children, and even targeting the European Union,” she said.
Among those killed were children aged two, 17 and 14, according to Kyiv’s City Military Administration, while at least 48 people were wounded.
A five-storey residential building in the Darnytskyi district was struck directly, but nearly 100 buildings in 20 locations across the city were damaged in the mass incident.
Russia launched a total of 598 strike drones and decoys and 31 missiles of different types across the country, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, making it one of the war’s biggest air attacks.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer branded the strikes “senseless”, while Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that the “killing and destruction must stop.”
“The UK condemns in the strongest terms these outrageous attacks on Ukrainians and the damage done to the British Council and EU Delegation,” the Foreign Office said.
“Russia’s increasing attacks on Ukrainian civilians and cities, including Kyiv, are an escalation of the war and deeply irresponsible and are further sabotaging international peace efforts.
“We have made clear to the Russians that such actions will only harden UK and Western resolve to support Ukraine and bring an end to this unjustified war.
“Russia must stop this senseless killing and destruction immediately.”
This was the first major Russian combined attack on Kyiv in the weeks since US-led peace talk efforts struggled to have the desired impact.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Moscow for its “horrific and deliberate killing of civilians” and said: “The Russians are not choosing to end the war, only new strikes.”
Following a call with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Zelenskyy said security guarantees will be finalised next week.
In a post on X, he said: “National security advisors are now working on every specific component, and the entire framework will be set out on paper next week.”
Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, also condemned the attacks, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Trump is “not happy” but “not surprised” by the attacks.
She added that he was watching the developments “intently”, telling reporters on Thursday the US president wants the war to end.
Zelenskyy hopes for harsher US sanctions to cripple the Russian economy if Putin does not demonstrate seriousness about ending the war.
While a diplomatic push to end the war appeared to gain momentum shortly after US President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, few details have emerged about the next steps.
“All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined,” Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
Western leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian troops move deeper into Ukraine.
This week, Ukrainian military leaders conceded Russian forces have broken into an eighth region of Ukraine seeking to capture more ground.
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