On the eve of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s annual summit, Russia launched a wave of attacks on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing at least 22 people.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Moscow deployed 68 missiles and 351 attack drones at Kyiv.
“All necessary services are on the ground, doing everything possible to rescue people and provide assistance to everyone who needs it,” Zelensky wrote, additionally confirming the rescue of 64 people, including two children, at the time of his post.
President Trump Speaks With Russia & Ukraine
Prior to the most recent Russian offensive, President Donald Trump reportedly spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky separately, in an effort to find a solution to ending the conflict.
President Zelensky confirmed that he discussed with President Trump “about the current situation on the frontline as well as our diplomatic efforts.”
“There is a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America’s resolve is decisive. We have agreed to continue these discussions during the NATO Summit in Ankara,” he added.
Yury Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, told reporters that “the conversation … was, naturally, not only formal, but also businesslike and very constructive,” according to Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti.
“There are enormous prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries. To achieve this, Donald Trump emphasized, it would be necessary to end the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible,” Ushakov affirmed.
War's Impact
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022, the conflict has reportedly led to approximately 56,000 civilian deaths, 3.7 million individuals internally displaced, and nearly 6 million individuals registering as refugees, according to the Council on Foreign Relations Global Conflict Tracker analysis.
Trump and Zelensky Meet Again
The NATO summit is scheduled for July 7 and 8, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey.
Despite Ukraine not being a member of the organization, President Trump and Zelensky are set to meet on the second day of the summit “to talk about how we can end the war," according to a White House Official.
