US national among 14 killed in strikes on Kyiv, as Middle East crisis forces Trump to miss key meeting with Zelensky
Russian overnight drone and missile attacks on Kyiv killed 14 people, officials said on Tuesday, in the deadliest strikes on the capital in weeks.
More than 55 people were wounded in the city, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, making it one of the deadliest nights for its residents in weeks.
Kyiv residents heard loud sirens from late Monday, through the early morning hours of Tuesday, making it a loud and sleepless night for many in the city. The sirens continued as day broke Tuesday – an alarm purportedly for a ballistic threat, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Of those wounded, more than 40 have been taken to hospitals, Klitschko said, with residential buildings and other infrastructure severely damaged.
'We hope that no dead will be found under the rubble, but we cannot rule it out,' Klitschko added. 'The death toll may increase.'
'During the attack on Kyiv in the Solomyanskyi district, a 62-year-old US citizen died in a house opposite to the one where medics were providing assistance to the victims,' Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a message on Telegram, without giving details.
Paramedics and police were seen working to rescue people wounded in a building that appears partially collapsed, according to video posted by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Smoke could be seen rising from the site and debris was strewn all over the ground. Vehicles in front of the building were charred and destroyed.
Some 27 locations in different districts came under fire, according to a statement from Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko.
'Rescuers, police and medics are working. They are doing everything they can to help the victims, clear the rubble and save lives,' he said.
The strikes come as Trump announced he would return to Washington a day early from the Group of 7 summit in Canada.
His early departure means he will miss a key meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the event.
It would have been the leaders' third meeting since Trump took office in January.
Ukrainian officials had been hoping that a positive interaction with Trump could advance Kyiv's case as Russia has ramped up its airborne attacks in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang on a 'special mission' from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Shoigu is scheduled to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Tass reported Tuesday.
Pyongyang has continued support for Moscow's war on Ukraine as world leaders push for an end to the three-year conflict.
North Korea has sent soldiers and millions of munitions, including missiles and rockets, to Russia over the past year, according to a May report by an international watchdog, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team.
The US has warned that Russia may be close to sharing advanced space and satellite technology with North Korea in exchange for continued support for the war in Ukraine.
In April, Russia launched its deadliest wave of attacks on Kyiv in nine months, sending 70 missiles and 145 drones toward Ukraine, mainly targeting the capital city, killing at least 12 people and injuring 90 more.
Under Trump, the US has been less willing to equip badly outgunned Ukraine directly, has pushed European partners to pick up more of the support and threatened to walk away altogether from peace talks.
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