LONDON — Russia in a single day hit Ukraine with the most important missile and drone assault of the struggle, launching a file variety of drones at Kyiv, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin to induce him to finish the battle.
Lots of of Russian drones swarmed the capital all night time as movies present large fires and plumes of smoke billowing throughout the skyline. Residents described it as one of the crucial intense nights for the reason that begin of the full-scale invasion and folks in Kyiv are waking up Friday morning to town being blanketed by smoke from the fires nonetheless burning.
A person carrying a canine walks previous the wreckage of vehicles following mass Russian drones and missile strike on the Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on July 4, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Oleksii Filippov/AFP by way of Getty Photos
At the very least one individual was killed and 23 individuals injured, in response to Kyiv’s mayor, as many individuals spent the night time sheltering within the metropolis’s metro system.
Trump later held a name with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, throughout which Zelenskyy stated Trump had agreed to work collectively to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.
Russia launched 539 drones and round a dozen missiles, in response to Ukraine’s Air Drive. It follows one other file strike lower than per week in the past, as Russia has dramatically elevated manufacturing of the kamikaze drones used within the assaults.
The aerial assault started shortly after Trump held a telephone name with Putin, throughout which the Russian chief once more refused to just accept a ceasefire and signaled he would proceed the struggle.
Rescue employees clear the rubble of a residential home broken by a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 4, 2025.
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
Zelenskyy known as the assaults after the decision “cynical,” with Ukrainian officers suggesting they had been meant as a blunt message from the Kremlin to accompany the decision.
“Notably, the primary air raid alerts in our cities and areas yesterday started to blare virtually concurrently with media reviews discussing a telephone name between President Trump and Putin,” Zelenskyy wrote on Friday morning. “But once more, Russia is displaying it has no intention of ending the struggle and terror. Solely round 9 a.m. right this moment did the air raid alert finish in Kyiv. It was a brutal, sleepless night time.”
After talking to Trump on Friday, Zelenskyy stated the decision — which was deliberate earlier than the assaults — had been “crucial and fruitful.” Zelenskyy stated the 2 leaders had agreed “we are going to work collectively to strengthen safety of our skies,” including that they’d agreed to a gathering between their groups.
Smoke rises after a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, July 4, 2025.
Yehor Konovalov/AP
Zelenskyy stated he and Trump had additionally had an in depth dialog about “protection trade capabilities and joint manufacturing,” saying Ukraine is prepared for “direct tasks” with the USA, particularly regarding drones.
Russia’s large air assaults come because the Trump administration has paused deliveries of some key weapons, together with air protection missiles to Ukraine. Earlier this week, the Pentagon confirmed it had a paused a cargo of weapons earmarked for Ukraine that was already in Poland and that features Patriot interceptor missiles, saying it was conducting a assessment of U.S. weapons shares to evaluate its personal readiness.
The transfer has set off alarms in Kyiv and European capitals, in addition to amongst Democrats and a few Republicans, who worry Trump is extra broadly pulling again U.S. assist from Ukraine.
After his name with Putin on Friday, Trump stated he was “very disillusioned” with the Russian chief, saying he believes he isn’t prepared to finish the struggle. Zelenskyy has agreed to a direct ceasefire, however Putin has refused.
Trump has just lately threatened harder sanctions on Russia if it continues to gradual stroll negotiations, however thus far has been reluctant to impose them.
