AT least 10 people including two children have been killed in one of the biggest Russian air strikes in Ukraine.
A local branch of the British Council was impacted when Russian forces initiated a widespread attack employing drones and ballistic missiles to strike capital Kyiv.
Smoke billowed from the crumbled column of a five-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district, which suffered a direct hit.
Rescue teams were on site to pull people trapped underneath the rubble.
The massive strikes came just days after Putin met Trump for peace talks.
Moscow launched a combination of 598 drones and 31 cruise and ballistic missiles, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration.
They hit nearly 100 buildings, including a shopping mall in the city centre, he added.
A local branch of the British Council was also damaged after being hit by drones and missiles.
Just weeks ago, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused British intelligence of using the British Council as cover in Moscow.
Thousands of windows were shattered as residents cleared glass and debris from damaged buildings.
Among the dead were two children including a 14-year-old girl, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
The numbers are expected to rise, it is feared.
The attack came as Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over stalled diplomatic efforts towards a peace deal spearheaded by Trump.
Furious Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.
“We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace, but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions.”
Russian forces have been slowly but steadily gaining ground in Ukraine in recent months.
Trump held a high-profile summit with Putin in Alaska this month in a failed attempt to convince him to agree to a ceasefire.
The summit was followed by a meeting with Zelensky and European allies at the White House to discuss the future of Ukraine.
But there has been little progress since then.
Western leaders have accused Putin of stalling peace efforts and evading serious negotiations as Russian troops continue to advance into Ukraine.
Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine said it wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks.
Moscow has cast Kyiv’s demands as unrealistic and has raised particular objection to the notion of stationing Western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.
Zelensky said on Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday.
The Ukrainian leader noted he observed “very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations”, advocating for additional “pressure” to “compel Russia to take real steps”.
“All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined,” Zelensky said.
