Russia Resumes Kyiv Strikes After US Envoys Visit; Talks Possible

Russia resumed airstrikes on Kyiv early Tuesday, September 8, killing at least two people and injuring ten others, according to officials.

The attack followed a three-day pause on strikes against each other's capitals, which coincided with visits by US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expected the war to continue into winter following his talks with Witkoff and Kushner, their first visit to Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

Explosions were heard across Kyiv overnight, damaging residential buildings, including a five-storey apartment block in the Solomianskyi district, and causing vehicles to catch fire in the Podilskyi district. People sought shelter in metro stations. In Russia, buildings were struck in Saratov during an Ukrainian drone attack. The talks with the US envoys concluded without major breakthroughs, but Zelenskyy stated that officials from Ukraine, Europe, and America would meet soon to continue discussions, also calling for a trilateral meeting with Russia and the US.

Zelenskyy also expects to meet Trump by the end of September to discuss Ukraine's need for a winter package of anti-ballistic missile interceptors. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump as positive, focusing on efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict and agreeing that diplomatic work would continue. Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a ceasefire during the weekend visit by the US envoys.