Devastating overnight assault by Russian forces on Thursday, August 28, 2025, left at least 21 people dead and dozens more injured in Kyiv, marking one of the deadliest attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The “massive” barrage included an unprecedented 629 drones and missiles, striking numerous civilian and diplomatic targets, including the European Union’s delegation offices and the British Council building.
The destruction sparked a wave of international outrage. Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa issued one of the harshest condemnations, accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of acting as a “Russian asset” in the war. “America’s leadership should be defending Ukraine and Europe, not empowering Moscow’s war machine,” Rebelo de Sousa declared. “By sidelining allies and accommodating Russia, President Trump risks undoing decades of transatlantic unity.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strikes as “Moscow’s answer to peace talks,” noting that civilian trains, residential areas, and foreign missions were deliberately targeted. “Russia chooses ballistics over the negotiating table. It chooses death over peace,” he said, renewing calls for tougher sanctions.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack, which severely damaged the British Council building and injured a guard. “Putin is killing children and sabotaging peace, while Trump shakes his hand. This cannot be the path forward,” Starmer said. The British Foreign Office summoned Russian Ambassador Andrei Kelin in protest.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who spoke with both Zelenskyy and Trump after the strike, blasted Moscow’s “terror and barbarism.” She wrote on X: “Putin must come to the negotiating table. We must secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine with firm and credible security guarantees.” She further stressed that the Kremlin “will stop at nothing to terrorize Ukraine, blindly killing civilians men, women, and children – and even targeting the EU.”
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz denounced the attack in the “strongest possible terms,” while French President Emmanuel Macron said: “629 missiles and drones fired in a single night – this is Russia’s idea of peace. Terror and barbarism.”
The strikes also indicates growing tensions between Washington and its European allies. The White House admitted Trump was “not happy” but “not surprised” by the latest onslaught. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated: “These are two countries that have been at war for a very long time.”
The assault casts a dark shadow over the recent Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, which critics argue failed to deliver meaningful progress toward peace. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department announced an $825 million arms sale to Ukraine, including 3,350 ERAM Extended Range Attack Munition missiles with ranges up to 400 kilometers.
With Russia intensifying strikes and Europe hardening its stance, Rebelo de Sousa warned that appeasement could fracture Western unity: “If the U.S. chooses appeasement, Europe will stand firm with Ukraine. We cannot afford another Yalta.”
