Russian Strikes Across Ukraine Kill Six Civilians Just Hours After High-Stakes Talks Between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Smoke rises above the city following an air attack in Kyiv on September 23, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine [AFP]. At least two people have been killed in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, alongside four others in the front-line Donetsk region, as Russia pounds the country just hours after US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed peace efforts.

The rare daytime attack on Kyiv was carried out with faster and high-flying jet drones that are harder to intercept, lasting for hours from the morning into early afternoon on Wednesday and injuring more than 30 others, according to local officials. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia had deployed a large number of jet-powered drones against the city.

“Russia continues to turn civilian and critical infrastructure into targets: pharmaceutical facilities, gas stations, railways, communications infrastructure, and shopping malls,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko noted that a Russian drone struck a nine-storey non-residential building in his city, as well as a business centre and warehouses.

Ukrainian oil company Ukrnafta reported that Russia hit one of its petrol stations in the capital, marking the sixth such facility attacked in recent weeks. Authorities confirmed that two petrol stations came under attack in total. Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, chief executive of the Ukrainian railway operator, stated that railway infrastructure in the capital was also targeted and that one worker was injured.

In a separate assault, a Russian aerial bomb attack killed at least four people and injured four others in a village located in the front-line Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to the regional governor on Telegram.

During the United Nations General Assembly, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss a potential bilateral ceasefire concerning energy-related targets. The Ukrainian leader requested increased supplies of US Patriot air defence missiles to protect the nation against anticipated Russian strikes on energy infrastructure during the winter. He noted that no formal agreements were reached but expressed readiness for any format of an energy ceasefire, provided Russia halted its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.

On Monday, the Financial Times reported that Donald Trump pressed Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday to halt Kyiv’s strikes on Russian refineries over concerns that the actions might worsen a global diesel shortage and drive up prices. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that there were currently no grounds for peace talks with Ukraine, following a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“For now, there are no prerequisites for moving onto a peaceful negotiating track, although we, as the Russian side, remain open to peace talks,” Dmitry Peskov said, adding that President Vladimir Putin was prepared to meet Donald Trump one-on-one if necessary. However, he reiterated that any meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy would require the Ukrainian leader to travel to Moscow, a condition Ukraine has previously rejected by insisting that talks must be held in a neutral country.