Children Among 7 Killed in Russian Attacks on Ukraine After Trump-Putin Meeting Shelved

At least seven people, including two children, were killed and 27 others wounded in a barrage of Russian drone and missile strikes across Ukraine overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, officials reported, with attacks hitting civilian sites like a Kharkiv kindergarten and residential areas in Kyiv just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump shelved plans for a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The assault, the first on the Ukrainian capital in nearly two weeks, involved 405 drones and 28 missiles, including 15 ballistic ones, according to Ukraine's air force. In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, a drone struck a kindergarten, killing a 40-year-old man and injuring seven others, including children among the six wounded; dozens were evacuated from the facility. Near Kyiv, a couple in their 60s perished when a drone hit their high-rise apartment, while four more deaths occurred in the surrounding region.

Among the most devastating incidents, a 36-year-old woman, her six-month-old baby, and a 12-year-old girl died in the village of Pohreby when a strike ignited their home; a man in a nearby village succumbed to injuries later. Rescue teams battled blazes in residential buildings as the capital endured prolonged ballistic missile alerts, punctuated by explosions echoing through the night. Power outages plagued multiple areas after strikes targeted energy infrastructure, leaving residents without electricity or water, as Kyiv MP Inna Sovsun described to BBC's Newsday.

The bombardment followed Ukraine's military announcement of a "successful hit" on a Russian chemical plant in the Bryansk border region using UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles late Tuesday. Officials claimed the facility produces gunpowder, explosives, and rocket fuel for ammunition used against Ukrainian cities, breaching Russian air defences. President Volodymyr Zelensky, en route to Norway for a European tour, condemned the attacks as evidence that Moscow faces insufficient pressure to end its aggression, which escalated with the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Zelensky linked the strikes to diplomatic setbacks, arriving in Oslo days after failing to secure long-range Tomahawk missiles from Trump during Washington talks last Friday. He described Trump's frontline freeze proposal as a "good compromise" but doubted Putin's buy-in, adding that Russia's waning interest in talks coincided with U.S. reluctance on advanced weaponry.

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Trump's abrupt cancellation of the anticipated Budapest summit—dismissing it as a potential "wasted meeting"—came amid mounting frustrations over Russia's rejection of ceasefire appeals from him and European leaders. The Kremlin, however, insisted preparations continue, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov affirming it as the "mutual desire of both presidents" and downplaying rumours. Peskov noted no date is set, emphasising the need for careful groundwork. This discord highlights the war's diplomatic impasse: Trump's Gaza mediation success contrasts sharply with Ukraine stalemates, where Putin has rebuffed concessions despite battlefield strains, including Ukraine's incursion into Kursk. Zelensky's Oslo visit underscores Europe's bolstering support, with Norway pledging $1.5 billion in aid last month amid NATO's 2025 defence hikes.

As winter looms, these strikes exacerbate Ukraine's humanitarian toll—over 10,000 civilian deaths since 2022 per UN estimates—and infrastructure woes, with 50% of energy capacity destroyed. Aid groups warn of blackouts risking hypothermia for millions, while Zelensky urges unified pressure on Russia. The Trump-Putin impasse risks prolonging a conflict that has displaced 6 million and strained global food supplies, testing alliances as U.S. elections approach in 2026.

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