"President Donald Trump is not happy to hear the news, but he isn't surprised. These are two countries that have been at war with each other for a long time. Russia is attacking Kyiv, while Ukraine is also targeting Russian oil refineries," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on 28/8/2025.
US special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg warned that attacks on "innocent civilians" could undermine the peace efforts Trump is pursuing.
The comments came after Ukrainian officials said Russia launched more than 600 missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at 13 locations on the night of 27/8/2025, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 60 in Kyiv. The attack reportedly also damaged the buildings of the European Union mission and the British Council in the city.
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US President Donald Trump at the White House on 26/8/2025. Photo: *AFP* |
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the same day that it had carried out a combined attack with various high-precision long-range weapons launched from aircraft, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and suicide UAVs, targeting military airfields and enterprises belonging to the Ukrainian defense industry.
"The attack has completed its set task. All targets were hit," the agency said.
A Kremlin spokesperson also affirmed that the Russian military did not target civilian facilities and social works.
AMK Mapping, an account on X specializing in tracking open-source intelligence data on the war, said Russia's main targets were in the capital Kyiv, along with Starokostiantyniv airport in Khmelnytsky province and Vasylkov in Kyiv province, two bases believed to be the main stationing locations of the Ukrainian F-16 fleet. Other targets included locations in Zhytomyr and Ivano-Frankivsk provinces.
"One of the targets was the Bayraktar reconnaissance UAV assembly plant in Kyiv, likely hit by 1-2 Iskander-M missiles. Kolomya airport in Ivano-Frankivsk province was also targeted, as it is believed to house several MiG-29 fighters that regularly glide-bomb Russian positions, as well as helicopters and small aircraft specializing in intercepting Geran-2 UAVs," the account stated.
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Location suspected to be the Bayraktar UAV assembly plant attacked on the morning of 28/8/2025. Photo: *X/AMK_Mapping_* |
After returning to the White House, President Trump stepped up mediation efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He held a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15/8/2025 in Alaska, then met with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on 18/8/2025.
These events raised hopes for a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders initially expressed willingness for this option, however, subsequent developments suggested that the prospects for peace talks were very fragile.
Leavitt said Trump "has tried harder than anyone" to work towards peace, but Russia and Ukraine are not ready to end things. "The President wants the war to end, but the leaders of those two countries have to want that too," Leavitt said.
Nhu Tam (*AFP, Reuters*)
