Ukraine hit by major attack as Trump says Putin won’t ‘stop’ – DW – 07/04/2025

Our correspondent in Kyiv, Jan-Philipp Scholz, is telling us he woke up shortly after midnight due to the sound of a loud impact from the attack, which continued until around 4:30 a.m.

Several districts have been hit in the attack, especially in Kyiv’s north and west. 

So far, there is reported damage to buildings, a school, a medical center, and a lot of transport infrastructure. 

Scholz said city officials warned residents not to open their windows due to some chemicals in the air, “and indeed there is a strong smell here in Kyiv this morning.” 

What particularly worries a lot of observers is that none of the ballistic missiles were confirmed to have been intercepted, he added. 

We’ll hear more from Scholz in Kyiv throughout the day. 

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said part of the Polish Embassy in Kyiv was damaged in the overnight Russian attack. 

“In a massive [Russian] attack on Kyiv, the building of our embassy’s consular section was damaged,” Sikorski wrote on X. 

“I just spoke with Ambassador Lukasiewicz; everyone is safe and sound. Ukraine urgently needs air defence resources.”

Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency said, citing evidence it collected with Dutch authorities, that Russia has expanded its use of chemical weapons in its war in Ukraine. 

According to the BND, Russia has been using chloropicrin, which has similar characteristics to tear gas but can be lethal in high concentrations in enclosed spaces.

“This represents a more serious violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which prohibits the use of this lung warfare agent under all circumstances,” the agency said.

Chloropicrin is a chemical warfare agent that was known as “Green Cross” during World War I, as its shells were marked then with a green cross. 

Both Russia and Ukraine are signatories to the CWC.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the latest Russian attack was one of the largest yet and called for appropriate pressure on Moscow. 

Describing the attack as “deliberately massive and cynical,” Zelenskyy said it proved that “without truly large-scale pressure, Russia will not change its dumb, destructive behavior.”

“For every such strike against people and human life, they must feel appropriate sanctions and other blows to their economy, their revenues, and their infrastructure,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

“Yet again, Russia is showing it has no intention of ending the war and terror,” he added.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia’s overnight aerial bombardment involved 550 missiles and drones. 

Russia launched 539 drones and 11 missiles, the air force said, adding that air defence units had downed 268 drones and two missiles.

Yuriy Ignat, a representative of Ukraine’s air force, said it was “the largest number that the enemy has used in a single attack.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said the attack was timed to follow the latest phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

“Right after Putin spoke with President Trump. And he does it on purpose. Enough of waiting! Putin clearly shows his complete disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war,” Sybiga wrote on social media. 

Hours after a phone call with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump said he did not think his Russian counterpart would stop the war in Ukraine. 

“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there, and I’m very disappointed,” Trump told reporters in Washington.

“I’m just saying I don’t think he’s looking to stop (the war), and that’s too bad.”

The phone call on Thursday was the sixth publicly disclosed chat between themsince Trump’s return to the White House.

He had said earlier their call resulted in “no progress at all.” The Kremlin, meanwhile, said their conversation was “frank and contructive,” and that Russia would keep pursuing its goals in Ukraine.

Kyiv came under heavy drone attack overnight, with Russian forces striking at least 13 locations across the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine’s air defenses were active for hours and explosions echoed across the city.

At least 14 people were injured, 12 of them hospitalized, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. 

Officials say residential areas were targeted, with fires breaking out in at least two districts. 

The Ukrainian Air Force reports that the Russian military launched at least one Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile. They also fired ballistic missiles in two waves at targets in Kyiv and nearby areas.

President Donald Trump says the US gave Ukraine too many weapons under President Joe Biden, claiming the country has “emptied out” its own supply.

“We’re giving weapons, but we’ve given so many weapons. But we are giving weapons. And we’re working with them and trying to help them, but we haven’t. You know, Biden emptied out our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves,” he said.

Trump’s statement comes after a pause in some weapons shipments,  including Patriot missiles and precision-guided artillery, to Ukraine as Russia steps up its offensive.

The halt caught Kyiv off guard. Ukrainian leaders summoned the acting US envoy on Wednesday, warning that the delay could weaken their defenses.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he hopes to speak with Trump in the coming days to clarify the situation.

“I hope that maybe tomorrow, or close days, these days, I will speak about it with President Trump,” he said on Thursday.

The Pentagon has not said when full deliveries might resume..

Overnight, Kyiv came under a sustained drone attack, with explosions reported across the city. 

This comes even as Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is open to further talks with Ukraine. He told US President Donald Trump this during an hourlong phone discussion on Thursday.

The US president said the conversation didn’t lead to any breakthroughs. Putin was adamant that Moscow would not “give up” on its goals in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hoping to speak with Trump on Friday, particularly about the recent pause in some US weapons shipments to Ukraine.