Putin 'sabotaging hopes of peace', UK PM says as British offices 'severely damaged' in Kyiv

Putin 'sabotaging hopes of peace', UK PM says as British offices 'severely damaged' in Kyiv
by AFP Staff Writers
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Aug 28, 2025

The British Council's office in Kyiv was put out of operation by a massive overnight Russian missile and drone barrage on the Ukrainian capital, the organisation said Thursday.

"Following last night's attack on Kyiv, our British Council office has been severely damaged and will be closed to visitors until further notice," the British Council in Ukraine said in a Facebook post.

Putin 'sabotaging hopes of peace', UK PM says
London (AFP) Aug 28, 2025 - UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Thursday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "sabotaging" any hopes of peace with Ukraine after a massive Russian barrage of missiles and drones hit Kyiv.

"Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace. This bloodshed must end," Starmer said in a post on X after the late-night attack ripped through apartment blocks killing 14 people.

The British Council's office in the Ukrainian capital was also badly damaged.

Macron condemns Russia's 'barbarism' after deadly Kyiv strikes
Paris (AFP) Aug 28, 2025 - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday accused Russia of showing "terror and barbarism" with missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv that killed at least 14 people, including three children.

In a message on X, Macron said: "629 missiles and drones in a single night over Ukraine: this is Russia's idea of peace." He accused Moscow of "deliberately" targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure.

Deadly Kyiv strike shows Russian disregard for peace process: Zelensky
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Aug 28, 2025 - A deadly Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv that killed at least eight people shows Moscow has no interest in "real diplomacy", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.

"Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war," Zelensky said on social media.

Ukraine expected a "reaction" from the world, including new sanctions, he added, specifically calling on Russia's ally China and EU member Hungary to take strong stances.

Deadly Russian attack kills 15 in Kyiv, raising fears for peace talks
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Aug 28, 2025 - Russian missiles and drones ripped through apartment blocks in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early Thursday, killing at least 15 people, including four children, an attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky said showed Moscow's rejection of peace negotiations.

Russia has rained down aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities despite US President Donald Trump's push for a ceasefire and even as it talks up the importance of ending the war, started by its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The attack -- one of the deadliest on Kyiv -- blasted a five-storey crater in one apartment block, ripping the building in two.

AFP reporters saw rescuers carrying victims away in body bags as they sifted through the smouldering rubble.

Heavy construction machinery was deployed to scoop up mounds of debris. Officials warned that several people were believed to be still trapped under the collapsed building.

"Glass was flying ... we were screaming when the bombs went off," Galina Shcherbak, who was at a parking lot close to one of the strikes, told AFP.

Ukraine's air force said Moscow fired 629 drones and missiles. That would make it the second-largest overnight barrage of the war, according to AFP analysis of Kyiv's data.

Andriy, whose flat was destroyed in the strike, told AFP that he had only just made it out alive.

"If I had gone to the shelter a minute later, I would not be here now, I would have been buried."

"I came out, could not hear anything, there was fog everywhere, and my left eye was completely covered in blood."

- 'Diplomacy ruined' -

Zelensky called the attack "a horrific and deliberate killing of civilians".

"The Russians are not choosing to end the war, only new strikes," he said on social media, calling for Moscow to face fresh sanctions.

"For the spurning of ceasefire and for the constant Russian attempts to weasel out of negotiations, new strong sanctions are needed," he added.

"All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined. Russia must feel accountable for every strike, for every day of this war," he said.

The Kremlin, which claimed to have targeted military sites, insisted it was still interested in diplomacy, but that its strikes on Ukraine would "continue".

"The Russian armed forces are fulfilling their tasks," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to a question by AFP.

"They continue to strike military and military-adjacent infrastructure facilities.

"At the same time, Russia remains interested in continuing the negotiation process. The aim is to achieve our goals through political and diplomatic means," he added.

The EU summoned Russia's ambassador after the overnight barrage damaged its delegation offices in Kyiv.

EU officials posted photos of blown-out windows and the office ceiling partially collapsed.

The British Council also said its premises had been "severely damaged" and would be closed until further notice.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "sabotaging hopes of peace" with the strikes.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Russian "terror and barbarism".

"This is Russia's idea of peace," he said in a post on X.

- Stuttering diplomacy -

Following a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska earlier this month, the Kremlin has rebuffed initiatives for a swift end to the fighting, including pressure for a Zelensky-Putin meeting.

Moscow is demanding Kyiv cede more territory and renounce Western military support as conditions for any peace deal -- ultimatums ruled out by Kyiv.

Putin has rejected multiple ceasefire calls from Zelensky, Trump and European leaders.

Ukraine has long cast Russia as only paying lip service to the idea of halting its invasion.

Russian forces said Thursday they had captured another small settlement in the eastern Donetsk region, the latest in a grinding and costly advance.

Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine wants security guarantees -- including Western troop deployments -- to deter any future Russian attacks.

Moscow has pushed back against the prospect of a Western military presence in Ukraine.

Kyiv meanwhile said it had hit two large refineries in Russia in its own overnight attacks -- strikes it calls fair retaliation.