A Russian drone slammed into the Security Service of Ukraine’s central headquarters in Kyiv on Friday, striking a building that sits directly across from St. Sophia’s Cathedral, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the country. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the drone was aimed specifically at the office of Oleksandr Poklad, the SBU’s acting chief, though Poklad was not in the office when it hit and was not injured.
An attack Zelenskyy is calling personal
At least seven people were hurt in the strike, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Zelenskyy called it a targeted attempt on the head of the country’s security service and said he has instructed Poklad to prepare a response that is “appropriate and tangible,” one that mirrors what Russia just did once the details are worked out. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, described the strike as a major escalation that shows Moscow’s rejection of diplomacy at the exact moment renewed peace efforts are underway.
The same day, a very different message from Washington
Hours after the strike, President Trump told reporters at the White House that he doesn’t believe Vladimir Putin is looking to attack NATO territory. “I speak to him. I know him very well,” Trump said, responding to a question about Germany’s accusations that Russia had orchestrated a sabotage operation at Leipzig Airport. That confidence is landing at the same moment Trump’s own envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are headed to Moscow for talks with Putin this weekend, followed by a planned stop in Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy.
Common sense says those two facts sit uneasily next to each other. A drone hitting the office of Ukraine’s security chief on the same day the American president is reassuring the public that Moscow isn’t looking for a wider fight is the kind of contradiction that tends to get resolved by events, not by statements. Witkoff and Kushner’s trip will be a real test of which read of Putin’s intentions holds up.
Sources: CNN · Kyiv Independent · Axios
Update: Witkoff and Kushner Reach Kyiv, Greeted Personally by Zelenskyy
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled by train from Poland into Kyiv on September 6, one day after their meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally greeted the two envoys outside St. Sophia’s Cathedral, embracing them before leading them inside ahead of talks.
Both sides described the Kyiv talks as “substantive,” though no major breakthrough or ceasefire announcement followed. Zelenskyy pressed the American envoys for security guarantees and a “dignified” end to the war, while the U.S. side focused discussion on Ukraine’s winter energy and humanitarian needs. Witkoff said afterward that he was “confident that there’ll be a good resolution here.” The next step in the process is expected to widen the talks to include European national security advisers from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Sources: NPR · CNN · Al Jazeera
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