Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv was carried out at the very moment he was meeting with a group of American congressmen, where the so-called Lindsey Graham bill and the need to tighten sanctions pressure on Russia were being discussed. According to RBK-Ukraine, the head of state wrote this in his official Telegram channel, accompanying the statement with a photo from the negotiations.
Timeline of the strike and the president's statement
According to Zelensky, while the city's residents were sleeping, flashes of explosions could be seen in the sky over Kyiv, and the main targets were again the capital and civilian infrastructure: residential buildings, a maternity hospital, energy and logistics facilities. The president reported two killed, expressed condolences to relatives and loved ones, and noted that there were injured; in one of the buildings, according to his data, people were trapped, and in a number of regions of the country, at the time of the statement, the air threat remained. "Today the Russians carried out a ballistic strike on Kyiv at exactly the moment when, at a meeting with congressmen, we were discussing the Lindsey Graham bill and the need to tighten sanctions. Russia will not end this war without pressure," Zelensky wrote.
Context of the negotiations: the Graham bill and sanctions
Zelensky listed the names of the meeting participants: congressmen Brian Fitzpatrick, Michael Quigley, Marcia Kaptur, Jared Golden, Joe Wilson, and Gregory Meeks. According to him, during the conversation, issues of protection from such attacks were discussed, as well as the fact that the US now has the opportunity to "react strongly" — in particular, the talk was about interceptors for ballistic missiles to protect people's lives and about implementing sanctions against Russia and those who help it earn money. The president thanked both parties in Congress for their readiness to help protect the lives of Ukrainians.
Consequences of the strike on Kyiv
The statement emphasizes that the strike affected not only military but also civilian infrastructure: among the damaged facilities are residential buildings, a maternity hospital, energy and logistics. Emergency services were working at the scene, trapped people were recorded in one of the buildings, and in some regions the air alert remained. Zelensky gave a preliminary figure of two killed and indicated the presence of the injured, without disclosing the full list of victims and destruction.
Contradictory data
It is important to note that Zelensky's version of the coincidence of the ballistic strike with the moment of negotiations on sanctions is confirmed in the provided set of sources only by his own channel and RBK-Ukraine's reference to it. Other sources record different incidents and events: thus, in materials related to strikes on Kyiv, there is a mention of a drone hitting the SBU building, and in the diplomatic context — Zelensky's meeting in London with the leaders of Britain, France, and the FRG and accusations against Russia over the attack on search-and-rescue vessels. Thus, independent verification of specific details — the list of congressmen, the linkage of the strike to the moment of the meeting, and the number of killed — is absent in this set of sources, and both sides of the presentation (the official statement and independent reports) differ in the degree of detail.
Diplomatic background: the UN and the approach of winter
Zelensky's statement came against the backdrop of his recent speech at the UN General Assembly, where he stated that Ukrainians understand that this winter may be very difficult, and called to stop the war. On the same day, the president said that Kyiv has a chance to end the war with Russia before winter — in his assessment, within the next two months — but for this, Ukraine will need the help of partners. It is in this context that he interprets the coincidence of the strike with the negotiations on sanctions: as an argument in favor of increasing pressure on Russia.
