White House slams Russia's ‘egregious attacks’ on Kyiv that killed 17, says it threatens Trump’s peace plan

US President Donald Trump - File Photo

US President's Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine slammed Russian strikes on Kyiv that killed at 17 people on Thursday, saying they threatened the US president's proposals to end the Ukraine war.

"These egregious attacks threaten the peace that @POTUS is pursuing," Keith Kellogg said on X, noting that they hit "innocent civilians" and EU and British missions in the Ukrainian capital.

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 launched 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. The European Union mission, a British government cultural building, as well as two media outlets' offices were also damaged, setting off international protests.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr 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.

"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.

"These egregious attacks threaten the peace that @POTUS is pursuing," the US envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said on X.

Zelensky's top aides are set to hold a meeting with Trump's team in New York on Friday.

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

The European Union and British government summoned Russia's ambassadors after the barrage damaged the buildings of the EU's mission and the British Council in Kyiv.

Offices of local media outlets were also damaged.

Inside the EU mission, AFP reporters saw blown-out windows and partially collapsed ceiling panels.

International condemnation was swift.

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

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

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "sabotaging hopes of peace", while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said "Russia showed its true face" with the strikes.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen spoke with both Zelensky and Trump after the attacks, insisting afterwards that "Putin must come to the negotiating table".