A firefighter battles a blaze in an apartment block, set by Russian attacks, Kyiv, September 28, 2025

EA on International Outlets: Ukraine and Europe Counter Trump-Kremlin Ultimatum

Monday’s Coverage: Kyiv-Europe Counter-Proposal to Trump-Kremlin Ultimatum

UPDATE 2058 GMT:

The toll in Kyiv from this morning’s Russian strikes has risen to seven civilians murdered and 21 injured.

The Russians fired 22 missiles, including four hypersonic Kinzhals, and 464 drones across Ukraine.

Giving the total, Volodymyr Zelensky said:

All partners must remember that lives need to be saved every single day. Weapons and air defence systems are important, as is the sanctions pressure on the aggressor. There can be no pauses in assistance….

What matters most now is that all partners move toward diplomacy together, through joint efforts. Pressure on Russia must deliver results.

The President said four drones crossed into the airspace Moldova and Romania.

Bucharest confirmed that it deployed four fighter jets to track two UAVs, with German Typhoons and Romanian F-16s flying in pairs to to follow the drones. The first flew back into Ukrainian airspace; the second was found downed in Puieşti, about 70 miles from Ukraine.

UPDATE 2053 GMT:

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has referred to development of the European counter-proposal from Sunday’s Geneva meetings.

It is in our shared interest that security is real.

I count on continued active cooperation with the American side and President Trump.

Much depends on the United States because it’s America’s strength that Russia takes most seriously.

Zelensky spoke earlier about a virtual meeting of 40 members of the Coalition of the Willing supporting Ukraine’s resistance.

UPDATE 1115 GMT:

Briefed by Ukrainian officials, Christopher Miller of the Financial Times reports on the latest Ukrainian strike inside Russia:

UPDATE 1040 GMT:

Liubov Petrivna, 90, lives in a Kyiv building damaged by Russia’s strikes this morning.

She said “absolutely everything” in her apartment in the Dniprovskyi district was shattered by the strike and “glass rained down” on her.

She does not believe current talks will end the Russian invasion: “No one will ever do anything about it. Putin won’t stop until he finishes us off.”

Petrivna told Associated Press she did not believe in the peace plan under discussion: “No one will ever do anything about it. Putin won’t stop until he finishes us off.”

UPDATE 0718 GMT:

US Army Secretary and investment banker Dan Driscoll, a close ally of Vice President J.D. Vance, is reportedly holding closed-door meetings with Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Sources say the first discussion took place on Monday night, with another round scheduled for Tuesday.

Ukraine was reportedly informed about the discussions. Sources say Driscoll may meet Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.

UPDATE 0710 GMT:

The toll in Kyiv from Russia’s missile and drone strikes has risen to six civilians murdered and 14 injured.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Responding to a European proposal to end the Kremlin’s 46-month full-scale invasion, Russia has launched missile and drone strikes across Ukraine.

At least one civilian in Kyiv was murdered and seven injured as the Russians targeted residential neighborhoods and energy infrastructure.

Explosions were reported around 1 a.m. and then repeatedly throughout the next hour. There was a further wave around 7 a.m.

In the Pecherskyi district, several multistory residential buildings were set ablaze. One of the targets was a 22-story apartment block, which sustained damage to multiple floors.

The fatality was in a 9-story residential building in the Dniprovskyi district. Rescue workers are searching for victims who may be trapped.

Outside the capital, the Russians targeted homes and apartments in the Kyiv region, triggering emergency evacuations. Four houses in the town of Bila Tserkva were “completely destroyed”, and a 14-year-old was injured.

Strikes were also reported in the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions.

Hours before the assault, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warned:

We must also be aware that Russia will not ease the pressure on us, on Ukraine, on our people….

We understand exactly who we are dealing with….And it would be fair for all our partners — and above all for the American side — to take into account the threat that…if we are really ending the war, then there should be no missiles, no massive strikes on Ukraine, on our people.

Zelensky: “There Must Be No Missiles on Ukraine”

On Sunday, following talks in Geneva, the European delegation set out a counter-proposal to the 28-point Trump-Kremlin ultimatum.

The plan begins with a ceasefire based on the current frontlines. In contrast, the Trump-Kremlin document only provides for a ceasefire after Russian conditions are accepted, including Ukraine’s handover of the remainder of the Donetsk region in the east of the country.

The Europeans do not rule out Ukrainian membership of NATO, although there is no consensus at this time. Ukraine’s armed forces will be capped during peacetime at 800,000 personnel, 200,000 more than in the Trump-Kremlin draft.

Frozen Russian assets will be used solely to reconstruct Ukraine, rather than the Trump-Kremlin guarantee of the US taking 50% of the profits. If Russia respects a “sustainable peace”, international sanctions will be gradually eased and Moscow will return to the G8 nations.

Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation:

Ukraine will never be an obstacle to peace – this is our principle, a shared principle, and millions of Ukrainians are counting on, and deserve, a dignified peace. We will do everything for this, and we are ready to work as quickly as possible.

He added a message for the Trump Administration:

It would be fair for all our partners – especially for the American side – to take into account the threat that their own intelligence also sees. If there are negotiations, if there is constructive engagement, if we are truly ending the war – then there must be no missiles, no massive strikes on Ukraine, on our people.