Russia Pre-empts a U.S. Peace Proposal with a Rare Attack in the Heart of Kyiv
Ukraine accused Russia on Friday of carrying out a drone attack on the headquarters of the security service in Kyiv, two days before an expected visit by envoys of the U.S. president.
President Donald Trump confirmed that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would bring with them a proposal aimed at ending the war, although U.S. efforts over recent months have failed to bring the positions of the two sides closer together or make meaningful progress toward ending the conflict, which has continued since 2022.
A Notable Attack
In a rare daytime attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of launching a drone that struck the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv, saying that it had targeted the office of the agency’s chief.
Following the attack, which left 15 people injured, Zelensky said he had instructed the SBU to respond to what Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha described as an “extremely serious escalation.”
In a post on Telegram, Zelensky said: “Unfortunately, a Russian drone struck the main building of the Ukrainian Security Service on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv, opposite St. Sophia Cathedral.”
He added that it had been “directly aimed at the office of the head of the Security Service in that building.”
An unnamed Ukrainian official told Agence France-Presse that the acting head of the Security Service, Oleksandr Poklad, was not present at the location at the time of the strike.
Preparations for a Response
Zelensky said he had instructed the head of the agency to “prepare an appropriate and concrete response against the Russians, proportional to this strike, wherever possible, as soon as the necessary preparations are complete.”
This marks the first time that the headquarters of the Security Service has been struck since the beginning of the war more than four years ago.
The SBU is Ukraine’s domestic security agency, but it has also been behind numerous attacks targeting locations deep inside Russian territory.
In recent weeks, Moscow has intensified its daytime strikes on Ukraine, at times using jet-powered drones that are more difficult for air defenses to shoot down.
Nevertheless, attacks on government buildings in central Kyiv, which are heavily fortified and surrounded by extensive security barriers, remain rare.
The attack on the Ukrainian security service building came amid tensions between the SBU and Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the GUR.
Earlier this week, an exchange of gunfire took place between members of the two agencies in Kyiv, in an incident described by the Ukrainian president as “absolutely unacceptable.”
A U.S. Proposal
The attack came on the same day that a Ukrainian official told Agence France-Presse that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would visit Kyiv on Sunday.
The official, who requested anonymity, said that the two envoys—who have previously visited Moscow several times and whose trip to Kyiv had been under negotiation for months—would travel to the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.
Trump confirmed the visit and told reporters at the White House: “They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war. We sent them to see whether we could work something out, and there may be a good chance that we can.”
Trump did not disclose any details of the proposal, including whether it would involve Ukraine relinquishing territory in the eastern part of the country, a demand made by Moscow and rejected by Kyiv.
Ahead of the anticipated visit, Zelensky proposed a ceasefire with Russia.
He said: “We will not carry out airstrikes from our side, and Russia must reciprocally respect the ceasefire by refraining from launching airstrikes as well, for the period required to hold these discussions.”
U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled in recent months.
