RUSSIAN STRIKES KILL FOUR IN KYIV AS TRUMP DENIES PATRIOT DEAL

Russian strikes on Ukraine's capital killed at least four people and wounded more than a dozen others on Saturday, according to local officials. Kyiv's military administration confirmed four deaths, whilst the city's mayor reported 15 people wounded and transported to hospital, including two boys aged 13 and 17. Several people were trapped in a partially collapsed building following the strike, and warehouses caught fire. Journalists in the city reported hearing more than 10 explosions in succession, with the intensity triggering car alarms on streets.

The strike came as Ukraine and the United States dispute terms for air defence supplies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated following talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this week that Trump had agreed to licence Patriot missile production to Ukraine. Trump said on Friday that the United States had not agreed to such an arrangement, stating Washington had "to be very careful about letting somebody build them". Ukraine's envoy to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna, told reporters that a production licence could take between 12 months and five years to establish, whilst Ukraine currently faces nightly attacks. She said Ukraine had received 30 to 40 ballistic missiles in recent nights and remained unable to defend effectively against them, though it could counter Iranian- and Russian-built drones.

Russia has intensified long-range strikes on Kyiv in recent months as diplomatic efforts to end the five-year war have stalled. The United Nations recorded June as the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022. Officials from Patriot maker Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have been engaged with Ukraine regarding potential supply arrangements, Stefanishyna confirmed.