AT least eight people including two children have been killed in devastating Russian air strikes in Ukraine.

Russian forces launched a mass attack using drones and ballistic missiles to hammer the capital just days after Putin met Trump for peace talks.

Smoke billowed from the crumbled column of a five-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district, which suffered a direct hit.

Rescue teams were on site to pull people trapped underneath the rubble.

Moscow launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s city administration.

The mas attack hit nearly 100 buildings, including a shopping mall in the city centre, he said.

Thousands of windows were shattered as residents cleared glass and debris from damaged buildings.

Among the dead were two children including a 14-year-old girl, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

The numbers are expected to rise, it is feared.

The attack came as Moscow and Kyiv traded blame over stalled diplomatic efforts towards a peace deal spearheaded by Donald Trump.

Furious Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.

“We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace, but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions.”

Russian forces have been slowly but steadily gaining ground in Ukraine in recent months, as diplomatic efforts have accelerated.

Trump held a high-profile summit with Putin in Alaska this month in a failed attempt to convince him to a ceasefore.

The summit was followed by a meeting with Zelensky and European allies at the White House to discuss the future of Ukraine.

But there has been little progress since then.

Before concluding any peace agreement, Ukraine said it wants security guarantees from the West to deter any future Russian attacks.

Moscow has cast Kyiv’s demands as unrealistic and has raised particular objection to the notion of stationing Western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine.

Zelensky said on Wednesday that members of his administration would meet with US officials in New York on Friday.

The Ukrainian leader said he saw “very arrogant and negative signals from Moscow regarding the negotiations”, urging extra “pressure” to “force Russia to take real steps”.