State Dept confirms death of US citizen in Ukraine, condemns strikes

WASHINGTON: The United States (US) condemns an attack overnight on Kyiv, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday, confirming the death of a US citizen in Ukraine.

“We are aware of last night’s attack on Kyiv, which resulted in numerous casualties, including the tragic death of a US citizen. We condemn those strikes and extend our deepest condolences to the victims and to the families of all those affected,” Bruce told a news briefing.

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Bruce declined to give further details out of respect for the family.

Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, early on Tuesday said a US citizen had died during an overnight air attack on the Ukraine capital, writing on the Telegram messaging app that the 62-year-old American was pronounced dead by doctors in the city. He gave no other details.

Russia flattened a section of an apartment block in Kyiv on Tuesday, its deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital this year, as a huge barrage of hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles killed at least 16 people and wounded 134.

Ukrainian officials declared a day of mourning on Wednesday for victims of what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as one of the most horrific attacks on the capital during the war.

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Russian troops are pressing on with a grinding advance in eastern Ukraine and have opened a new front in the Sumy region in the northeast, despite calls for a ceasefire from US President Donald Trump, whose efforts to bring an end to the war have faltered.