January 1, Russia Strikes Kyiv Hours After Trump Envoys Leave — Ceasefire Over

Wyatt’s Take

• Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv Tuesday — right after Trump peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff wrapped up talks in Ukraine’s capital
• A three-day ceasefire brokered before the visit ended just as the bombs started falling — Putin testing Trump’s team or just business as usual for Moscow
• Trump’s team says real progress was made, trilateral talks are coming — but the body count keeps climbing while diplomats play chess

Russia hammered Kyiv with ballistic and cruise missiles Tuesday, hours after President Trump’s envoys — real estate mogul Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner — left the Ukrainian capital. The attack came as a fragile three-day ceasefire collapsed, raising questions about Moscow’s commitment to the peace process Trump is pushing hard to restart.

Ukrainian officials said the strikes hit residential buildings in two districts. Fires erupted across the city, including at an educational facility. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported people trapped inside a damaged apartment building as emergency crews scrambled to pull survivors from the rubble.

“Substantive progress was made, including movement on scheduling additional trilateral talks. President Trump is working hard to stop the killing and work towards a lasting and durable peace,”

Witkoff posted on X after the meetings wrapped Sunday. The envoys had met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, then flew to Moscow the day before to sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was the Trump administration’s boldest attempt yet to broker an end to the war that’s dragged on since February 2022.

The ceasefire — agreed to before Witkoff and Kushner arrived in the region — expired Tuesday morning. Within hours, the missiles were flying. Putin’s message, intentional or not, was clear: Russia isn’t backing down just because Trump’s guys came to town.

Meanwhile, the war grinds on. Russian attacks killed multiple people and wounded dozens more across Ukraine over the past day, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine didn’t sit idle either — its drones struck three Russian oil refineries Monday, keeping the pressure on Moscow’s war machine.

On Tuesday morning, the governor of the Russian city of Saratov said a Ukrainian drone hit civilian infrastructure and injured residents. Both sides are dug in, both sides are bleeding, and neither seems ready to blink first.

Trump campaigned on ending this war fast — no more endless billions shipped overseas while Americans struggle at home. His envoys are working the diplomatic channels, but every missile strike and every drone hit reminds us how far we are from peace. The trilateral talks Witkoff mentioned could be the breakthrough, or they could be another round of empty promises while young men die in the mud.

Wyatt Matters

Folks back home are tired of watching our tax dollars fund foreign wars while our own border stays wide open and our bridges crumble. Trump promised to end this — and his team is trying. But Putin’s not some D.C. bureaucrat you can strongarm in a boardroom. This is going to take grit, patience, and a willingness to walk away if Moscow won’t deal in good faith. Let’s hope the next round of talks produces more than just photo ops and body bags.