The Foreign Office has summoned the Russian ambassador to the UK over strikes on Kyiv that Sir Keir Starmer condemned as “senseless”.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed more than a dozen people and caused damage to a British Council building in Kyiv.
Sir Keir said Russian leader Vladimir Putin is “sabotaging” hopes of peace as US-led efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict struggle to gain traction.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Putin’s strikes last night killed civilians, destroyed homes and damaged buildings, including the British Council and EU Delegation in Kyiv.
“We have summoned the Russian Ambassador.
“The killing and destruction must stop.”
Russia launched a mass drone and missile attack on Kyiv, including a strike in the centre of the city, marking its first combined attacked on the Ukrainian capital in weeks.
The Prime Minister posted on X: “My thoughts are with all those affected by the senseless Russian strikes on Kyiv which have damaged the British Council building.
“Putin is killing children and civilians, and sabotaging hopes of peace.
“This bloodshed must end.”
Donald Trump said he hoped to broker a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders after he met Mr Putin in Alaska two weeks ago and Mr Zelensky days later in Washington.
Russia has since said there are no plans for a direct meeting between Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin.
Downing Street said earlier this week that Mr Putin was blatantly stalling progress.
Ukrainian President 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.”
The British Council said its office in Kyiv had been “severely damaged”.
“Following last night’s attack, our British Council office in Kyiv has been severely damaged and will remain closed to the public until further notice.
“Thankfully, our colleagues are all safe and our work with our Ukrainian partners in education and culture will continue uninterrupted,” a spokesperson said.
It posted a picture showing the building with its windows and entrance smashed open and surrounded by glass and debris.
A guard who was injured is “shaken but stable”, the organisation’s chief executive Scott McDonald posted on X.
Four children are among the 15 confirmed dead so far, the city’s administration said, with numbers expected to rise as rescue teams search for people trapped under the rubble.
The European Union delegation building in Kyiv was also damaged but staff were not harmed, EU president Ursula von der Leyen said.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it carried out a strike against military air bases and companies “within Ukraine’s military-industrial complex” using long-range weapons.
The ministry said it shot down 102 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly in the country’s south-west.
