KYIV, Ukraine, Aug 18, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga and his Belgian counterpart Maxime Prevot were on Tuesday forced to hold talks in an underground shelter as an air alert blared out in Kyiv.

"Due to Russian drones attacking our capital, we held our talks underground in the @MFA_Ukraine bomb shelter -- a daily reality for millions of Ukrainians, shared by our Belgian guests today," Sybiga said on social media.

He posted a picture of the two top diplomats sitting at a table in a windowless room and a video of the two delegations making their way through underground corridors.

Air alerts ring out in war-torn Ukraine every day as Russia launches barrages of drones and missiles at its neighbour, forcing people into shelters and killing civilians in the capital and across the country.

During a visit to Kyiv in July, European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen had to shelter briefly because of an air alert and drone threat in the city.