'STOP, Vladimir!' Trump says to Putin after deadliest Russian strike on Kyiv in months
Russia unleashed one of the most severe bombardments on Ukraine's largest towns overnight Thursday, killing at least twelve people, only hours after President Donald Trump claimed to have reached an agreement with both sides to stop the war.
US President Donald Trump said he is "not happy" after Russia unleashed its bloodiest round of assaults on Kyiv in nine months, asking President Vladimir Putin to "STOP!" as he tries to persuade Ukraine to accept a difficult cease-fire agreement.
Moscow launched 70 missiles and 145 drones against Ukraine, mostly targeting Kyiv, in an attack described by commander Volodymyr Zelensky as intended to put pressure on the United States.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let's get the Peace Deal done!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.
According to Ukraine's emergency services, at least 12 people were killed in the attacks, with 90 injured, and more may be trapped beneath rubble. The emergency services said that Moscow's attack hit 13 areas in Kyiv, including residential structures and civilian infrastructure.
It was the most expensive strike on the city since July 2024, when 33 people were murdered in an aerial barrage targeting a hospital and residential areas.
The missile attacks forced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cut short his vacation to South Africa. He stated that he will return home immediately to cope with the "destruction" in his nation.
“Russia continues to kill people and avoid tough pressure and accountability for this,” he said Thursday. “Unfortunately, there is a lot of destruction. Rescue operations are ongoing, the rubble of buildings is being cleared.”
According to Zelensky on social media, preliminary intelligence suggests that the Russians employed a North Korean-made missile, with Ukrainian special services validating the data. If proven, "this will be further proof of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang," the Ukrainian president stated.
Trump told reporters Thursday that he hoped Putin would listen to his request to cease operations on Ukraine. He stated that while there was "a lot of hatred," "bad blood," and "disgust" between Ukraine and Russia, all sides desired peace, "but they have to get to the table." The president stated that he believes both parties will eventually achieve a peace accord, and that he wants it to happen fast.
During a bilateral discussion in the Oval Office later Thursday with Norway's prime minister, Trump said he "didn't like last night." I wasn’t happy with it, and we’re in the midst of talking peace, and missiles were fired, and I was not happy with it."
When asked if he would consider imposing new sanctions on Russia if it continued to strike Ukraine, Trump responded, "I'd rather answer that question in a week. I want to see if we can have a deal ... No reason to answer it now but I won’t be happy. Let me put it that way, things will happen.”
Trump stated that the United States is exerting pressure on both parties, particularly Russia, stating, "You have to have two to tango."
The president stated that it would be "very difficult" for Ukraine to reclaim Crimea, the peninsula that Russia gained possession of under the Obama administration, despite erroneously claiming that President Barack Obama ceded Crimea to Russia.
Trump said that Russia has offered concessions in the talks, including "stopping the war, stopping taking the whole country," which the president described as a "pretty big concession."
