U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a rare and direct rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, calling for an immediate halt to the ongoing conflict. This came in response to a brutal missile and drone strike on Kyiv that killed at least 12 people and injured many more.
The attack, described as the most intense on Ukraine’s capital this year, devastated multiple areas—destroying buildings, sparking widespread fires, and severely undermining any short-term hopes for a truce, even as peace talks continue to inch forward.
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Taking to his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote:
“I strongly disapprove of the Russian assault on Kyiv. It was unnecessary and poorly timed. Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers are dying each week. Let’s finalize the Peace Deal NOW!”
Speaking to the press later at the White House, Trump said his administration was exerting “significant pressure” on both Kyiv and Moscow to come to an agreement. He hinted that Russia may have already made major concessions and showed interest in pausing its full-scale invasion.
“The next few days will be crucial. Talks are ongoing,” Trump stated. “I believe a deal is within reach.”
His remarks come amid heightened diplomatic moves in Washington, where NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met to discuss the situation. Rutte said Ukraine was actively engaging in peace efforts and emphasized that the onus was now on Russia to respond.
However, the latest Russian bombardment has further complicated peace negotiations. Ukrainian emergency teams confirmed that 12 people had died and 90 were injured in the overnight strikes, which hit 13 different locations across Kyiv. Rescuers continued to search through rubble, with some mobile phones reportedly still ringing under collapsed structures hours after the attack.
Kyiv resident Viktoria Bakal recounted the chaos:
“The sirens went off, and we didn’t even have time to get dressed. Explosions kept coming, windows shattered, doors and walls collapsed. My husband and son were thrown across the room.”
Ukraine’s military reported that Russia used a combination of ballistic missiles, drones, and precision-guided weapons from air, sea, and land. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed that North Korea’s KN-23 ballistic missile was among the weapons used, based on early intelligence. A military source said one of these missiles hit a residential building near Kyiv’s center.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its operation targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial infrastructure. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated that civilians were not intended targets and told CBS News that peace talks were progressing, though some details still needed resolution.
President Zelenskiy countered, stating that the attack served to distract from intensified ground offensives in eastern Ukraine, especially in the Pokrovsk region. Ukrainian troops, however, reportedly repelled those advances.
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko added that seven other regions were also struck, including Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, and Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk province.
While Trump maintained pressure on both sides, he appeared more lenient toward Putin than Zelenskiy. A day earlier, Trump had criticized the Ukrainian president for refusing to acknowledge Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, suggesting that such rigidity was an obstacle to peace. He later remarked that Ukraine retaking the peninsula would be “very difficult.”
A U.S. official confirmed that Trump’s special envoy is scheduled to meet Putin on Friday, raising speculation that a new peace proposal might soon emerge.
The White House cautioned that if progress isn’t made quickly, it may pull back its diplomatic efforts, adding urgency to what Trump described as his own “fast-track” deadline for securing a peace agreement.
