Russia pummels Kyiv, prompting rare rebuke from Trump
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Zelensky said nearly 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and about 150 attack drones had targeted cities across the country — although Kyiv was hit the hardest.
About the same time, Trump lashed out at President Vladimir Putin of Russia about the attack, showing how his administration's positions can seem to flip-flop without warning.
'Vladimir, STOP!' Trump posted on Truth Social, saying that he was 'not happy' with the Russian strikes. 'Not necessary, and very bad timing,' the post added.
The attack came hours after Trump and his top aides demanded that Kyiv accept a US-designed plan that would seemingly grant Russia all of the territory it has gained in the war, which started with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The plan also offers Ukraine only vague assurances about future security. So far, Zelensky has said Ukraine cannot accept such a deal.
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Before cutting short a trip to South Africa, which currently holds the presidency of the Group of 20, Zelensky said at a news conference in Pretoria that he saw no indication Russia was being pressured to agree to a cease-fire. He said with more pressure brought on Moscow, 'we will be able to get closer to a complete, unconditional ceasefire.' To him, Zelensky added, the attack on Kyiv instead appeared intended to pressure the United States.
'We were attacked, we were occupied, many children and adults were buried alive,' he said. 'This is a big compromise that we are ready to sit at the negotiating table with terrorists.'
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who was at the same news conference, threw his weight behind Ukraine, criticizing what he called preconditions before negotiations began. He reaffirmed that 'the only path to peace is through diplomacy, inclusive dialogue, and a commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter.'
Since Trump took office in January, his administration has echoed Kremlin talking points in the war, a reversal of previous US policy under the Biden administration. Over the past week, the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the peace process, claiming that the two sides were both intransigent. On Wednesday, planned peace talks in London were downgraded, largely because the United States decided not to attend.
Trump later called Zelensky 'inflammatory' in a post on social media, and said the Ukrainian president would only 'prolong the 'killing field.''
In his Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said he wanted to 'get the Peace Deal DONE!' He also said in the Oval Office on Thursday, while sitting beside Norway's prime minister, 'I have my own deadline' for when Russia and Ukraine need to strike a peace deal. 'We want it to be fast,' he added.
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Trump said he had 'no allegiance' to either side in the Russia-Ukraine war and that his only goal was to stop the war and save lives. He said Russia has made a 'pretty big concession' to end the war. Later, when pressed about what concessions Russia has offered, Trump replied, 'Stopping taking the whole country.'
Zelensky earlier pointed out that in March, Ukraine accepted a US proposal for a 30-day cease-fire, but that Putin has refused to agree to that plan. While Putin did announce a temporary truce for Easter Sunday, it seemed more of a public relations stunt than a cease-fire along the front line. Ukrainian cities, at least, were largely spared for the truce's 30 hours.
But that was not the case early Thursday. Shortly after midnight, the first air alarms sounded.
Yevhenii Plakhotnikov, 40, lives just across the street from the two-story apartment building struck by a missile. He said he had awakened to the alarm, heard the buzzing sound of drones, and then started getting dressed. A message on Telegram — the messaging platform that many Ukrainians rely on for missile alerts — said a ballistic missile had been launched.
Plakhotnikov said he went to the hallway to put on his shoes.
'While I was putting on the second sneaker, I heard the first explosion,' he recalled in an interview. 'Then I heard something heavy fall. All my interior doors were torn in half. I opened the door and saw shrapnel flying.'
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He said he helped get other people out of his building. There, one man was standing, covered in blood.
Tetyana Hrynenko, 58, stood on the street, covering her mouth with her hands and looking up at her ruined apartment next to the flattened building.
'The most important thing is that we are alive,' said Hrynenko, adding that she had heard two explosions, saw clouds of dust, and smelled burning. She added: 'People were shouting and asking for help. I looked out into the stairwell, and there were no stairs. And I live on the fifth floor.'
Residents managed to clear the stairwell of debris, allowing Hrynenko and others to make it outside.
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