Trump calls on Putin to halt Ukraine strikes after deadly attack on Kyiv

President Donald Trump on Thursday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop attacks on Ukraine, issuing a rare rebuke of the Kremlin leader after Moscow launched missiles and drones at Kyiv in the deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital in months.

The statement comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged international allies to exert more pressure on Russia to end its invasion. Zelensky, who cut short a trip to South Africa to respond to the latest attack, said Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile in the strike, which killed at least 12 people and wounded 90 more.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes,” Trump said on social media. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”

Trump, who has often drawn criticism for his perceived leniency toward Moscow and hostility toward Zelensky, is pushing for a ceasefire deal. His remarks came shortly after Zelensky questioned whether Western countries were doing enough to curb Russian aggression.

“I don't see any strong pressure on Russia or any new sanctions packages against Russia's aggression,” Zelensky said during a press conference in South Africa.

Zelensky also reiterated that Ukraine is only able to act within the limits of its Constitution, responding to Trump’s recent criticisms over Kyiv's refusal to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

“We do everything that our partners have proposed, only what contradicts our legislation and the Constitution we cannot do,” he said.

Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, initially aiming for a quick victory. Instead, it has been mired in a bloody conflict with massive casualties on both sides.

Despite repeated U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceasefire, the conflict has intensified in recent weeks. The latest wave of Russian airstrikes — including over 70 missiles and 145 drones — targeted several Ukrainian cities, with Kyiv bearing the brunt of the damage.

"As of 5:30 p.m., the death toll in Kyiv's Sviatoshinsky district has risen to 12," Ukraine's state emergency services said Thursday.

An AFP journalist on the ground saw rescue crews retrieving victims from the rubble in western Kyiv. “People were being pulled out of the rubble,” said Olena Davydiuk, a 33-year-old lawyer. “I saw windows breaking and doors falling out of their hinges.”

Russia claimed the strikes targeted defense industry sites, including facilities producing “rocket fuel and gunpowder.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to travel to Russia this week for another round of negotiations with Putin on a possible ceasefire agreement. However, prospects remain uncertain amid renewed violence and competing narratives on territorial concessions, particularly regarding Crimea.

On Wednesday, Trump accused Zelensky of hampering peace talks by refusing to acknowledge Russia’s claims over the peninsula.

“Stopping the war, stopping taking the whole country -- pretty big concession,” Trump told reporters when asked what Moscow had offered during negotiations.

The renewed violence and Trump’s latest remarks highlight the fragile and complex nature of international efforts to end the nearly three-year war, even as Western leaders face increasing pressure to take firmer action against Moscow.