‘‘Putin should end war instead of testing missile’’

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AFP) — United States (US) President Donald Trump said Monday the announcement by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of a nuclear-powered cruise missile test was not “appropriate.”

“He ought to get the war (in Ukraine) ended. A war that should have taken one week is now soon in its fourth year. That’s what he ought to do instead of testing missiles,” Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One.

Putin on Sunday announced the successful final test of the Burevestnik missile, which he said has “unlimited range.”

Trump had promised to quickly end the Ukraine war upon his return to the White House in January, but talks between Moscow and Kyiv have stalled despite the US president’s mediation efforts.

On Saturday, Trump played down prospects of a summit with Putin, saying he was “not going to be wasting my time.”

The remarks came as Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev met with Trump administration officials in the US, a Russian source familiar with the talks told Agence France-Presse.

The discussions were expected to continue on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Russia’s forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in Ukraine, grinding through Kyiv’s defenses in costly battles.

An overnight Russian drone attack on Kyiv killed three people and wounded dozens, including seven children, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday.

On Saturday night into Sunday, “three people were killed and 31 others were wounded in the Russian attack in Kyiv alone, including seven children,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily address.

And more drone fragments fell on a 16-story residential block in the northern Obolonsky district, damaging an apartment, Klitschko said.

The strikes came a day after other Russian drone and missile strikes killed four and wounded around 20 others in Kyiv.

Russia’s defense ministry said Monday it had downed 193 Ukrainian drones overnight, with local authorities reporting one person killed in the attack.

The governor of the border region of Bryansk, Aleksandr Bogomaz, said on Telegram that a minibus had been struck in the village of Pogar, killing the driver.