Russia launched another wave of deadly airstrikes across Ukraine overnight, ignoring U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent public call for Vladimir Putin to end the attacks.
The strikes killed at least eight people in various parts of Ukraine, just a day after the country experienced its deadliest assault since mid-2024.
In Pavlohrad, an eastern city, a drone strike killed three people—including a 76-year-old woman and a child—and left ten others injured, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak.
In the south, Russian attacks on power stations and homes in Kherson claimed two lives, while Donetsk and Kharkiv regions each reported one fatality.
Kyiv, the capital, suffered heavily on Thursday. Officials said 12 people were killed and 87 wounded in a large-scale missile attack.
Rescue crews have now finished searching a collapsed apartment building that authorities say was hit by a North Korean ballistic missile.
These new attacks came shortly after Donald Trump voiced frustration over the stalled peace talks.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump urged Putin to “STOP,” and later told reporters he believes both sides are ready to negotiate.
Trump’s peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to arrive in Moscow on Friday to continue discussions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed to CBS News that Russia is open to a deal but said some key issues remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, tensions between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have grown.
Trump recently accused Zelensky of blocking peace efforts after the Ukrainian leader stood firm on not recognizing Russia’s claim to Crimea.
The peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014, and Ukraine’s constitution does not allow giving it up.
CNN reports that the Trump administration has floated the idea of recognizing Crimea as Russian territory as part of a possible deal—an idea that has unsettled European allies and would represent a major shift in U.S. policy.
This Crimea dispute is just the latest public disagreement between Trump and Zelensky.
When asked Thursday what Russia has offered in negotiations, Trump said, “Stopping the war, stopping taking the whole country. Pretty big concession.”
He added, “We’re putting a lot of pressure on Russia. And Russia knows that—or they wouldn’t be talking right now.”
KanyiDaily recalls that in March, Donald Trump reportedly asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy to leave the White House after a tense and confrontational meeting in the Oval Office.