In a rare departure from his typically cautious stance on Russia, President Donald Trump on Thursday publicly urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to \u201cSTOP!\u201d following a deadly overnight assault on Kyiv, Ukraine\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n
The attack, described as the most devastating on the city since last summer, killed at least 12 people and injured 90 others. Russian forces launched a sustained barrage of missiles and drones, hitting residential neighborhoods and leveling homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,\u201d President Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. \u201cLet\u2019s get the Peace Deal DONE!\u201d<\/p>\n
Photos from Kyiv showed rescue workers combing through debris in search of survivors after multiple missile impacts ripped through densely populated areas. The April 24 assault is being condemned internationally as a significant escalation, threatening to derail ongoing but fragile diplomatic efforts.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s remarks mark a notable shift. While he has repeatedly expressed admiration for Putin and argued that Russia is more willing than Ukraine to negotiate, Thursday\u2019s outburst signals frustration over the stalled peace talks. The U.S.-led mediation initiative has failed to produce tangible results, despite months of backchannel diplomacy.<\/p>\n
Just a day prior, Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of prolonging the war by refusing to cede the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 as part of a possible peace agreement.<\/p>\n
Later during a meeting in the Oval Office with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re, Trump reiterated his stance that Crimea was \u201ctaken without a fight\u201d under former President Barack Obama and should not be a sticking point. \u201cStopping taking the whole country, pretty big concession,\u201d Trump said, referring to Putin’s current posture in the negotiations.<\/p>\n
Zelenskyy, however, has repeatedly made clear that surrendering Crimea or any occupied territories in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, or Kherson is a red line. Speaking Thursday, he noted that Ukraine had already agreed to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire 44 days earlier, but \u201cMoscow\u2019s attacks had continued.\u201d<\/p>\n
French President Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Madagascar, backed Zelenskyy\u2019s position and criticized Putin for \u201clying\u201d about wanting peace while continuing military aggression. \u201cThere is only one answer we are waiting for: Does President Putin agree to an unconditional ceasefire?\u201d Macron asked, adding that \u201cthe Americans\u2019 anger should focus on just one person: President Putin.\u201d<\/p>\n
France\u2019s Foreign Ministry also issued a response to Trump\u2019s criticism of Ukraine. \u201cThe principle of Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity is not something that can be negotiated,\u201d said ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine. Talks held in Paris last week and in London on Wednesday reaffirmed that occupied land cannot be part of any peace settlement.<\/p>\n
The White House confirmed that Trump\u2019s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to Moscow for a new round of discussions with Russian officials\u2014his fourth such visit since Trump assumed office in January. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met Thursday in Washington to discuss military support for Ukraine and broader NATO defense spending commitments.<\/p>\n
Rutte noted growing concerns about the sustainability of NATO\u2019s 2% defense spending benchmark, which 22 member states reportedly met last year. \u201cBut clearly with 2%, we cannot defend NATO territory,\u201d Rutte emphasized.<\/p>\n
With the war showing no signs of abating and civilian casualties mounting, the pressure is on for Trump\u2019s administration to broker meaningful progress. Whether Thursday\u2019s plea to Putin will shift the tide\u2014or further entrench hardened positions remains to be seen.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a rare departure from his typically cautious stance on Russia, President Donald Trump on Thursday publicly urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to \u201cSTOP!\u201d following a deadly overnight assault on Kyiv, Ukraine\u2019s capital. The attack, described as the most devastating on the city since last summer, killed at least 12 people and injured 90 others.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_1160854738579181570_1160854738579181570":"","facebook_3558452337540614_100649324928663":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,23],"tags":[285,787,478],"class_list":{"0":"post-12215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"category-world-news","9":"tag-amnewsworld","10":"tag-correspondence","11":"tag-washington-dc"},"yoast_head":"\n