US says Russian strikes on Kyiv threaten Trump peace plans

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine slammed Russian strikes on Kyiv that killed at 17 people on Thursday, saying they threatened the US president’s proposals to end the Ukraine war.

“These egregious attacks threaten the peace that @POTUS is pursuing,” Keith Kellogg said on X, noting that they hit “innocent civilians” and EU and British missions in the Ukrainian capital.

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NOT HAPPY, BUT NOT SURPRISED

Later in the day, the White House said Trump was unhappy but not surprised by Russia’s deadly strikes on the Ukrainian capital, while urging “both sides” to end the war started by Moscow’s invasion.

“He was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised. These are two countries that have been at war for a very long time,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing.

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On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of showing “terror and barbarism” with missile and drone attacks on Kyiv.

In a message on X, Macron said: “629 missiles and drones in a single night over Ukraine: this is Russia’s idea of peace.”

He accused Moscow of “deliberately” targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure.

Similarly, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that “Russia showed its true face” in its latest overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which left at least 17 people dead.

Merz said in a post on X that the fact that the EU’s mission in Kyiv was also damaged in the attack “shows the growing unscrupulousness of the Russian regime”.

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Russia’s latest strikes on Kyiv show that it is not interested in negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday.

“The intense attacks on Kyiv last night demonstrate who stands on the side of peace and who has no intention of believing in the negotiating path,” Meloni wrote on X.

“Our thoughts go to the Ukrainian people, to civilians, to the families of defenseless victims, including children, of the senseless Russian attacks,” she added.

MISSILES AND DRONES

Earlier, Russia pounded Ukraine with deadly missiles and drone strikes early on Thursday in a sweeping attack that President Volodymyr Zelensky said was Moscow’s answer to diplomatic efforts to end its war.

At least 18 people, including four children, were killed in the capital, officials from the city administration said. As the sun rose, rescuers dug through a wrecked block on Kyiv’s left bank and pulled at least two bodies from the rubble.

The strikes damaged the European Union’s mission and British Council offices in the city, officials said.

Meanwhile, the European Union and London summoned Russian envoys to protest. There were no reports of casualties at either site.

“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table,” Zelensky said on X, calling for new sanctions on Russia. “It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war.”

On the other hand, Russia said its attack had hit military industrial facilities and air bases, and that Ukraine had also attacked Russian targets. The Kremlin said it was still interested in pursuing peace talks.