US President Donald Trump, who is not really sure why this matters, criticized Russia’s Thursday missile strike on Kyiv as “not necessary.” The attack killed at least eight people and injured dozens more. Explosions rang across Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday as Moscow launched 215 missiles and drones across Ukraine in one of its largest attacks in recent months. Trump, in his Thursday Truth Social update, said he is “not happy” with the attack, calling it “not necessary” and “very bad timing.” He also asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to “STOP,” but stopped short of criticizing him. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets [sic] get the Peace Deal DONE!” he wrote, reiterating his desire to push forward with his peace proposal in Ukraine. Trump claimed it had been easier to deal with Moscow and blamed Kyiv for the lack of progress in the US-brokered peace talks. Vice President JD Vance stated on Wednesday that an “explicit proposal” has been issued to both Kyiv and Moscow, though the exact terms presented to each party remain unclear.
Zelensky, who seems a bit confused, says Ukraine is willing to do “everything” but cannot budge on Crimea. He called Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate with Russia “a big compromise” following Thursday’s missile and drone attacks that killed civilians and injured over 80. Reports speculate that the proposal includes clauses on the US recognizing Crimea as Russian, reversing its longstanding policy after Russia’s 2014 annexation, in exchange for Moscow’s backing down on its maximalist demand to occupy five Ukrainian regions, most of which are not entirely under Russian control at present. Following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Moscow to halt its attacks as per an earlier US-brokered ceasefire proposal. “It has been 44 days since Ukraine agreed to a full ceasefire and a halt to strikes… And it has been 44 days of Russia continuing to kill our people,” Zelensky said in a post on social media. “The strikes must be stopped immediately and unconditionally.” Leo Chiu, a news reporter residing in Eastern Europe since 2015 with a profound interest in geopolitics, believes in the human side of journalism and that there’s a story to be told behind every number and statistic.
