U.S President, Donald Trump Thursday expressed his feelings over the Russia bombing of Ukraine on Wednesday.
Writing on his Truth Social account at just before 08:30 local time in Washington DC, Trump said the deadly strikes on Kyiv were “not necessary, and very bad timing”.
“Vladimir, STOP!” he concluded. “5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE.”
The blunt message comes just hours after Trump criticised the Ukrainian president on the same platform.
“He [Zelensky] can have peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country,” Trump wrote on Wednesday, adding that Zelensky was the “man with no cards to play”.
Trump’s message to Putin is a relatively rare condemnation of the near-daily Russian strikes on Ukraine – and a sign of his frustration.
The US president promised to resolve the Ukraine war on “day one” of his presidency, and the 100th day comes later this month.
As the deadly overnight strikes on Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine show, there is no end to the war in sight.
Speaking on a cut-short visit to South Africa, Zelensky said “more pressure” must be put on Russia to achieve a ceasefire between the two countries.
On his part, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said Wednesday night’s strikes on Kyiv are a “real reminder that Russia is the aggressor here”.
He adds that the attacks – which have so far injured at least 77 – show “why it is important to get Russia to an unconditional ceasefire”.
Starmer’s comments come a day after diplomats met in London to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Following the talks he says: “We’re making progress towards a ceasefire, it’s got to be a lasting ceasefire.”
