Trump says he is ‘not happy’ with deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv

US President Donald Trump has said he is “not happy” with deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv and that President Vladimir Putin should “stop”.

“Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!” he said in a post on Truth Social.

The overnight strikes killed at least eight people and injured 77 more, local officials said.

Trump’s comments came after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the US could put more pressure on Russia to secure a ceasefire.

“We believe that if more pressure is applied to Russia, we’ll be able to make our positions closer,” Zelensky told reporters on a visit to South Africa.

When asked if he would be willing to make any concessions, Zelensky said the fact that Ukraine is prepared to negotiate with Russia is a “huge compromise” and a “ceasefire must be the first step.”

Zelensky cut short his South Africa visit after the Kyiv attacks, which he said was “undoubtedly one of the most difficult and impudent”.

“If Russia says it is ready to cease fire, it must stop massive strikes against Ukraine. It is Ukrainians who are running out of patience, because it is us who are under attack, and no one else,” he added.

Trump on Wednesday had accused the Ukrainian leader of harming peace negotiations, after Zelensky said Kyiv would not recognise Russian control of Crimea.

Ukraine has long said it will not give up Crimea, a southern peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Trump claimed a deal to end the war was “very close”, but that Zelensky’s refusal to accept US terms “will do nothing but prolong” the conflict.

Earlier, US Vice-President JD Vance laid out the US vision for a deal, saying it would “freeze the territorial lines […] close to where they are today”.

He said the deal would mean Ukraine and Russia “are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own” – without specifying what geographic concessions would have to be made.

When asked by reporters at the White House about whether the administration was looking to recognise Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea, Trump said he just wanted to see the war end.

Recognising Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea would not only be politically impossible for Zelensky to accept, it would also be contrary to post-war international legal norms that borders should not be changed by force.

Zelensky said a meeting about ending the conflict between Ukrainian, US, UK and European officials in London on Wednesday was “difficult but constructive, and it resulted not in differences but a desire to continue working nonetheless”.

The Ukrainian president had travelled on his first visit to South Africa, where he met President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa said during a news briefing alongside Zelensky that he was deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He also reiterated South Africa’s commitment to speaking to all parties in the conflict.

He added that he had spoken to Putin earlier this week, and the two men “agreed to work together on a peaceful resolution to the conflict”.

The South African president also said he had spoken to Trump to discuss the peace process in Ukraine and both leaders agreed the war should end as soon as possible.

Ramaphosa in the briefing would not be drawn on whether Ukraine should cede territory to Russia. He also said his call with Trump was not tied to Zelensky’s visit, adding that the call had been months in the planning.

Zelensky’s visit would have been unimaginable just two years ago, when Ramaphosa led a delegation of African leaders to Kyiv on a self-styled peace mission.

At the time, South Africa’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a source of frustration for Kyiv.

But the geopolitical landscape has fundamentally changed since that meeting, and both countries now have a lot more in common.

There was some hope before the meeting that South Africa would extend a symbolic gesture to Ukraine, such as inviting it to the G20 summit later this year, which South Africa is hosting. But that invitation never came.

The fact that Zelensky was on South African soil may be seen by some to be a good enough sign of thawing relations, given South Africa and other African countries have refused to take sides in the war.

The US was one of Ukraine’s closest allies until the re-election of Trump in November. Now Ukraine is keen to broaden its pool of international partners – particularly in Africa where many countries have strong links with Russia.

South Africa has also suffered from strained relations with Washington, which has expelled its ambassador and removed aid funding.

South Africa says its non-aligned position puts it in a prime position to help bring about a peace deal with Russia.

By BBC News