Key facts
- Russian strikes over two days killed at least 78 people and wounded 215 across Ukraine.
- An attack on Kramatorsk on Thursday killed at least 30 people and wounded 18.
- A separate attack on Pryluky killed 22 people in a residential building.
- Zelenskiy urged the US to expand access to the Starlink satellite service for Ukraine.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted the war is at a stalemate.
- Top Russian and US officials have discussed bringing a US investor into Nord Stream pipelines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine, criticizing Washington's pursuit of economic ties with Russia while also seeking to mediate the ongoing war. His comments came after Russian strikes over two days killed at least 78 people and wounded 215 across Ukraine.
One of the deadliest attacks occurred Thursday in Kramatorsk, where a bomb struck two buses, killing at least 30 people and wounding 18. The previous day, a mass Russian drone and missile attack killed dozens, including 22 in a residential building in Pryluky.
Zelenskiy urged the US to grant Ukraine expanded access to the Starlink satellite service to help defend its skies and target Russian ballistic-missile launchers. He drew a parallel to the US opening Starlink access in response to Iran, stating, "Open Starlink for Ukraine. You did open it when you were responding to Iran... give it to us, help us defend our skies and dominate there. And then Putin will sit down at the negotiating table."
Referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's assertion that the war is at a stalemate, Zelenskiy said, "So where's the truth here, where's the honesty? Where's the stalemate? That's called unwillingness." He added, "One cannot, on the one hand, negotiate with the Russians about future economic projects, whilst on the other hand say that we find ourselves in some sort of diplomatic stalemate."
Top Russian and US officials, including US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, have reportedly held talks about bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines. Ukrainian negotiators are scheduled to travel to the US on Friday and Saturday for talks, with Zelenskiy urging US President Donald Trump to increase sanctions pressure on Russia.
Moscow has denied targeting civilians, but regional governor Vadym Filashkin stated, "The Russians are deliberately targeting civilians. For them, a bus full of passengers is an attractive target precisely because a single strike can kill as many people as possible." Images showed debris and charred bus shells. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, "Putin and his regime have no intention of stopping the killing. On the contrary, they are escalating it, turning ordinary civilian life into a target for Russian bombs."
Separately, three people were killed and 14 wounded in attacks on Kyiv on Thursday.