U
krainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the United States of failing to provide sufficient support to Ukraine as Russian strikes killed at least 78 people and wounded 215 across the country over two days, intensifying pressure on Kyiv’s Western partners to strengthen military assistance and sanctions against Moscow.
The latest attacks included a Russian bomb strike on the eastern city of Kramatorsk that killed at least 35 people, according to Ukrainian authorities. The assault came a day after a wave of Russian drones and missiles struck locations across Ukraine, killing dozens, including 22 people in a residential building in the town of Pryluky, approximately 130 kilometres east of Kyiv.
Speaking to reporters in Pryluky on Thursday, Zelenskiy criticized Washington for pursuing potential economic cooperation with Russia while simultaneously attempting to broker an end to the war, which has continued for more than four years.
He also urged the United States to expand Ukraine’s access to Starlink satellite communications, arguing that the technology could help Ukrainian forces detect and target Russian ballistic-missile launchers.
“Open Starlink for Ukraine,” Zelenskiy said, recalling that access had been made available in response to developments involving Iran. He argued that additional access would strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend its airspace and put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate.
Zelenskiy’s remarks followed comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described the war as a dangerous stalemate and said Washington would continue working toward a settlement.
The Ukrainian president challenged that assessment, arguing that diplomatic efforts could not be reconciled with discussions about future economic projects involving Russia while Russian attacks continued.
“Where’s the truth here, where’s the honesty?” Zelenskiy asked, describing the situation as a lack of willingness rather than a genuine stalemate.
His criticism comes as Ukraine attempts to regain the battlefield initiative after Russian territorial gains slowed this year. Despite those efforts, Moscow has continued an increasingly intense air campaign targeting Ukrainian cities, infrastructure and other facilities.
Reuters reported on Thursday that senior Russian and US officials, including US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, had discussed the possibility of bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines, which supplied Russian natural gas to Germany before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The discussions have added to Kyiv’s concerns about the direction of Washington’s policy toward Moscow. Zelenskiy urged US President Donald Trump to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and said Ukrainian negotiators would travel to the United States on Friday and Saturday for talks.
He also said he expected Ukraine’s European partners to participate in discussions with Washington. Air defence would be a central issue, given the frequency and scale of Russian attacks.
The strike on Kramatorsk was among Russia’s largest single attacks of the year, Ukrainian officials said. Twenty people were wounded in the assault, which tore through two buses in the embattled eastern city.
Regional Governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting civilians, saying the presence of passengers on a bus made it a particularly devastating target.
Images released by officials showed bodies lying along a debris-strewn street beside the charred remains of a bus. Zelenskiy said some victims had yet to be identified and warned that the attack would not go unanswered.
Russian authorities have denied deliberately targeting civilians, although Russian forces regularly launch missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Elsewhere, local authorities reported that a Russian guided aerial bomb killed two people in a village in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, while another person died in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk. A further drone attack in Kramatorsk killed two people, bringing the city’s reported death toll to 35.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people were killed and 19 wounded in morning attacks on the capital. The strikes also disrupted water and electricity supplies, with officials warning that restoring services would take time.
Russia has intensified its drone attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, targeting warehouses and data centres while renewing its campaign against Ukraine’s electricity network ahead of winter.
The attacks have raised concerns about the country’s ability to protect essential infrastructure as temperatures fall and demand for heating and electricity increases.
Russian technology company Yandex said it was still unable to determine whether equipment at a data centre struck by a Ukrainian drone could be restored. Zelenskiy did not specifically address the incident involving Yandex but said Ukraine was responding to Russian attacks by “mirroring” strikes against data centres.
The latest wave of violence underscores the challenges facing Ukraine as it seeks to strengthen its air defences, maintain Western support and secure a diplomatic settlement on terms acceptable to Kyiv.
With civilian casualties mounting and critical infrastructure under pressure, Zelenskiy’s criticism highlights a growing tension between Ukraine’s demand for stronger military backing and Washington’s efforts to pursue negotiations with Moscow.
For Kyiv, the immediate priorities remain protecting civilians, expanding defensive capabilities and persuading its allies to maintain pressure on Russia while diplomatic efforts continue.
(Source: Reuters)
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