Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused the United States of failing to do enough to help Ukraine after a series of Russian strikes killed at least 78 people and wounded 215 others across the country in two days.
The latest attack occurred on Thursday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, where a Russian strike hit two buses, killing at least 30 people and injuring 18 others.
The attack came just one day after Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile assault across Ukraine that killed dozens of people.
Among those killed were 22 people inside a residential building in Pryluky, a central Ukrainian town located about 80 miles east of Kyiv.
Speaking to reporters in Pryluky, Zelenskiy criticised Washington over what he described as insufficient support for Ukraine while the US simultaneously explores diplomatic and economic engagement involving Russia.
The Ukrainian president specifically called on Washington to expand Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite network, saying the technology could help Ukrainian forces locate and respond to Russian missile launch sites.
“Open Starlink for Ukraine. You did open it when you were responding to Iran,” Zelenskiy said.
“I’ve said quite openly – give it to us, help us defend our skies and dominate there. And then Putin will sit down at the negotiating table,” he added.
Zelenskiy Accuses US of ‘Unwillingness’
Zelenskiy also challenged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s description of the war as being at a stalemate.
Rubio had said earlier on Thursday that the conflict remained deadlocked and that Washington would continue working towards a settlement.
But Zelenskiy questioned the US position, particularly as American and Russian officials continue discussions about possible future economic cooperation.
“So where’s the truth here, where’s the honesty? Where’s the stalemate? … That’s called unwillingness,” he said.
He argued that Washington could not simultaneously pursue negotiations over future economic projects with Russia while describing the diplomatic situation as a stalemate.
“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,” Zelenskiy said.
The comments came after Reuters reported that senior US and Russian officials, including US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, had discussed the possibility of bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines that previously transported Russian gas to Germany before Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskiy said Ukrainian negotiators were expected to travel to the United States on Friday and Saturday for talks.
He also called on President Donald Trump to increase sanctions pressure on Russia.
Russia Intensifies Airstrikes
The Kramatorsk attack was among Russia’s deadliest single strikes of the year, according to Ukrainian officials.
At least 18 people were wounded in the attack, which left the area filled with debris and the remains of a badly damaged bus.
Regional governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians.
“The Russians are deliberately targeting civilians. For them, a bus with passengers is an attractive target precisely because a single strike can kill as many people as possible,” Filashkin said.
Russia has denied deliberately targeting civilians but continues to launch missiles and drones at Ukrainian cities.
Zelenskiy said some of the victims of the Kramatorsk attack had yet to be identified and warned that Ukraine would respond.
The violence was not limited to eastern Ukraine.
Three people were killed and 14 others wounded in attacks on Kyiv on Thursday, according to the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko.
Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital have intensified in recent weeks, hitting warehouses and data centres while also targeting infrastructure linked to the country’s electricity supply ahead of winter.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of deliberately escalating the attacks.
“Putin and his regime have no intention of stopping the killing,” Sybiha said.
“On the contrary, they are escalating it, turning ordinary civilian life into a target for Russian bombs.”
The latest attacks come as Ukraine continues efforts to regain momentum on the battlefield, even as Russian forces maintain a sustained campaign of airstrikes across the country.
