Russia has launched its largest wave of strikes on Ukraine since Thursday, when President Donald Trump urged his Russian counterpart to halt attacks on Moscow’s neighbor, according to an independent investigative Russian news outlet.
Newsweek has reached out to the Kremlin for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Trump is faltering in his efforts to broker peace talks to end the conflict. As Russia and Ukraine struggle to reach mutually acceptable terms, Trump has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop his attacks on the war-torn country and has expressed his disappointment in the leader for continuing military actions.
What To Know
Russia attacked Ukraine’s Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Donetsk, Sumy and Cherkasy regions with 149 drones on Sunday night. It marked the largest attack on the country since Trump urged Putin to stop military actions on Thursday, news site Agentstvo reported.
Of these drones, Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 57, while 67 didn’t reach their targets, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Ukraine’s military also launched drones into Russian territory. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted and downed 115 drones over Russian land overnight—the majority over the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine.
Last week, Trump urged Putin to “STOP!” after his military launched an attack on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, killing at least 12 people.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying.” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Trump’s administration said that it would abandon diplomatic efforts to end the war if Russia and Ukraine didn’t accept a Washington peace proposal soon.
Trump criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 23 after Kyiv’s leader said he wouldn’t accept Russia’s demands to legally recognize the annexation of Crimea. The Black Sea peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014, but is internationally recognized as Ukrainian.
“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelensky told reporters on April 22. “It is against our constitution.”
Trump and Zelensky met one-on-one at the Vatican on Saturday where talks went well.
After that meeting, Trump was asked by reporters if Zelensky might be willing to give up Crimea. The U.S. president responded: “Oh, I think so, yeah. Look, Crimea was 12 years ago.”
What People Are Saying
Vice President JD Vance told reporters in India on April 23: “We have engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy and on-the-ground work. We really tried to understand things from the perspectives of both Ukrainians and Russians. I think that we put together a very fair proposal.
“It’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process. The current lines, somewhere close to them is where you’re ultimately, I think, going to draw the new lines in the conflict.”
What Happens Next
A meeting between Trump and Putin is being planned. The U.S. president has said he may meet with his Russian counterpart “shortly” after his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates in May.
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