Russia killed at least 12 people and injured 90 others in a huge attack on the Ukrainian capital early Thursday, prompting President Trump to issue a rare public critique of Moscow just hours after he lashed out at President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
The assault was the deadliest on the capital, Kyiv, since last summer. Explosions shook buildings and sent more than 16,000 people into the subway system to take shelter; clouds of smoke rose over the city as the sun came up.
One missile hit a two-story building with 12 apartments where emergency workers hunted for survivors. A five-story building next door lost all its windows. People stood outside, staring at the damage and talking on their phones, telling loved ones that they were alive. No military target was visible nearby.
Mr. Zelensky said nearly 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, and about 150 attack drones had targeted cities across the country — although Kyiv was hit the hardest.
About the same time, Mr. Trump lashed out at President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia about the attack, showing how his administration’s positions can seem to flip-flop without warning.
“Vladimir, STOP!” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, saying that he was “not happy” with the Russian strikes. “Not necessary, and very bad timing,” the post added.
The attack came hours after Mr. Trump and his top aides demanded that Kyiv accept an American-designed plan that would seemingly grant Russia all the territory it has gained in the war, which started with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The plan also offered Kyiv only vague assurances about future security. So far, Mr. Zelensky has said Ukraine cannot accept such a deal.
Before cutting short a trip to South Africa, which currently holds the presidency of the Group of 20, Mr. Zelensky said at a news conference in Pretoria that he saw no indication Russia was being pressured to agree to a cease-fire. He said that with more pressure brought on Moscow, “we will be able to get closer to a complete, unconditional cease-fire.” To him, Mr. Zelensky added, the attack on Kyiv instead appeared intended to pressure the United States.
“We were attacked, we were occupied, many children, and adults were buried alive,” he said. “This is a big compromise that we are ready to sit at the negotiating table with terrorists.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, who was at the same news conference, threw his weight behind Ukraine, criticizing what he called precondition before negotiations began. He reaffirmed that “the only path to peace is through diplomacy, inclusive dialogue and a commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter.”
Since Mr. Trump took office in January, his administration has echoed Kremlin talking points in the war, a reversal of previous U.S. policy under the Biden administration. Over the past week, the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the peace process, claiming that the two sides were both intransigent.
On Wednesday, planned peace talks in London were downgraded, largely because the United States decided not to attend.
Mr. Trump later called Mr. Zelensky “inflammatory” in a post on social media and said the Ukrainian president would only “prolong the ‘killing field.’”
In his Truth Social post on Thursday, Mr. Trump said he wanted to “get the Peace Deal DONE!” He also said in the Oval Office on Thursday while sitting beside Norway’s prime minister, “I have my own deadline” for when Russia and Ukraine need to strike a peace deal. “We want it to be fast,” he added.
Mr. Trump said he had “no allegiance” to either side in the Russia-Ukraine war and that his only goal was to stop the war and save lives. He said Russia has made a “pretty big concession” to end the war. Later, when pressed about what concessions Russia has offered, Mr. Trump replied, “Stopping taking the whole country.”
Mr. Zelensky earlier pointed out that in March Ukraine accepted a U.S. proposal for a 30-day cease-fire but that Mr. Putin has refused to agree to that plan. While Mr. Putin did announce a temporary truce for Easter Sunday, it seemed more of a public relations stunt than a cease-fire along the front line. Ukrainian cities, at least, were largely spared for the truce’s 30 hours.
But that was not the case early on Thursday. Shortly after midnight, the first air alarms sounded.
Yevhenii Plakhotnikov, 40, lives just across the street from the two-story apartment building struck by a missile. He said that he had awaken to the alarm, heard the buzzing sound of drones and then started getting dressed. A message on Telegram — the messaging platform that many Ukrainians rely on for missile alerts — said a ballistic missile had been launched.
Mr. Plakhotnikov said he went to the hallway to put on his shoes.
“While I was putting on the second sneaker, I heard the first explosion,” he recalled in an interview. “Then I heard something heavy fall. All my interior doors were torn in half. I opened the door and saw shrapnel flying.”
He said he helped get other people out of his building. There, one man was standing, covered in blood.
Tetyana Hrynenko, 58, stood on the street, covering her mouth with her hands and looking up at her ruined apartment next to the flattened building.
“The most important thing is that we are alive,” said Ms. Hrynenko, adding that she had heard two explosions, seen clouds of dust and smelled burning. She added: “People were shouting and asking for help. I looked out into the stairwell, and there were no stairs. And I live on the fifth floor.”
Residents managed to clear the stairwell of debris, allowing Ms. Hrynenko and others to make it outside.
On Thursday afternoon, dozens of classmates and friends of Danylo Khudya, 17, came to hold a vigil. The teenager, known as Danya, was missing under the rubble, along with his parents. Watching the emergency workers dig, the boys were stone-faced, while many of the girls, including Danya’s girlfriend, sobbed inconsolably.
“I am waiting for Danya,” said one friend, Denys, 19, who did not want to give his last name.
Ukrainian officials have said that Russia has only intensified attacks against civilians since the start of U.S.-led peace negotiations.
The attack on Kyiv on Thursday was one of the deadliest of the war and the worst in the capital since July, when Russian missiles destroyed a children’s hospital and killed more than 20 people throughout the city. Recent deadly missile strikes have also targeted the cities of Sumy and Kryvyi Rih, inflicting heavy civilian casualties.
By Thursday evening, the death toll in Kyiv had climbed as emergency workers recovered more bodies from the rubble. Just after 5 p.m. local time, an emergency worker walked up to the huddle of teenagers and asked for any identifying marks of Danya. The workers had spotted a teenage boy’s body in the rubble. The teenagers volunteered some through their tears.
“Your friend is not with us anymore,” the worker told the teenagers, who burst into tears and hugged each other. And then, defeated, they left to go home.
Those affected by the strike said that they wanted the war to end but could not see accepting a one-sided deal that would benefit Russia.
“Yesterday, we were very disappointed that the negotiations hadn’t moved forward, and then overnight, it hit me directly,” said Ms. Hrynenko while surveying her damaged apartment. “I am disappointed. Exhausted.”
Mr. Plakhotnikov said he did not know of a way out for Ukraine.
“There’s no point in continuing the war,” he said, “but it’s also impossible to stop.”
Reporting was contributed by Andrew E. Kramer from Kharkiv, Ukraine; Oleksandra Mykolyshyn from Kyiv, Ukraine; Jonathan Swan from Washington; and Zimasa Matiwane from Johannesburg, South Africa.
