New York [US], April 25: President Donald Trump criticized Russia's airstrike on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, which the Ukrainian side announced killed at least 12 people and injured 90 others, and called the move "unnecessary".
"I'm not happy with Russia's air strikes on Kyiv. It's not necessary and the timing is bad," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The U.S. leader urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop" and "complete the peace deal" because "5,000 soldiers are dying every week."
During a reception with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store at the White House on the same day, President Trump went on to say of the attack: "I didn't like last night. I'm not happy with that, we're in the middle of a peace dialogue process and the rocket is launched, that's what I'm not happy with."
Asked if he would impose more sanctions on Russia, Trump said he would answer that question in a week and first wanted to assess the possibility of reaching a deal.
The U.S. leader said he had a deadline for the parties to reach an agreement but did not specify a timeline. "I have my deadline. And then we will have a very different attitude. But I think we have a very good chance of completing (the peace agreement)," The Kyiv Independent quoted the leader as saying, adding that he believes both Russia and Ukraine want peace.
"But they have to sit down at the negotiating table. We've been waiting for a long time. They have to sit at the table and I think we will achieve peace," Trump said.
On the other hand, the owner of the White House said that Russia has shown a willingness for peace by not gaining control of all of Ukraine, calling it a "pretty big concession". President Trump also claimed that he was "putting a lot of pressure on Russia" but did not specify what that pressure was.
According to TASS, Trump suggested that the conflict could drag on if not resolved. He flatly rejected the idea that he was biased to one side in the Ukraine conflict. "I'm not on anyone's side. I only support saving lives. And I want to save a lot of lives, a lot of young people, most of them young people," the leader said.
Trump's statement came as the Ukrainian Air Force on April 24 accused Russia of carrying out a series of strikes with 70 missiles and 145 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on Ukraine, mainly targeting the capital Kyiv, according to Reuters. After the news of the airstrike, Ukrainian President Zelensky decided to cut short his trip to South Africa to return home.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had carried out a major attack on Ukrainian aviation, rocket and space enterprises, factories for manufacturing machinery and armored equipment, rocket fuel and gunpowder facilities. Moscow claims to have hit every target targeted.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
