1,155 days of war in Ukraine have passed, and today a deadly large-scale Russian attack leaves at least 9 dead, including several children, a dozen missing, and 80 injured. The attack, which began around 1 a.m., hit at least five neighborhoods in the Ukrainian capital.Russia launched at least 70 missiles and 145 drones against Ukraine, most in Kiev, said the Ukrainian Air Force.
Following this attack, Kiev accuses Moscow of disregarding peace efforts with these "brutal attacks." "Russia, not Ukraine, is the obstacle to peace," said the Ukrainian Foreign Minister. Meanwhile, Moscow stated that Zelenski's "inability" to reach an agreement is becoming "clearer by the minute."
The attack on the capital, the deadliest since summer, occurred hours after Donald Trump accused the Ukrainian president of hindering a peace agreement. The President of USA, opposed to Ukraine joining NATO, demands that Volodimir Zelenski accept Russia's military gains, such as the annexed Crimea. Ukraine will not cross its red line: a Crimea officially Russian.
A senior European official told the Financial Times that the Trump administration has been informed that European countries would not recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
Zelenski has shortened his stay in South Africa, where he met with President Ramaphosa, who heads the G-20, and is returning to Kiev after today's massacre.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff, considered Donald Trump's most trusted negotiator, will make his fourth trip to Moscow this week.
UK imposes sanctions on Russia's software and technology sector
The British government announced 150 new sanctions against Russia affecting the software and technology sector used in defense and energy, including the prohibition of video game controllers used to pilot drones on the front lines in Ukraine.
In a statement announcing these sanctions, the British Foreign Office Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty, said that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, thought he "could use British markets to boost his war effort, buying harmless goods and turning them into tools of war, but the UK is exposing and acting accordingly."
He added that the Labour government's measure "suppresses Russia's clandestine trade and deprives Putin of the goods he desperately needs to fight his brutal war."
"We will also completely ban the shipment of video game controllers to Russia, thus preventing their use in piloting drones on the front lines, meaning video game consoles will no longer be repurposed for killing in Ukraine," he pointed out.
Zelenski calls for "US to press harder" on Russia to achieve a ceasefire
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenski, called on Thursday for the "United States to press harder" on Russia to achieve a ceasefire.
"We have great hope and trust that the US will press harder and that there will be a complete ceasefire, but it is a very important moment. Who will offer guarantees, especially security guarantees for Ukraine. We do not want a frozen conflict and after a year, two or three, the war starts again," Zelenski said at a joint press conference after meeting with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, in Pretoria.
"I do not see strong pressure on Russia right now, nor any strong package of sanctions against Russian aggression," emphasized the Ukrainian president, emphasizing that with greater pressure, they can "move closer to a complete and unconditional ceasefire."
Trump on Russian attacks on Kiev: "Vladimir, STOP!"
President Donald Trump directed his criticism on Thursday at Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia attacked Kiev with missiles and drones overnight, saying: "Vladimir, STOP!"
"I am not happy with the Russian attacks on Kiev. They are unnecessary and have terrible timing," Trump wrote in a social media post, a day after saying that the Ukrainian leader was hindering peace talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
Macron: Zelenski cannot be expected to accept a ceasefire while Kiev is being bombed
French President Emmanuel Macron declared on Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski cannot be expected to accept ceasefire terms while Kiev, the country's capital, is being bombed.
Baltic countries reject US-backed peace plan ceding Crimea to Russia
The three Baltic states Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, NATO members and bordering hostile Russia, criticized US efforts to pressure Ukraine to cede Crimea and other territories to Moscow as part of a peace deal backed by Washington.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said on Thursday in remarks to Lithuanian public radio that there can be no conversation about recognizing the annexation of Crimea, as this would deny the principles of international law and send a message to aggressors about the possibility of retaining occupied territories.
"By questioning the principles of international law, by questioning sovereignty over Crimea, we are opening a hell from which demons will emerge that no one can contain, and this will mean that the influence of the United States and its ability to establish certain rules derived from its great hyperpower will decrease dramatically," said Budrys, quoted by the broadcaster.
Zelenski calls for more G-20 involvement and global efforts for peace in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski called on Thursday during his State visit to South Africa for the G-20 (group of developed and emerging countries) to play a greater role in defending peace against the Russian invasion and for global efforts to unite to achieve an end to the conflict.
"Today we talked with President (of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa) about the importance of uniting global efforts to exert greater pressure on Russia to achieve peace and stop the war," Zelenski said at a joint press conference after meeting with his South African counterpart at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of the South African government in the capital.