Trump Tells Putin ‘STOP!’ After Russia Launches Deadliest Airstrikes on Kyiv in Months

Former President Donald Trump took to social media with a stark message for Russian President Vladimir Putin following a devastating Russian missile and drone barrage on Kyiv — the deadliest in nine months. “Vladimir, STOP!” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, “5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

The overnight assault, which targeted 13 locations across the Ukrainian capital, killed at least 12 people and injured 90 more. Ukraine’s emergency services warned that additional casualties may still be trapped beneath the rubble, as rescue operations continued through the day.

Russia launched 70 missiles and 145 drones in the coordinated attack, which struck residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv. It marked the most severe attack on the city since July 2024, when an airstrike killed 33 people.

Air raid sirens blared for six straight hours as terrified residents hunkered down. “The first thing I felt was fear,” said Iryna Dzen, who lives in one of the hardest-hit areas. “You don’t know if your family is alive. We ran to the corridor—it felt safer—and started calling everyone.”

Images from emergency responders showed buildings engulfed in flames, while engineers, rescue workers, and dogs searched for survivors amid the rubble in Kyiv’s Sviatoshyn district.

Among the victims: a 21-year-old man and his 19-year-old sister.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in South Africa when the attack hit, cut his trip short and announced his immediate return to Ukraine. Speaking to reporters before Trump’s social media post, Zelensky described the attack as one of the “most complex and daring” Russia has launched to date.

“This is about our survival,” he said. “We’re being very direct. I don’t see strong pressure on Russia or new sanctions being imposed for this aggression.”

Zelensky also pushed back against U.S. pressure to agree to a ceasefire, warning that accepting such a deal while under attack would be a dangerous concession. “The fact that Ukraine is ready to sit down after a full ceasefire is already a big compromise,” he said.

Trump’s sharp words come amid renewed tensions with Zelensky, particularly over the future of Crimea. U.S. officials have floated a controversial peace proposal that would formally recognize Russia’s control over the annexed region — a plan that would mark a major shift in U.S. policy and break with long-held international norms against altering borders by force.

Zelensky has firmly rejected the idea, citing Ukraine’s constitution and sovereignty. In response, Trump criticized the Ukrainian leader’s stance as “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia,” accusing him of making “inflammatory statements.”

Adding to the pressure, U.S. Vice President JD Vance weighed in from India, warning that Ukraine and Russia have received a “very explicit proposal” and must now decide. “It’s time for them to either say ‘yes,’ or for the U.S. to walk away,” Vance said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s interior minister reported that eight regions across the country were targeted in the latest Russian onslaught, including Dnipro, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia, calling it a “massive combined Russian attack.”