‘Vladimir, STOP!’: Trump tells Putin after deadly Kyiv strike

Trump calls on Putin to stop attacks on Ukraine, amid escalating violence and casualties in Kyiv.

Donald Trump on Thursday (April 24, 2025) called on Vladimir Putin to halt attacks on Ukraine, in a rare rebuke of the Russian leader after Moscow fired missiles and drones at Kyiv in the deadliest attack on the capital in months.

The U.S. president’s direct appeal to Mr. Putin came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his allies to put Russia under more pressure to halt its invasion.

Mr. Zelenskyy cut short a trip to South Africa to deal with the aftermath of the strikes, the latest in a wave of Russian aerial attacks that have killed dozens of civilians.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes,” Mr. Trump said on social media. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”

Mr. Trump was asked by reporters what concessions Moscow had offered in negotiations to end the war.

“Stopping taking the whole country — pretty big concession,” he replied.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, hoping to take the country in days, but has since been bogged down in a bloody war with huge casualties on both sides.