Closing summary
It’s just past 11pm in Kyiv and Moscow. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
At least 12 people were killed and more than 90 people in Kyiv after waves of Russian drones, ballistic and guided missiles struck the Ukrainian capital early on Thursday. The attack was the biggest and most deadly this year. Two children were among the dead. Russia also carried out strikes against Kharkiv and other cities including Pavlohrad and Zhytomyr, as well as in the Zaporizhzhia region. Russia claimed it had targeted Ukraine’s defence industry.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russians of using a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea in the strike on Kyiv. “If the information that this missile was made in North Korea is confirmed, this will be further proof of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang,” he said in an update late on Thursday.
Donald Trump issued a rare rebuke to Moscow for the Kyiv attack, telling the Russian president in a social media post: “Vladimir, STOP!” The US president is making a renewed push to end the Ukraine war, reportedly on terms favourable to Russia that include recognition of Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea – something Zelenskyy has said he cannot accept.
Trump said he has “my own deadline” amid speculation that he wants to have a ceasefire agreed before his 100th day in office on 30 April. He claimed he was applying pressure on Putin to end the war, claiming that an agreement by Moscow not to take over the entire Ukraine would be a “big concession”. He added that it would “very difficult” for Ukraine to get Crimea back, adding that he had “no allegiance” in the war.
A day before, Trump lashed out at Zelenskyy for failing to support a US “peace plan” in which Crimea and other Ukrainian territories would be handed to Russia. Trump accused Ukraine’s president of prolonging the “killing field” and making “very harmful” statements. Zelenskyy says a complete ceasefire is needed before any settlement can be discussed.
Zelenskyy once again said that Ukraine could not accept US recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The Ukrainian leader was speaking as he visited South Africa, a trip that he then cut short after the Russian assault on Kyiv. Asked whether he thought the US was becoming impatient with the lack of progress towards a peace agreement, Zelenskyy said the cost of the war continuing was ultimately borne by Ukrainian civilians.
The Kremlin said Trump’s position “completely corresponds with our understanding and with what we have been saying for a long time”. Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, said Zelenskyy lacked the capacity to negotiate a deal to end the war – and accused him of trying to “torpedo the emerging peace process at any cost”.
Keir Starmer said the Russian attack on Kyiv was a “real reminder that Russia is the aggressor”. Starmer told broadcasters: “I think it’s a real reminder that Russia is the aggressor here and that is being felt by the Ukrainians, as it has been felt for three long years now. That’s why it’s important to get Russia to an unconditional ceasefire.”
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa praised Zelenskyy during his first visit to South Africa for agreeing to an unconditional ceasefire in the war with Russia so that peace talks could begin. “It is a good signal from president Zelensky that Ukraine is agreeable to an unconditional ceasefire so that discussions and negotiations can then ensue,” Ramaphosa told reporters after talks with the Ukrainian leader.
French president Emmanuel Macron said Putin needed to “stop lying” over wanting peace in Ukraine while continuing to strike the country. “The only thing to do is for president Putin to finally stop lying,” Macron said during a visit to Madagascar. He accused the Russian leader of telling US negotiators “he wants peace” but then continuing “to bombard Ukraine”.
Boris Johnson issued stern criticism of Trump’s Ukraine peace proposals in one of his first apparent censures of the US president, saying under his terms the Ukrainians would “get nothing”.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office said it has identified the body of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who died after spending months in Russian captivity.
A forensic medical examination revealed signs of torture and ill-treatment, it said.
Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Russia-held eastern Ukraine. Her body was discovered among bodies that Russia handed over to Ukraine in February, the office said.
Ukrainian forensic experts were unable to determine the cause of death, but found signs of injuries and possible torture, Yurii Bielousov, head of the war crimes department for Ukraine’s prosecutor general, said on Thursday.
According to the results of the forensic medical examination, numerous signs of torture and ill-treatment were found on the victim’s body, in particular, abrasions and hemorrhages on various parts of the body, and a rib was broken.
