Donald Trump has today condemned Russian strikes on Kyiv, asking Vladimir Putin to stop his assault on Ukraine. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing,” the US President posted on Truth Social at 8:24 Eastern Time. He added: “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

The social media post marks Trump’s most significant criticism yet of Russia’s breaches of the temporary ceasefire proposed by Putin last weekend. At least nine people have been killed and a further 70 injured following Russian drone and missile attacks launched on the Ukrainian capital early today.

Just yesterday, Trump claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky’s refusal to accept US terms during negotiations “will do nothing but prolong” the war, referring to the Ukrainian President’s statements on the subject as “inflammatory” and “very harmful” to a peace deal. He also said that he preferred negotiating with Moscow than Kyiv, stating: “I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky. So far, it’s been harder.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has admitted that the US President’s “patience is running very thin” with his Ukrainian counterpart.

At the same time, Trump said late last month that he was “very angry” and “pissed off” about Putin’s criticism of Zelensky’s legitimacy in office. In response, the Kremlin claimed that US-Russia relations were unaffected by the comments. Zelensky has repeatedly accused Russia of breaking the terms of various ceasefires, and on Monday argued that Moscow had breached its own Easter agreement almost 3,000 times.

As part of US efforts to bring the Ukraine war to an end, Trump has called on Kyiv to recognise Crimea as Russian territory, as well as accept the land gains made by Putin’s army since the 2022 invasion — terms Zelensky has previously rejected. Part of the deal also stipulates that Ukraine will be unable to join Nato, which Kyiv also rejects. The American President has described the document presented by officials in Paris last week as his “final offer”, while Vice President JD Vance this week threatened to walk away from talks if US demands are not met.