Zelenskyy calls for more pressure on Russia after deadly Kyiv missile strike

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected Thursday said a Russian missile onslaught connected a nine-story Kyiv flat building was a motion that much unit indispensable beryllium applied connected Moscow to hold to a ceasefire, arsenic Moscow intensifies attacks successful the three-year war.

The drone and rocket onslaught connected Kyiv aboriginal connected Tuesday, the deadliest battle connected the superior this year, killed 28 radical crossed the metropolis and injured 142 more, Kyiv Military Administration caput Tymur Tkachenko said connected Thursday.

Zelenskyy, on with the caput of the statesmanlike bureau Andrii Yermak and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the tract of the flat gathering successful Kyiv’s Solomianskyi territory Thursday morning, laying flowers and paying tribute to the 23 radical who died determination aft a nonstop deed by a rocket collapsed the structure.

“This onslaught is simply a reminder to the satellite that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing,” Zelenskyy wrote connected Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who helium said are acceptable to unit Russia to “feel the existent outgo of the war.”

Tuesday's onslaught connected Kyiv was portion of a sweeping barrage arsenic Russia erstwhile again sought to overwhelm Ukrainian aerial defenses. Russia fired much than 440 drones and 32 missiles successful what Zelenskyy called 1 of the biggest bombardments of the war, present successful its 4th year.

As Russia proceeds with a summertime offensive connected parts of the astir 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) beforehand line, U.S.-led bid efforts person failed to summation traction. Russian President Vladimir Putin has efficaciously rejected an connection from U.S. President Donald Trump for an contiguous 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional connected a halt connected Ukraine’s mobilization effort and a frost connected Western arms supplies.

Meanwhile, Middle East tensions and U.S. trade tariffs person drawn satellite attraction distant from Ukraine’s pleas for much diplomatic and economical unit to beryllium placed connected Moscow.

Russia successful caller weeks has intensified long-range attacks that person struck municipality residential areas. Yet connected Wednesday, Putin denied that his subject had struck specified targets, saying that attacks were “against subject industries, not residential quarters.”

Speaking to elder quality leaders of planetary quality agencies successful St. Petersburg, Putin said helium was unfastened to talks with Zelenskyy, but repeated his assertion that the Ukrainian person had mislaid his legitimacy aft his word expired past twelvemonth — allegations rejected by Kyiv and its allies.

“We are acceptable for substantive talks connected the principles of a settlement,” Putin said, noting that a erstwhile circular of talks successful Istanbul had led to an speech of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Putin connected Wednesday praised Trump’s propulsion for bid successful Ukraine. But Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote connected X connected Thursday that it was his state that had “unconditionally accepted” the U.S. connection for a ceasefire, and said that Russian claims of willingness to extremity the warfare were “manipulations.”

“It has been precisely 100 days since Ukraine unconditionally accepted the U.S. bid connection to wholly cease fire, enactment an extremity to the killing, and determination guardant with a genuine bid process ... 100 days of Russia escalating panic against Ukraine alternatively than ending it,” Sybiha wrote.

“Ukraine remains committed to peace. Unfortunately, Russia continues to take war, disregarding U.S. efforts to extremity the killing,” helium added.

Overnight connected Wednesday, Russia fired a barrage of 104 Shahed and decoy drones crossed Ukraine, according to the country's aerial force. Of those, 88 were intercepted, jammed, oregon mislaid from radars mid-flight.

There were nary contiguous reports of casualties oregon harm caused by the attack.

___

Follow AP’s sum of the warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine