Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, on Thursday criticized the policies of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, after deadly Russian bombings claimed the lives of at least 35 people in eastern Ukraine. These attacks have raised the death toll over the past two days to more than 70, and Zelensky is concerned about Washington's reluctance to assist Ukraine.
Zelensky's Criticism of U.S. Policy
While speaking to reporters in Pryluky, Zelensky urged the U.S. to respond positively to his requests for expanding Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite service. He stated clearly: "Open Starlink for Ukraine. You opened it when you were responding to Iran. I have made it very clear: give it to us, help us defend and control our skies; then Putin will sit at the negotiating table."
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The President of Ukraine also referred to the shortage of interceptor missiles for defense systems, describing it as the "biggest defensive challenge" for his country against Russian missile attacks. He is seeking permission from Trump to produce these missiles in Ukraine, but the supply of these missiles has been slow due to resource shortages and complex logistical conditions.
Casualties and Consequences of the Attacks
In the past two days, reports indicate that 78 people have died and 215 have been injured as a result of Russian attacks on various regions of Ukraine. A guided aerial bomb in a village in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk killed two people, and another person died in Ivano-Frankivsk. These attacks followed a large-scale drone and missile assault by Russia that claimed dozens of lives and caused significant damage to Ukraine's infrastructure.
Zelensky also reacted to statements by Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, who described the war as being at an impasse, saying: "So where is the truth, where is the honesty? Where is the impasse? This is called reluctance; you cannot negotiate with the Russians on future economic projects on one hand and say that we are in some kind of diplomatic deadlock on the other."
He also announced that Ukrainian negotiators would soon travel to the U.S. for discussions and urged Trump to increase sanctions pressure on Russia. Zelensky emphasized that given the relentless Russian attacks, the issue of air defense must be seriously addressed in these negotiations.
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