WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered rare criticism of Vladimir Putin on Thursday, urging the Russian leader to "STOP!" after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.
"I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying." Trump said in a post on his social media platform. "Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!"
Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. The attack killed at least 12 people and injured 90 in the deadliest assault on the city since last July.
A Ukrainian serviceman carries a dog out of a house damaged Thursday by a Russian airstrike in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Trump's frustration is growing as a U.S.-led effort to get a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia has not made progress.
Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday and accused him of prolonging the "killing field" by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula as part of a possible deal. Russia illegally annexed that area in 2014.
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Trump appeared to suggest Putin did himself no favors toward achieving the Kremlin's demand that any peace agreement include Russia keeping control of Crimea as well as Ukrainian territory in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions it seized since invading in February 2022.
Later Thursday during an Oval Office meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump said Crimea was taken from Ukraine without a fight. He also noted that annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula happened under President Barack Obama's watch.
Asked what Putin is doing now to help forge a peace deal, Trump responded, "stopping taking the whole country, pretty big concession."
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting Thursday via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow.
But the notion is one that Ukraine and much of Europe fiercely push back against, arguing that Russia pausing a land grab is hardly a concession.
Zelenskyy repeated many times that recognizing occupied territory as Russia's is a red line for Ukraine. He noted Thursday that Ukraine agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal 44 days ago as a first step to a negotiated peace, but that Moscow's attacks continued.
Trump's criticism of Putin is notable because Trump has repeatedly claimed Russia is more willing than Ukraine to get a deal done.
"I didn't like last night," Trump said of Russia's massive attack on Kyiv, which led to him criticizing Putin. "I wasn't happy with it."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a news conference Thursday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In his dealings with Zelenskyy and Putin, Trump focused on which leader has leverage. Putin has "the cards" and Zelenskyy does not, Trump said repeatedly. At the same time, the new Republican administration took steps toward a more cooperative line with Putin, for whom Trump has long shown admiration.
In his meeting with Norway's Gahr Støre, Trump was to discuss the war in Ukraine, U.S. tariffs and other issues.
Norway, a member of NATO and strong supporter of Ukraine, shares a roughly 123-mile border with Russia.
Gahr Støre said in a social media post Thursday that he would underscore during the talks that "close contact between Norway and the USA is crucial."
"We must contribute to a lasting and just peace in Ukraine," he said.
A residential building is heavily damaged Thursday after a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Putin should "stop lying" when he claims to want "peace" while continuing to bomb Ukraine.
"There is only one answer we are waiting for: Does President Putin agree to an unconditional ceasefire?" said Macron during a visit to Madagascar. Macron added that "the Americans' anger should focus on just one person: President Putin."
During talks last week in Paris, U.S. officials presented a proposal that included allowing Russia to keep control of occupied Ukrainian territory as part of a deal, according to a European official familiar with the matter. The proposal was discussed again Wednesday during talks with U.S., European, and Ukrainian officials.
"The principle of Ukraine's territorial integrity is not something that can be negotiated," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said. "This was the position taken last week and reiterated yesterday in London in a meeting of a similar format."
Asked whether France agreed with Trump's comments that Ukraine's position was to blame for prolonging the war, Lemoine said Ukrainians showed they are open to negotiations while Russia continues its strikes.
"We rather have the impression that it is the Russians who are slowing down the discussions," he said.
President Donald Trump gestures Thursday outside the White House in Washington.
The White House announced Tuesday that Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would visit Moscow this week for a new round of talks with Putin about the war. It would be their fourth meeting since Trump took office in January.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met on Thursday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who also planned talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's national security adviser, Michael Waltz.
Leaders from the 32-member alliance are set to meet in the Netherlands in two months. Trump has pushed them to significantly step up defense spending.
