Ukraine’s president said Russian strikes killed 78 people and wounded 215 over two days, and called on Washington to expand Kyiv’s access to Starlink.
A Russian strike tore through two buses in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least 30 people were killed. Regional authorities reported 18 people wounded. The figures were part of the nationwide two-day toll he cited.
A day earlier, a large Russian drone and missile attack killed dozens of people across Ukraine. Zelensky said 22 people died in a residential building in Pryluky, in the country’s central region. Three more people were killed and 14 wounded in Kyiv on Thursday morning, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Zelensky asked the United States to expand Ukraine’s use of Starlink to help its forces target Russian ballistic missile launchers. He also criticised Washington for discussing economic projects with Moscow while the war continues. Reuters reported that Russian and US officials had discussed bringing an American investor into Nord Stream pipeline projects.
Ukrainian negotiators are due to travel to the United States on Friday and Saturday. Zelensky urged President Donald Trump to increase sanctions pressure on Russia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the war as a stalemate, an assessment Zelensky rejected. Russia denies targeting civilians.