U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested that a deadly Russian missile strike on an apartment block in Kyiv, Ukraine, might affect the progression of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters on May 15 aboard Air Force One on his return from a state visit to Beijing, Trump said he had discussed Ukraine with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying that it was a conflict that they would “like to see settled.”
“Until last night, it was looking good, but [Ukraine] took a big hit last night,” he said. “So [the end of the war is] going to happen, but it’s a shame.”
On May 14, a Russian missile strike hit a Kyiv apartment building during the heaviest bombardment of the Ukrainian capital this year, killing 24 people, including three children.
While laying roses at the rubble of the building on May 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Moscow to be punished.
“Ukraine will not allow any of the aggressor’s strikes that take the lives of our people to go unpunished,” Zelenskyy said.
“We are entirely justified in our responses against Russia’s oil industry, weapons industry, and those directly responsible for committing war crimes against Ukraine and Ukrainians.”
According to Ukrainian officials, Russia launched more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles at targets in Ukraine over two consecutive days.
Ukrainian Drone Attacks
At the other end of the war, Moscow said on May 15 that Ukrainian drones had killed four people, including a child, in an overnight strike in the central Russian city of Ryazan.
Pavel Malkov, governor of the Ryazan region, said 99 drones had been involved in the attack, causing damage to two high-rise apartment buildings. Twelve people were also injured.
Both Moscow and Kyiv say they do not deliberately target civilians.
Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, separately said that Ukrainian drones had hit a large oil refinery in Ryazan.
Peace Negotiations
Following his 2024 election victory, Trump reestablished dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has tried to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations.
Among efforts to resolve the conflict was his meeting with Putin in Alaska in August 2025, aimed at bringing Moscow and Kyiv into peace talks.
Trump had recently said that the war in Ukraine is “very close” to ending and that he expects Moscow and Kyiv to reach a settlement.
“The end of the war in Ukraine, I really think it’s getting very close,” Trump told reporters on May 12, as he left the White House for his trip to China.
The comments follow similar remarks from Putin days earlier.
“I think it’s coming to an end, but it’s still a serious matter,” Putin told reporters in Moscow on May 9.
Zelenskyy does not share that optimism, saying on May 11: “Russia has no intention of ending this war. And we are, unfortunately, preparing for new attacks.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
