Zelensky Accuses US of Unwillingness as Russian Strikes Kill 78 Across Ukraine in Two Days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the United States of being unwilling to help Ukraine defend itself after two days of relentless Russian strikes killed at least 78 people and wounded 215 others across the country.

The deadliest single attack occurred in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, where Russian glide bombs tore through two passenger buses on Thursday, killing at least 35 people and wounding 18 others. Regional governor Vadym Filashkin said the strike was deliberately designed to maximize civilian casualties.

“The Russians are deliberately targeting civilians. For them, a bus full of passengers is an attractive target precisely because a single strike can kill as many people as possible,” Filashkin said.

The Kramatorsk attack came a day after a mass Russian drone and missile assault killed dozens across Ukraine, including 22 people in a residential building in the central town of Pryluky, about 130 kilometers east of Kyiv. Among the dead in Pryluky were five children, three of them approximately one year old.

Speaking to reporters in Pryluky, Zelensky issued an emotional appeal to Washington to expand Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite service to help target Russian ballistic missile launchers.

“Open Starlink for Ukraine. You did open it when you were responding to Iran. I’ve said quite openly – give it to us, help us defend our skies and dominate there. And then Putin will sit down at the negotiating table,” he said.

Zelensky directed sharp criticism at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who earlier on Thursday said the war had reached a stalemate and that Washington would continue working toward a settlement.

“So where’s the truth here, where’s the honesty? Where’s the stalemate? That’s called unwillingness,” Zelensky said. “One cannot, on the one hand, negotiate with the Russians about future economic projects, whilst on the other hand say that we find ourselves in some sort of diplomatic stalemate.”

The Ukrainian leader’s remarks came as Reuters reported that top Russian and US officials, including US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, have held talks about bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines that once delivered Russian gas to Germany.

Zelensky said Ukrainian negotiators will travel to the United States on Friday and Saturday for talks, urging US President Donald Trump to increase sanctions pressure on Russia. He also said he expected European partners to join the discussions and that air defense would be a key issue raised given the near-constant Russian attacks.

Separately, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that three people were killed and 14 wounded in morning attacks on the Ukrainian capital. Russia has unleashed relentless drone strikes against Kyiv in recent weeks, targeting warehouses, data centers and renewing its campaign against Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter.

“Putin and his regime have no intention of stopping the killing,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. “On the contrary, they are escalating it, turning ordinary civilian life into a target for Russian bombs.”