Russia ramped up its drone assault on Ukraine on Sunday, one day after President Trump expressed a new skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interest in ending the three-year conflict.
The latest Russian strikes killed at least four people across Ukraine, officials said, with attacks targeting Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region and Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who met with Mr. Trump face-to-face at Pope Francis’ funeral Saturday, said Sunday that “more tangible pressure on Russia is needed” to create diplomacy, and the situation remains “difficult.”
“Ukraine continues to defend its independence and its land in battles,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in a message posted on X. “The situation on the frontline and the real activity of the Russian army prove that the current global pressure on Russia is insufficient to bring this war to an end.”
Trump administration proposals that Ukraine recognize that ending the war will require ceding territory to the Russians, including Crimea, have met with stiff resistance in Kyiv.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” said Oleksandr Merezkho, a lawmaker with Mr. Zelenskyy’s party. “We will never recognize Crimea as part of Russia.”
SEE ALSO: Sen. Chuck Schumer says he’s concerned President Trump will ‘sell out’ Ukraine, ‘cave’ to Putin
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Mr. Putin supports the American effort to stop the fighting and that Moscow only attacked military targets. The interview published on Sunday was recorded on Thursday.
“Regarding the ceasefire and regarding the call to stop, President Putin immediately supported President Trump’s proposal [a] few weeks ago to establish a 30-day ceasefire provided we do not repeat mistakes of the last 10 years, when deals were signed and then Ukraine would violate those deals with the support and with encouragement from Biden administration and from European countries,” Mr. Lavrov told CBS’s “Face The Nation.”
Mr. Trump has expressed outrage about Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine. Last week, he posted a message saying “Vladimir, STOP!” and urged Mr. Putin to pursue peace and end the killing of thousands of soldiers.
“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday. “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!”
Mr. Trump met with Mr. Zelenskyy at the papal funeral for the first time since their clash in the Oval Office in February.
Democrats remain concerned that Mr. Trump will make too many concessions to Russia.
SEE ALSO: Rubio says Russia-Ukraine peace deal ‘needs to happen soon’
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Sunday he is worried Mr. Trump will cave to Mr. Putin’s demands and the New York Democrat said it would be a “moral tragedy” if the president turned his back on Ukraine.
“It is a sign that the United States is weak,” Mr. Schumer told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It sends a signal to every dictator in China, in North Korea, in Iran that if you stand up and bully Trump, you are going to get your way.”
Trump administration officials, however, have indicated they believe Mr. Trump’s efforts are making significant progress.
White House National Security Adviser Michael Waltz told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that Mr. Trump is “determined to use both carrots and sticks to get both sides to the table.”
Mr. Waltz said Mr. Trump seeks to bring the conflict to a “permanent end with European-led security architecture.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday he believed Russia and Ukraine are edging toward a peace deal sought by Mr. Trump but “it’s still not there.”
“He’s trying to bring this war to an end, and we’ve made real progress,” Mr. Rubio told NBC’s “Meet The Press.” “But those last couple steps of this journey were always going to be the hardest ones, and it needs to happen soon.”
Upcoming talks this week will be “very critical,” according to Mr. Rubio.
“This week is going to be a really important week in which we have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in, or if it’s time to sort of focus on some other issues that are equally, if not more, important in some case,” Mr. Rubio said.
• Alex Miller contributed to this article, which is based in part on wire service reports.
