Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the United States of being unwilling to provide the support Kyiv needs to defend itself against Russia, after a fresh wave of attacks killed 78 people and wounded 215 across Ukraine over two days. He criticised Washington for exploring potential economic cooperation with Moscow while continuing to describe its efforts to end the war as a diplomatic process.

Zelenskyy called on the US to expand Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite network to help its forces strengthen air defences and target Russian ballistic-missile launchers. His remarks came as Russian strikes hit several Ukrainian cities, including Kramatorsk, where local authorities reported dozens of deaths, and the capital, Kyiv, where attacks disrupted water and electricity supplies.

Zelenskyy Challenges Washington Over Military Support

Speaking to reporters in the northern Ukrainian town of Pryluky, Zelenskyy urged Washington to provide Ukraine with greater access to Starlink, arguing that the technology could help the country defend its airspace. He contrasted the assistance provided during the conflict involving Iran with what he said Ukraine needed in its war against Russia.

“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.

The Ukrainian president’s remarks followed comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described the war as being at a stalemate and said Washington would continue working towards a settlement. Zelenskyy challenged that assessment, questioning whether the US was genuinely committed to helping Ukraine.

“So where’s the truth here, where’s the honesty? Where’s the stalemate? … That’s called unwillingness,” he said.

Zelenskyy also questioned Washington’s pursuit of possible economic projects with Russia while describing diplomatic efforts to end the war as stalled.

“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,” he added.

US-Russia Economic Talks Draw Scrutiny

Zelenskyy’s criticism followed a Reuters report that senior Russian and US officials, including US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, had discussed bringing an American investor into the Nord Stream pipelines. The pipelines supplied Russian natural gas to Germany before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.

The reported discussions have added to Kyiv’s concerns about Washington’s approach towards Moscow as Ukraine continues to seek military assistance and stronger economic pressure on Russia.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian negotiators would travel to the United States on Friday and Saturday for discussions. He urged US President Donald Trump to intensify sanctions against Russia and said Ukraine expected its European partners to participate in the talks.

Air defence would be among the key issues on the agenda, Zelenskyy said, as Russian forces continued to launch near-constant attacks on Ukrainian territory.

Kramatorsk Death Toll Rises After Bus Strikes

The death toll in the eastern city of Kramatorsk rose to 35 after a drone attack killed two more people on Thursday, local authorities said. The latest deaths followed an earlier Russian bomb strike that hit two buses, killing passengers and injuring 20 people.

The earlier attack was described by local officials as one of Russia’s biggest single strikes of the year. Images released by authorities showed bodies on a debris-strewn street beside the charred remains of a bus.

Regional governor Vadym Filashkin accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting civilians, alleging that the attack had been intended to inflict mass 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,” he said in a post on Telegram.

Zelenskyy said some of the victims had yet to be identified and warned that Ukraine would respond to the attack.

Elsewhere, a Russian guided aerial bomb killed two people in a village in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, while another person was killed in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, according to local authorities.

The latest casualties followed a large-scale Russian drone and missile assault a day earlier that killed dozens of people. Among the victims were 22 people killed in a residential building in Pryluky, about 130 km east of Kyiv.

Kyiv Hit As Russia Intensifies Air Campaign

The Ukrainian capital was also targeted in Thursday’s attacks. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said four people had been killed and 19 wounded in morning strikes. Damage to infrastructure disrupted water and electricity supplies, with officials warning that restoration work would take time.

Russia has intensified drone attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, targeting facilities including warehouses and data centres while continuing its campaign against Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter.

Russian technology and artificial intelligence company Yandex said it was too early to determine whether equipment at a data centre hit by a Ukrainian drone attack could be restored.

Zelenskyy did not specifically refer to the strike on Yandex but said Ukraine was “mirroring” Russian attacks on data centres.

Ukraine Seeks To Counter Russian Pressure

Kyiv has been trying to regain momentum on the battlefield as Russian territorial gains have slowed this year. However, Moscow’s continued aerial campaign has left Ukrainian cities vulnerable to repeated attacks, placing additional pressure on the country’s air defences and critical infrastructure.

The latest strikes have sharpened Zelenskyy’s appeal for more military assistance and tougher sanctions, while exposing differences between Kyiv and Washington over the assessment of the war and the prospects for negotiations.

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