Ukraine-Russia war: Strikes kill 25 as Trump cut Vladimir Putin’s 50-day deadline
Russia has pounded Ukraine with missiles just hours after Donald Trump shortened his deadline for Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine or risk facing new sanctions.
Russia says it wants peace in Ukraine hours despite mounting attacks that killed at least 25 people, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman.
The strikes came a day after US President Donald Trump shortened his deadline for Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine or face new sanctions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of wilfully targeting a prison in the Zaporizhzhia region -- that Russia claims as its own -- killing 16 people and wounding dozens others on Wednesday morning (AEST).
“It was a deliberate strike, intentional, not accidental. The Russians could not have been unaware that they were targeting civilians in that facility,” Mr Zelensky said on social media in response.
The Kremlin denied the claim.
“The Russian army does not strike civilian targets,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Ukraine’s justice ministry said Russian forces hit the prison in Bilenke with four glide bombs. Police said 16 inmates were killed and 43 wounded.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia also launched 37 drones and two missiles overnight, adding that its air defence systems had downed 32 of the drones.
One attack targeted a hospital in the town of the Kamyanske in the Dnipropetrovsk region, wounding 22 people.
Three people were killed in the attack, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman, Mr Zelensky said.
Separate strikes in the eastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia killed six people, regional authorities said.
The attacks came hours after Mr Trump said he was shaving the deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt the Ukraine war from 50 days to 10-12 days.
“I really felt it was going to end. But every time I think it’s going to end he kills people,” Mr Trump said on Tuesday.
“I’m not so interested in talking (to him) anymore,” he added.
Mr Peskov said Moscow had “taken note” of the new deadline and that it remained “committed to the peace process to resolve the conflict around Ukraine and secure our interests.”
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‘10 OR 12 DAYS’: TRUMP RAMPS UP WARNING TO RUSSIA
Donald Trump set Vladimir Putin a new deadline of “10 or 12 days” – instead of the initial 50 days – to end the war in Ukraine in an attempt to punish the Russian President for failing to negotiate a peace deal so far.
Mr Trump handed Mr Putin the 50-day ultimatum earlier this month, warning Moscow to make an agreement with Ukraine within 50 days from July 14, or risk being slapped with 100 per cent secondary tariffs.
“I’m going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today. There’s no reason in waiting, we just don’t see any progress being made,” the US President told reporters as he met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his luxury golf course in Turnberry in western Scotland on Tuesday morning (AEDT).
“I’m disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him.
“We’re going to have to look and I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number,” Mr Trump said.
Ukraine praised Mr Trump for his hard line approach towards Mr Putin.
“Thanks to President Trump for standing firm and delivering a clear message of peace through strength,” Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak said.
“When America leads with strength, others think twice.”
On July 14, Mr Trump said he was “very unhappy” with Russia as they continued to incessantly bomb Ukraine.
“We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,” Mr Trump said at the time.
“I’m disappointed in Putin because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn’t seem to get there.”
Russia described the ultimatum as “very serious” and would take time to review it.
RUSSIA STRIKES AS UKRAINE FIRES BACK WITH DRONE ATTACK
It comes after Russia struck several regions of Ukraine last weekend, reporting one person killed in Dnipro, while Moscow said two people died after a Ukrainian drone attack in the Rostov region.
Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said one person was killed in a high-rise apartment complex on Saturday.
Across the border, Russia’s acting governor of Rostov said a car caught fire following a drone strike.
“Tragically, two people died,” Yuri Sliusar posted on Telegram. Ukrainian officials in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia all reported coming under Russian fire overnight.
In Dnipro, Filatov urged people to take precautions during Russian attacks. “I understand that there aren’t enough shelters, but I must say: during shelling, it is absolutely not advisable to stay on the upper floors, especially when there is an underground parking area available,” he posted on Telegram.
Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said that his city had come under sustained bombardment “for almost three hours”.
“The enemy used several types of weapons simultaneously: guided bombs, ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones,” he added.
In Zaporizhzhia, Governor Ivan Fedorov said several fires broke out following Russian drone attacks, one of which hit a residential building while another damaged a farm warehouse.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for a meeting with counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war, with Kyiv proposing talks by the end of August.
But the Kremlin on Thursday downplayed the likelihood any such meeting was imminent.
Both sides have radically different positions at the negotiating table, and Ukraine has accused Russia of sending only low-level officials with no decision-making power.
Russia has called on Ukraine to effectively cede four regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable.
Ukraine meanwhile has been pleading with its Western backers to send more weapons for its troops to withstand daily Russian attacks.
– with AFP
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Originally published as Ukraine-Russia war: Strikes kill 25 as Trump cut Vladimir Putin’s 50-day deadline