Zelenskiy Accuses US of Unwillingness as Russian Strikes Kill Over 70 in Two Days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said 78 people were killed and 215 wounded in Russian attacks across the country over the past two days according to Reuters data. The deadliest hit came Thursday in Kramatorsk, where a bomb tore through two buses and the toll reached 35 after a later drone strike. A day earlier, a mass drone and missile assault killed 22 people in an apartment building in Pryluky, about 130 km east of Kyiv.

Zelenskiy Presses US on Starlink and Air Defence

Speaking in Pryluky, Zelenskiy urged Washington to widen Ukraine’s access to Starlink so it can target Russian ballistic-missile launchers, noting the service was opened up during the Iran response. He rejected US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s claim that the war is at a stalemate, calling the US stance “unwillingness.” He also criticised talks on future economic projects with Russia while Washington acts as mediator. Reuters reported that US envoy Jared Kushner and Russian officials discussed bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines.

Ukraine Talks, Sanctions and Data Centre Attacks

Ukrainian negotiators travel to the US on Friday and Saturday, with European partners expected to join. Kyiv will raise air defences and urge President Donald Trump to tighten sanctions on Russia. Russia has also stepped up strikes on warehouses, data centres and the power grid ahead of winter. Yandex said it cannot yet confirm whether equipment at a data centre hit by a Ukrainian drone can be restored, and Zelenskiy said Ukraine is “mirroring” Russian attacks.