Zelenskyy calls for more pressure on Russia after overnight attacks

Published 1:11 pm Sunday, April 6, 2025

KIEV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more pressure on Russia after it hit Kiev and other parts of Ukraine with fresh missile and drone attacks overnight.

“These attacks are (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s response to all international diplomatic efforts. Each of our partners — the United States, all of Europe, the entire world — has seen that Russia intends to continue the war and the killing,” Zelenskyy posted on X on Sunday.

“The pressure on Russia is still insufficient, and the daily Russian strikes on Ukraine prove it,” he said, detailing more than 1,460 guided bombs, almost 670 drones and 30 missiles targeting Ukraine over the past week.

“Every strike targets our people, our children. They are waging war against children playing on playgrounds,” he posted.

In a later video message, Zelenskyy once again called for the delivery of air defense systems already promised by the allies.

“’Patriots,’ which are simply being kept in storage by our partners, should actually be protecting lives,” the Ukrainian warned.

At the same time he called on Europe and the U.S. to increase their production of defense systems and the necessary missiles. He also asked for political measures to enable the production of such weapons in Ukraine.

Kremlin negotiator expects fresh US talks soon

Zelenskyy’s comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio leveled accusations that Putin was trying to play for time and not committed to ceasefire efforts.

Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev said contact between Russia and the U.S. could resume as early as next week, state news agency TASS reported, citing remarks to Moscow’s First Channel television station.

Dmitriev did not specify the location or format of such talks. The envoy had spoken with representatives of Trump’s administration in Washington just last week.

According to Dmitriev, those talks touched on the war in Ukraine, but above all centered on reestablishing economic ties with the U.S. He said that many U.S. companies wanted to return to Russia.

Amid Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, U.S.-Russian ties have been all but frozen; however Trump and his team have sought to end the war and in doing so appear to be ready to make concessions to Moscow on many points.

Dmitriev said that there were still many opponents of dialogue between Moscow and Washington in the U.S. leadership. Other countries were also trying to disrupt the “fragile hope” of a thawing in ties. He demanded something be done to counter such attacks “so as not to destroy the thaw that is taking place.”

Kiev hit in fresh missile attacks

Russia, continuing its attacks unabated amid new diplomacy efforts, launched multiple ballistic missiles towards Ukraine, also targeting the capital Kyiv, the Kyiv Independent reported on Sunday, citing Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Klitschko spoke of explosions, three injuries, a partially destroyed office block and falling debris from damaged buildings. Fires were also reported in several districts of the capital. Rescue workers were sent to tend to the injured.

Klitschko later announced that a man had been found dead on a street that had been hit by the attack. According to the Kyiv Independent, Russian attacks hit targets throughout Ukraine overnight.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported a combined attack by 23 missiles and cruise missiles and 109 drones. Thirteen missiles had been intercepted, it said, adding that air defenses were virtually useless against Iskander missiles, a short-range ballistic missile.

Forty drones of Iranian design had also been shot down, it said, along with 53 dummy drones without warheads used to distract air defenses.

The air force reported damage in the Kiev, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy and Mykolaiv regions. The regional military administration in the southern city of Mykolaiv reported at least two residential buildings were on fire after being hit by combat drones.