Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy links missile used in Kyiv attack to North Korea

24 Apr, 23:55. AU edition

Rescuers search for 17-year-old Danylo Khudia and his parents at the side of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

At least 12 dead after strikes; Donald Trump calls on Putin to ‘stop’; Zelenskyy holds firm on Crimea. What we know on day 1,157

Volodymyr Zelenskyy rushed home to Ukraine after a devastating attack on Kyiv, cutting short a diplomatic trip to South Africa. At least 12 people were killed, including a brother and sister, aged 21 and 19. The president said rescue workers were still scouring the rubble to search for survivors.
Zelenskyy said on X preliminary analysis had linked the Russian attack to a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea. The president had harsh words for Pyongyang: “If the information that this missile was made in North Korea is confirmed, this will be further proof of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang. They kill people and torment lives together.”
He went on to cite Ukraine’s top military commander, who claimed early on Friday that Russian forces had tried to use the air assault to cover increased ground attacks. Zelenskyy said those forces were “repelled in worthy fashion.”
Donald Trump issued a rare call on Moscow to stop its assault, writing on social media: “Vladimir, STOP!” The White House has insisted it is amping up pressure to end the war and the US president said Thursday he was “not happy with the Russian strikes.” Trump accused Zelenskyy this week of harming talks and getting in the way of a peace deal.
Zelenskyy said during his trip to South Africa Ukraine cannot accept US recognition of the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea.
Boris Johnson said Trump’s peace proposals offer “nothing” to Ukraine. “Putin indiscriminately butchers more Ukrainian civilians, killing and injuring 100 in Kyiv including children,” Johnson wrote on X. “And what is his reward under the latest peace proposals? 1. The right to keep sovereign Ukrainian territory he has taken by violence and in breach of international law.”
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Moscow was “ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points ... which need to be fine-tuned, and we are busy with this”. Donald Trump’s friend Steve Witkoff, a real estate dealer, is due in Russia on Friday and is expected to meet Vladimir Putin. So far Trump “did not spell out the elements of the deal”, Lavrov said on CNN.
Alleged former members of a neo-Nazi group claim its Russia-based, American leader is a Kremlin spy. A website claiming to speak on behalf of those former members alleges Rinaldo Nazzaro, the founder of the terrorist-designated group the Base, is a Kremlin intelligence asset.
Ukraine said Thursday it suspects Russia tortured a Ukrainian reporter who died in captivity. Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, died last September after going missing in 2023 during a reporting trip to Russian-held territory in eastern Ukraine.