Ukraine’s President called on the United States to respond to what he described as a “brutally savage” Russian attack, which he stated claimed over 20 lives.
Zelenskyy characterized the strike as targeting “directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed” in .
The assault struck Yarova, a rural town in the Donetsk region. Despite Russia’s denials of civilian targeting, the February 2022 invasion by Moscow has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, .
Zelenskyy further stated, “The Russians continue destroying lives while avoiding new strong sanctions and new strong blows.” He emphasized, “The world must not remain silent. The world must not remain idle… Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death.”
Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin, as reported by citing his Telegram channel, asserted that the strike constituted “pure terrorism” rather than a “military operation.”
Following the strike, Zelenskyy specifically addressed the U.S., Europe, and the G-20 in a post on X, which featured a graphic video depicting the destruction.
Significantly, NATO was not mentioned by Zelenskyy. His appeal for action from Europe and the G-20 coincided with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s travel to the United Kingdom for a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, as confirmed by NATO.
The White House has not yet responded to either the attack or Zelenskyy’s request. Nevertheless, the Trump administration has prioritized ending the severe Russia-Ukraine conflict, with President engaging with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last month, Trump and Putin held a face-to-face meeting, marking the first encounter between the and a U.S. president since 2021. Following this critical meeting, both Trump and Putin expressed confidence in achieving progress towards peace, even though a hoped-for ceasefire agreement was not reached.
Zelenskyy appeared less convinced, recently accusing Trump of granting Putin “what he wanted” during the Alaska summit.
“It’s a pity that Ukraine was not there, because I think President Trump gave Putin what he wanted,” Zelenskyy conveyed to ABC’s Martha Raddatz on Sept. 7.
Digital contacted the White House and NATO, but no immediate replies were received.