Trump wants ‘senseless killing’ in Ukraine to end – US official

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US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

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President Donald Trump wants a peace deal to end the “senseless killing” in Ukraine, a US official said Thursday after a massive Russian barrage on Kyiv killed at least 21 people.

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“President Trump has a humanitarian heart and wants this war settled so the senseless killing ends,” the US official told AFP in response to a query on the Russian attack.

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“The President and his team have worked very hard to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, and he remains optimistic that we’ll ultimately get a peace deal done.”

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Kyiv and Moscow both vowed fresh assaults in the four-year war after the huge overnight barrage, which tore open apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital and sent tens of thousands to shelters.

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Trump said before his return to office last year that he could solve the Ukraine war within 24 hours, but US efforts to broker a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv have so far failed.

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The US leader has railed against the cost of military aid for Kyiv and famously berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February 2025.

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In contrast Trump has taken a largely friendly tone towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, although he has shown growing frustration with Putin’s refusal to end the war.

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Zelensky on Thursday called on allies to discuss speeding up air-defense aid for his war-torn country at the NATO summit in Ankara next week, which Trump will attend.

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AFP

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