Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia is “prepared” to come to an agreement with Ukraine, as mentioned in an interview with CBS News that was uploaded online.
In the interview, Mr. Lavrov remarked, “US President Donald Trump speaks of a deal, and we are ready to finalize one, but there are still certain specific components that require further adjustments.”
He added, “There are several indications that we are progressing in the right direction.”
When asked about a recent surge of attacks on Ukraine that resulted in at least 12 fatalities and numerous injuries in Kyiv, Mr. Lavrov responded: “We exclusively aim at military objectives or civilian facilities utilized by the military.”
Previously, Mr. Trump delivered a rare criticism of the Kremlin via social media: “I am not pleased with the Russian strikes,” he tweeted. “They are unnecessary and poorly timed. Vladimir, STOP!”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky abruptly cut short a trip to South Africa to return to Kyiv urgently following yesterday’s deadly Russian strike on the capital.
Zelensky: Missile that killed 12 in Kyiv strike was North Korean
Mr. Zelensky disclosed that the Russian missile that impacted a residential building in Kyiv yesterday, resulting in 12 deaths, was supplied by North Korea, corroborating an earlier report from Reuters.
One of the assaults targeted an apartment building in Kyiv
A North Korean KN-23 (KN-23A) missile struck a residential complex in the Sviatoshynskyi district, located west of Kyiv’s center, during a significant aerial assault by Russia, a Ukrainian military source reported.
“Based on preliminary data, the Russians deployed a ballistic missile produced in North Korea. Our intelligence services are verifying all the details,” Mr. Zelensky mentioned on X, without offering additional information.
Russia has not responded to Mr. Zelensky’s statements. Both Russia and North Korea have denied transferring weapons that would breach UN sanctions.
Following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, military collaboration between Russia and North Korea has intensified as Moscow has faced increasing international isolation.
Ukraine claims that North Korea has provided Russia with extensive quantities of artillery shells, rocket systems, thousands of troops, and ballistic missiles, which Moscow began deploying for attacks against Ukraine by the end of 2023.
By the beginning of 2025, Pyongyang had reportedly delivered 148 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles to Russia, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency.
The KN-23 (KN-23A) missiles are equipped with warheads weighing up to one tonne, which surpasses the potency of Russian equivalent missiles, as stated by the Ukrainian source.
In the immediate aftermath of the Russian strike, Kyiv reported that a total of seven ballistic missiles were utilized, broadly identifying them as Iskander-M/KN-23.
North Korea’s role in the conflict in Ukraine has raised concerns not only among European capitals but also for South Korea and its regional allies, who worry that the insights gained from this war could someday be used against them.
