Putin mocks Donald Trump with new Ukraine strikes after promise to 'end war'

Russian bombing rocked several regions in the Ukraine last night (Image: Getty)

Vladimir Putin has made new brutal strikes on Ukraine despite Donald Trump claiming the Russian president wants to "end the war". After the US president rejected Volodymyr Zelensky's demands for American missiles, there were Russian explosions in the regions of Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Poltava and Zaporizhzhia overnight.

Civilian targets, including a food warehouse, were hit in the strikes as the Russian leader ignored Mr Trump's call for Moscow and Kyiv to "stop where they are". The Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine's south-east was hit three times, according to a local official. Ivan Federov, head of the regional military administration, said several fires broke out, including in an administrative building, and an educational facility was damanged.

No casualties were reported, he added. Later on Saturday morning he said an air raid alert had been declared for most of the region.

The assault came hours after Mr Trump called for an end to the war after a lengthy meeting with Mr Zelensky in the White House, described by insiders as “tense, frank, and at times uncomfortable”.

The meeting lasted more than two hours but saw the Ukrainian President leave without securing long-range Tomahawk missiles which would put Moscow and large areas of Russian with reach.

Kyiv believed the weapons could be a game-changer in bringing Moscow to the negotiating table, however Mr Trump indicated he was against supply them.

“We’d much rather have them not need Tomahawks," he said. "We’d much rather have the war be over to be honest.”

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