In rare rebuke of Putin, Trump urges Russia to 'STOP!' after deadly attack on Kyiv

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday offered rare criticism of Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying.” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. At least 12 people were killed and 90 were injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July.

Trump’s frustration is growing as a U.S.-led effort to get a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia has not made progress.

The comments about Putin came after Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday and accused him of prolonging the “killing field” by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula as part of a possible deal. Russia illegally annexed that area in 2014.

With his assertion that Putin demonstrated “very bad timing" with the massive attack, Trump appeared to suggest that the Russian leader was doing himself no favors toward achieving the Kremlin's demand that any peace agreement include Russia keeping control of Crimea as well as Ukrainian territory in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions it has seized since invading in February 2022.

Later Thursday during an Oval Office meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump said that Crimea was taken from Ukraine without a fight. He also noted that annexation of the Black Sea peninsula happened under President Barack Obama's watch.

Asked what Putin is doing now to help forge a peace deal, Trump responded, “stopping taking the whole country, pretty big concession.”

But the notion is one that Ukraine and much of Europe have fiercely pushed back against, arguing that Russia pausing a land grab is hardly a concession.

Zelenskyy has repeated many times that recognizing occupied territory as Russia's is a red line for Ukraine. He noted Thursday that Ukraine had agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal 44 days ago as a first step to a negotiated peace, but that Moscow's attacks had continued.

Trump’s criticism of Putin is notable because Trump has repeatedly said Russia is more willing than Ukraine to get a deal done.

“I didn’t like last night,” Trump said of Russia’s massive attack on Kyiv. “I wasn’t happy with it.”

In his dealings with Zelenskyy and Putin, Trump has focused on which leader has leverage. Putin has “the cards” and Zelenskyy does not, Trump has said repeatedly. At the same time, the new Republican administration has taken steps toward a more cooperative line with Putin, for whom Trump has long shown admiration.

Trump in his meeting with Norway's Gahr Støre discussed the war in Ukraine, U.S. tariffs and other issues.

Norway, a member of NATO and strong supporter of Ukraine, shares a roughly 123-mile (198-kilometer) border with Russia.

Gahr Støre said “both parties have to know that they have to deliver." He also suggested that Trump is pushing the two sides to come to an agreement.

“To move towards an end of this war, U.S engagement is critical, and President Trump made that possible," he said. "That is clear”

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Putin should “stop lying” when he claims to want “peace” while continuing to bomb Ukraine.

“There is only one answer we are waiting for: Does President Putin agree to an unconditional ceasefire?” said Macron during a visit to Madagascar. Macron added that “the Americans’ anger should focus on just one person: President Putin.”

The French Foreign Ministry also offered measured pushback on Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy over the Ukrainian's stance on Crimea.

During talks last week in Paris, U.S. officials presented a proposal that included allowing Russia to keep control of occupied Ukrainian territory as part of a deal, according to a European official familiar with the matter. The proposal was discussed again Wednesday during talks with U.S., European, and Ukrainian officials.

“The principle of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is not something that can be negotiated,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said. “This was the position taken last week and reiterated yesterday in London in a meeting of a similar format.”

Asked whether France agreed with Trump’s comments that Ukraine’s position was to blame for prolonging the war, Lemoine said Ukrainians showed they are open to negotiations while Russia continues its strikes.

“We rather have the impression that it is the Russians who are slowing down the discussions,” he said.

The White House announced Tuesday that Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would visit Moscow this week for a new round of talks with Putin about the war. It would be their fourth meeting since Trump took office in January.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met on Thursday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who also held talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's national security adviser, Michael Waltz.

Leaders from the 32-member alliance are set to meet in the Netherlands in two months. Trump has pushed them to significantly step up defense spending.

In 2023, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its second year, they agreed that all allies should spend at least 2% of gross domestic product on their military budgets. Estimates in NATO's annual report released Thursday showed that 22 allies had reached that goal last year, compared with a previous forecast of 23.

“But clearly with 2%, we cannot defend NATO territory,” Rutte told reporters at the White House following the meeting. “It has to be considerably higher.”

Petrequin reported from Paris. Associated Press writer Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein))

President Donald Trump greets Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, upon his arrival at the White House, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump greets Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, upon his arrival at the White House, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump walks out to greet Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St¯re, upon his arrival at the White House, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, walks to a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, following an Honor Cordon at the Pentagon, Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, center, walks to his seat at the start of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, center right, at the Pentagon, Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Rescue workers clear the rubble after a Russian strike in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

Ukrainian police officers stand near a damaged building after a Russian ballistic missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A Ukrainian serviceman carries a dog out of a house damaged by a Russian airstrike in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A rescue worker clears the rubble of a house damaged by a Russian strike on a residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses a news conference at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, April 24, 2025 with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues via videoconference at Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside of Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A residential house heavily damaged after a Russian strike in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

NEW YORK (AP) — A championship window seemed to be closing when the Boston Celtics left Madison Square Garden earlier this week.

Jayson Tatum had just been carried off the court with a season-ending injury minutes before the Celtics were pushed to the brink of elimination. The players were decidedly down.

The defending NBA champions are certainly not out.

They return to New York on Friday night for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, believing they can extend the series and the Knicks' 25-year wait to get back to the conference finals.

“It’s win or go home at this moment, so none of us want to go home and so we understand it’s only going to get tougher,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “We haven’t done anything yet. Just got to find a way to go to New York and win a game.”

Only 13 teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. The Celtics are trying to do it without their leading scorer, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon late in the Knicks' 121-113 victory in Game 4.

“I know it’s kind of easy to write things off. Obviously unfortunate what happened to JT. But we’ve still got basketball to be played,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “I believe in this group, so don’t count us out just yet.”

The Celtics rolled to a 127-102 victory on Wednesday and have led by at least 14 points in the second half of all five games. The Knicks rallied to win three of them, but the starters know they can't keep putting the team into a hole.

“We need to be better,” Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson said. “Flat out.”

A victory would send the Knicks into the conference finals for the first time since they lost to the Indiana Pacers in 2000. The Pacers would be the opponent again, having eliminated top-seeded Cleveland, in a series that would begin Wednesday in New York.

If the Celtics win, Game 7 would be in Boston on Monday, with the winner getting just one day of rest before hosting the Pacers.

White scored 34 points in Game 5 and is 13 for 24 from 3-point range in the last two games. Brown comes off 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and has scored at least 19 points in all five games, a reminder that the Celtics go far beyond Tatum.

“They’re defending champions," Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "So obviously losing Tatum is a big blow for their team, but we know they’re more than capable of beating anyone on any night.”

When/where to watch: Game 6, 8 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Knicks lead 3-2.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Knicks by 2.5.

What to know: The Knicks have not won a series on their home floor since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals. They failed in their lone chance this year, when they lost to Detroit in Game 5 of their first-round series. As starting center Kristaps Porzingis struggles to stay on the floor because of lingering effects of a virus that saps his energy, the Celtics may have found another option in Game 5. Luke Kornet — like Porzingis a former Knicks big man — came off the bench and had 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots. He provided the kind of boost the Knicks need from Towns, their All-Star who battled foul trouble and has made just two 3-pointers in the series. The Celtics, who won a league-high 33 road games during the regular season, are 3-1 at Madison Square Garden this season.

This story has been corrected to show that the Knicks are favored by 2.5 points. A previous version reported incorrectly that the Celtics were favored.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, right, during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) dunks against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)