Ukraine's Zelenskyy slams US reaction to Russian strike

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said "tangible progress" has been made after meeting British and French military chiefs in Kyiv.

The countries have been discussing strengthening the Ukrainian army and ways to support the war-torn country when the end of hostilities with Russia come to fruition.

British Chief of the Defense Staff Tony Radakin and French counterpart Thierry Burkhard held talks with Zelenskyy on Friday as well as Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been spearheading European efforts to send a "reassurance force" to Ukraine after any end to the war sparked by Russia's invasion in 2022. 

Zelensky wrote on social media on Saturday: "There is tangible progress and the first details on how the security contingent of partners can be deployed."

However, he gave no specific details of what progress has been made.

The visit to Kyiv by the French and British military chiefs came on the same day that a Russian ballistic missile strike on Zelenskyy's home city of Kryvyi Rih killed 18 people, among them nine children, authorities said.

Burkhard, the chief of staff of France's armed forces, said on Saturday they had discussed "reassurance options" to be provided by an international coalition.

"Together, we want to guarantee a lasting and solid peace in Ukraine, an essential condition for the security of the European continent," he said on X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the US embassy for what he called a "weak" statement that did not blame Russia for a missile strike on his hometown.

In one of the deadliest strikes in recent weeks, a Russian missile on Friday evening struck a residential area near a children's playground in the central Ukrainian town of Kryvyi Rih, killing 18 people, including nine children. It was followed up by attack drones.

Seventy-two people were wounded, 12 of them children, Dnipropetrovsk Governor Sergiy Lysak said. City officials declaring three days of mourning. 

In an emotional statement on social media, Zelenskyy named each of the children killed in the attack, accusing the US embassy of avoiding referring to Russia as the aggressor.

"Unfortunately, the reaction of the American Embassy is unpleasantly surprising: such a strong country, such a strong people and such a weak reaction," Zelenskyy wrote. "They are even afraid to say the word 'Russian' when talking about the missile that killed the children." 

The Ukrainian president took aim at a message posted on X by US Ambassador Bridget Brink on Friday evening, which said: "Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant".

Brink, who was appointed by Trump's predecessor Joe Biden, has been ambassador since May 2022, added that "this is why the war must end."

In response, Zelenskyy wrote: "Yes, the war must end. But in order to end it, we must not be afraid to call a spade a spade." 

He added the missile attack showed Russia had no interest in stopping its full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022.

"Russia does not want a ceasefire and we see it. The whole world sees it," he said. "The missile struck an area near residential buildings, a playground and ordinary streets." 

Attack drones were then launched "right during the rescue operation." Zelenskyy added: "People who are capable of that kind of thing aren't human."

Russia's defence ministry said it "delivered a precision strike with a high-explosive missile on a restaurant" in the city "where commanders of formations and Western instructors were meeting".

Ukraine's air force said their defenses shot down 51 Russian drones in an overnight attack.

The air force said in a statement that 92 drones were launched by Russia, out of which 31 were "lost."

The drones caused some damage in and around Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk.

A Russian ballistic missile struck Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown Kryvyi Rih on Friday, local authorities said.

The missile struck near a children's playground in a residential area, Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rih's military administration said. Eighteen people were killed, of which nine were children, and 61 others were injured. 

"This is the kind of pain you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy," Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram.

Vilkul said the community would mourn the victims.

 "On 7, 8 and 9 April, days of mourning will be declared in Kryvyi Rih for those killed as a result of yesterday's terrorist attacks on our city by the killer country," he said.

"Children, families, the elderly... Ballistic missile and shakedown attacks on residential areas and playgrounds... This is nothing less than a mass murder of civilians," he added.

Russia's defense ministry said it had struck a restaurant "where commanders of formations and Western instructors were meeting." It also said Russian air defense had destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones on the same night.

A Russian ballistic missile strike on President Volodymyr Zelensky's home city of Kryvyi Rih left over a dozen dead, with over 60 wounded. Several of the victims were children. 

The missile attack ocurred on Friday on a residential area and it was one of the deadliest in recent weeks.

Zelenskyy has said the recent daily strikes on Ukraine show Russia's unwillingness to end the war. The Urkainian president has urged allies to increase pressure on Moscow and bolster Ukraine's air defenses.