U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) criticized Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Thursday, alleging that he was attempting to undermine Friday’s planned discussions between President Trump and Russian President Putin by ordering drone attacks on Russia.
Greene’s remarks followed an “Open Source Intel” post on X, which reported a large-scale drone attack launched by Ukraine on Russia in recent hours.
“On the eve of the historic peace talks between President Trump and President Putin, Zelenskyy does this,” Greene wrote. “Zelenskyy is against peace and is clearly trying to sabotage President Trump’s heroic efforts to end the war in Ukraine. I pray peace prevails.”
Digital has contacted the Ukrainian embassy for comment on Greene’s post.
Overnight Thursday, Ukraine launched multiple drone strikes into Russia, causing damage to apartment buildings in Rostov-on-Don and injuring over a dozen civilians, according to Yuri Slyusar, the region’s acting governor. He added that two of the injured were hospitalized in serious condition.
These strikes followed Russian strikes in Ukraine’s Sumy region on Wednesday night, which injured several people, including a 7-year-old girl, according to officials.
Local officials also accused Ukraine of a drone strike in Belgorod that injured three, and another in Pristen that killed at least one person when it hit a car.
Despite the attacks, Trump and Putin are still set to meet in the U.S. on Friday for a high-stakes summit to discuss the future of the Ukraine war.
The meeting will be Putin’s first U.S. visit since 2015 and the first U.S.-Russia summit since June 2021.
Putin on Thursday commended the U.S. for its “sincere efforts” to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, ongoing since early 2022. During a television appearance, Putin stated that the U.S. was making “quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop hostilities, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict.”
Zelenskyy has accused Russia of insincerity regarding ending the war.
“This war must be ended. Pressure must be exerted on Russia for the sake of a just peace. Ukraine’s and our partners’ experience must be used to prevent deception by Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
“At present, there is no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war. Our coordinated efforts and joint actions – of Ukraine, the United States, Europe, and all countries that seek peace – can definitely compel Russia to make peace,” he added.
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