Donald Trump called Thursday on Vladimir Putin to halt attacks on Ukraine, in a rare rebuke of the Russian leader after Moscow fired missiles and drones at Kyiv in the deadliest attack on the capital in months.The US president’s direct appeal to Putin came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his allies to put Russia under more pressure to halt its invasion.Zelensky cut short a trip to South Africa to deal with the aftermath of the strikes, the latest in a wave of Russian aerial attacks that have killed dozens of civilians.”I am not happy with the Russian strikes,” Trump said on social media. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”Trump, who is accused of favoring Russia and has often vilified Zelensky, was asked by reporters what concessions Moscow had offered in negotiations to end the war.”Stopping taking the whole country — pretty big concession,” he replied.Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, hoping to take the country in days, but has since been bogged down in a bloody war with huge casualties on both sides.Trump on Wednesday accused Zelensky of frustrating peace efforts by ruling out recognizing Russia’s claim over Crimea, a territory the US president said was “lost years ago.”In contrast, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday it was Russia, not Ukraine, that needed to move forward in negotiations.”The balls are clearly in the Russian court now,” Rutte told reporters at the White House after meeting Trump.- Ceasefire deal -Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is due in Russia this week where he is expected to hold another round of ceasefire talks with Putin.Ukraine has been battered by aerial attacks throughout Russia’s three-year invasion but strikes on Kyiv, better protected by air defenses than other cities, are less common.Zelensky said Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile in the strikes, which killed at least 12.The assault threw more doubt on US efforts to push Russia and Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire, after Trump lashed out at Zelensky this week for not being willing to accept Russian occupation of Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014.”We do everything that our partners have proposed, only what contradicts our legislation and the Constitution we cannot do,” Zelensky said in response to a question about Crimea.Zelensky also questioned whether Kyiv’s allies were themselves doing enough to force Putin to agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire.”I don’t see any strong pressure on Russia or any new sanctions packages against Russia’s aggression,” Zelensky said, highlighting that Trump had previously warned of repercussions if Moscow did not agree to pause the fighting.- ‘Pulled out of the rubble’ -Loud blasts sounded over the Ukrainian capital around 1:00 am (2200 GMT) after air raid sirens rang out across Kyiv, AFP journalists said.Russia fired at least 70 missiles and 145 drones at Ukraine between late Wednesday and early Thursday, the main target being Kyiv, the Ukrainian air force said.”As of 5:30 pm, the death toll in Kyiv’s Sviatoshinsky district has risen to 12,” Ukraine’s state emergency services reported, with the number of wounded rising to 90.Russia said it had targeted Ukraine’s defense industry, including plants that produced “rocket fuel and gunpowder.”Olena Davydiuk, a 33-year-old lawyer in Kyiv, told AFP she saw windows breaking and doors “falling out of their hinges.””People were being pulled out of the rubble,” she added.In Sviatoshinsky, west of Kyiv, an AFP journalist saw a body bag containing one of the victims set on a strip of grass.A woman sat on a small folding chair stroking the arm of another victim, the body covered in a striped blue sheet.Moscow has launched some of its deadliest aerial strikes over the last month — defying Trump’s push to bring about a rapid end to the bloodshed.A ballistic missile strike on the center of northeastern city of Sumy killed at least 35 on April 13.

Donald Trump’s online store is selling merchandise emblazoned with “Trump 2028,” the year of the next US presidential election, in which the Republican is constitutionally banned from running.The 78-year-old, who has seen his approval rating sink to new lows in recent opinion polls, has not ruled out serving a third term — even though it would require amending the Constitution. Most political experts, including his own Attorney General, say that would be tough to pull off. Yet, a social media account linked to Trump shared a photo Thursday of his son Eric sporting one of the new red caps, which is priced at $50. “Make a statement with this Made in America Trump 2028 hat,” a product description on the Trump Store website says.The shop is also selling T-shirts in navy and red, priced at $36, which read “Trump 2028 (Rewrite the Rules),” with matching beer can coolers for $18.Opinion polls have reflected American concerns over his handling of key issues during the first 100 days of his second term, including living costs and chaotic tariff policies. The 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution states that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”Trump, who also served as president from 2017 to 2021, has insisted he is “not joking” about a third term, saying last month there are “methods” that would allow it to happen.Any serious effort to amend the founding document would send the United States into uncharted territory.Changing the US Constitution to allow a third presidential term would require a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.An amendment would also need ratification by at least 38 of the 50 US state legislatures, another slim possibility. Trump has amassed an impressive range of branded products to promote his political career alongside his real estate empire.They include Mother’s Day-inspired gifts such as pink pajamas and pickleball paddles with Trump logos. Also on sale are earrings and necklaces styled with the numbers 45 and 47 to represent Trump’s two presidencies. On Wednesday, Trump also offered an invitation to a private dinner to the top 220 investors in his lucrative cryptocurrency, dubbed $TRUMP, the New York Times reported.In the past, the billionaire has flogged everything from steaks to “Trump University” courses to stock in his own media company, best known for the platform Truth Social. He has also released the “God Bless the USA Bible,” priced at $59.99, in a collaboration with American country singer Lee Greenwood.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday directed the Justice Department to investigate the main fundraising platform used by Democrats, who responded with accusations that he was simply weaponizing the government against his political opponents.The Republican leader signed a memorandum instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi to probe supposed foreign and other illicit payments to platforms including ActBlue, used by Democrats to process donations to election campaigns and other causes online. The Republican said he wanted the probe to look at the use of “fundraising platforms to make ‘straw’ or ‘dummy’ contributions and to make foreign contributions to US political candidates and committees, all of which break the law.”While the order urged a broad investigation, Trump specifically cited ActBlue, a non-profit group whose platform has become a small-dollar juggernaut but which has long been the target of unsubstantiated accusations by Republicans.Top Trump advisor Elon Musk tweeted multiple times about the organization in March, accusing it — without providing evidence — of fraud and posting: “Something stinks about ActBlue.”Action against one of the main sources of income for liberal causes could hamper Democrats’ ability to compete in the midterm elections next year that will decide who controls Congress for the remainder of Trump’s second term.Straw donations — donors giving money in other people’s names — and foreign contributions to federal political candidates or political action committees are against US law.But Trump’s memo drew accusations for the third time in as many weeks that he was abusing his power for personal and political ends. Earlier this month he signed memorandums ordering criminal investigations into two officials who had defied him during his first term. One of the officials, Chris Krebs, was targeted for dismissing Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden was stolen from him through widespread voter fraud.- ‘Silencing grassroots donors’ -Trump was also berated by Democrats for a number of executive orders penalizing specific law firms that had taken on work to which he objected. Republican interest in ActBlue intensified during the 2020 election, amid an avalanche of personal contributions and polls showing voters were fed up with dark money and corporate influence in politics.Three House committees — judiciary, administration and oversight — released a report on April 2 claiming “extensive fraud… including from foreign sources” on ActBlue and accusing the platform of lowering its prevention efforts.The probe contained no significant new examples of wrongdoing but said almost 500 pages of internal ActBlue documents released alongside its report “demonstrate a lack of commitment to stopping fraud and paint a picture of complacency.”Some Democrats, including Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, raced to urge donations from supporters “while we still can” as others took to social media to accuse Trump of abusing his office.”His approval rating is tanking, and he’s panicking about the midterms,” Democratic strategist Mike Nellis, a former top aide to 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, posted on X.”This is about letting his billionaire buddies buy more elections while silencing grassroots donors and tearing down the Dems’ infrastructure.”Fellow Democratic strategist and consultant Sawyer Hackett said the move could be “Trump’s most authoritarian action yet.”