US official: Trump seeks peace deal to end Russia-Ukraine war after major Kyiv bombardment kills at least 21

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing AFP, a US official said on July 2 that President Donald Trump wants to reach a peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war and what the official called “senseless killing,” after Russia launched a large-scale bombardment of Kyiv early the same day that killed at least 21 people. The official said Trump and his team have made major efforts to end the war and remain optimistic a peace deal can ultimately be reached. After the attack, both Ukraine and Russia vowed new offensives; the shelling destroyed apartment buildings in Kyiv and displaced tens of thousands. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 2 urged allies to speed up air-defense assistance for Ukraine at next week’s NATO summit in Ankara, which Trump is also expected to attend.