| The attack was the deadliest on Ukraine’s capital in nearly a year. Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times |
Trump to Putin: ‘Vladimir, STOP!’
Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv killed at least 12 people and injured 90 others yesterday. The attack prompted President Trump to express rare disapproval of Moscow.
“Vladimir, STOP!” Trump posted on social media, addressing Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing.”
The attack came hours after Trump and his top aides had demanded that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, accept an American-designed plan that favored Russia.
Speaking in the Oval Office yesterday, Trump said that he had “no allegiance” to either side and that his only goal was to stop the war and save lives, but he did claim that Putin had made a “pretty big concession” to end the conflict. When pressed on what that concession was, Trump replied, “stopping taking the whole country.”
Crimea: Trump may acknowledge Russia’s claim to Crimea. Doing so would abandon a decade of U.S. foreign policy and set a dangerous precedent of formal American recognition for the changing of one country’s border by force by another country. In Ukraine, the very idea is a nonstarter.
Diplomacy: Europeans see the future of Ukraine as vital to their own. Officials say they are prepared to keep supporting Kyiv should the U.S. walk away from peace negotiations.
A general jailed: Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov, who was fired for complaining about battlefield problems to Russia’s military leadership, was sentenced to five years in prison on a corruption charge.
| Security personnel outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday. Manish Swarup/Associated Press |
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply
Pakistan announced a series of retaliatory measures yesterday against India, a day after India moved to punish Pakistan over a militant attack in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists.
Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian carriers and said it would order India to reduce its diplomatic staff in Islamabad and suspend all trade with India. India has not officially identified any group as being behind the attack on Tuesday near the town of Pahalgam, and Pakistan has denied any involvement.
But across Pakistan, people are worried as Indian officials hint at the possibility of military strikes. Television reports have been filled with defense analysts warning of unpredictable consequences if hostilities intensify.
Details: After India suspended a critical water treaty, Pakistan said any attempt to block rivers would be “considered an act of war.” Pakistan relies on water from the Indus river system, which flows through India, for about 90 percent of its agriculture. Here’s what else to know.
Pope Francis will be buried tomorrow
The Vatican yesterday released the first image of Pope Francis’ tomb, a simple, undecorated resting place, in accordance with his will. The tomb is made with marble and marked with the inscription, “Franciscus.”
Tens of thousands of Catholics have paid their respects to Francis, whose body has laid in state in St. Peter’s Basilica. His funeral will take place tomorrow. Here’s what to expect.
| MORE TOP NEWS |
| France: A high school student in Nantes stabbed four others during a lunch break, killing one of them. The motive was unclear. Climate: Trump took a major step toward mining vast tracts of the ocean floor, which nearly every other nation considers off limits to this kind of activity. Israel: The country’s military admitted that its forces attacked a U.N. guesthouse in Gaza with tank fire last month, killing a staff member. South Korea: Former President Moon Jae-in was indicted on a bribery charge, the latest ex-leader to face a criminal trial. Amsterdam: The mayor apologized for the city’s role in the persecution of Jewish residents during the Holocaust. Syria: Britain lifted sanctions that had been imposed on several government agencies under the rule of Bashar al-Assad. Canada: The police shot and killed a man at Toronto Pearson International Airport, causing a partial shutdown of a terminal. Toronto: The 56 seats at stake in the Toronto area could determine who will win Canada’s election on Monday. Ethiopia: Coffee farmers are in a scramble to comply with new E.U. rules that require them to document the origin of every shipment of beans. |
Tariffs
| Germany: The government scaled back its prediction for economic growth in 2025 to zero, citing in part the turbulence caused by tariffs. |
| U.S.: Trump has said his tariffs will force companies to build factories in the U.S., but they may not have the effect he predicted. |
People
| China: Manufacturers are filming TikTok videos from Chinese factories, urging viewers to buy luxury goods directly to avoid tariffs. See the videos. Israel: For over a year, a team has been updating a guide to include what it has learned about helping hostages readjust. U.S.: An Indonesian man who has a student visa and is married to an American was waiting for a green card. Now, he could be deported over a 2022 arrest. |
| SPORTS NEWS |
| N.F.L.: The University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward was drafted first overall by the Tennessee Titans. Here’s the latest. Hockey: Dominik Hasek, a vocal critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said he had received death threats from a former Russian president. Soccer: The Athletic’s writers picked the best Premier League XI. Then they argued about it. |
| MORNING READ |
One of the best digital detectives goes by the handle ZachXBT, and is a well-known figure in the crypto world. In 2024, he received an alert about an unusual transaction and quickly traced it to a Bitcoin wallet with roughly $240 million in crypto.
A month later, a group of young thieves was caught, including a notorious 20-year-old Minecraft player from Singapore. Read about how investigators unraveled the heist.
| CONVERSATION STARTERS |
| Organic art: Otobong Nkanga, a Nigerian sculptor, has expanded the notion of what sculpture can be. Pipe dreams: Tech billionaires dream of a new life on Mars. The book “More Everything Forever” says cool your jets. Robot kindness: Who cares about the chatbots? Some experts are taking A.I. welfare seriously. Family tension: A reader hates her parents’ politics. Does that mean she should keep her son away from them? Our columnist responds. |
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
| An illustration of William Shakespeare saying goodbye to his wife, Anne, and children, as he left home. Culture Club/Getty Images |
Was Shakespeare a bad husband?
For centuries, it was thought that William Shakespeare left his wife and children behind to lead a literary life in London. But new research undermines that view of him as a distant, neglectful husband to his wife, Anne Hathaway.
The new clues about their relationship come from a fragment of a 17th-century letter addressed to a “Mrs Shakspaire,” which was found in 1978 in the binding of a book published in 1608. Read about the new finding.
| RECOMMENDATIONS |
Cook: This beef and shishito stir-fry gets plenty of oomph from a quick soy marinade and a hefty dose of black pepper.
