Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at foreign backlash over Russia’s overnight assault on Ukraine, the indictment of former South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and potential efforts to improve U.S.-South African relations.

‘Vladimir, STOP!’

Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack at Kyiv on Thursday. At least 12 people were killed and more than 90 others injured, making it the deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since last July, when a Russian aerial bombardment hit a hospital and residential buildings and killed 33 people. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has designated Friday an official day of mourning for the city.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Moscow fired 66 ballistic and cruise missiles, four air-to-surface missiles, and 145 Shahed and decoy drones at Kyiv and four other regions. The attack forced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cut short his meeting on Thursday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to fly back to Kyiv. And it undermined ongoing efforts to secure a Russia-Ukraine truce.

Russian President Vladimir “Putin demonstrates through his actions, not words, that he does not respect any peace efforts and only wants to continue the war,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X on Thursday. Zelensky said the future of negotiations “depends on Russia’s intention because it is in Moscow where they have to make a decision.”

Other foreign leaders and institutions were quick to lambast Moscow’s actions. “This isn’t a pursuit of peace, it’s a mockery of it,” European Union foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X, with the United Nations humanitarian office describing the attack as “yet another appalling violation of international humanitarian law.” Even U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the overnight assault in a rare public critique for the White House, which has strenuously avoided publicly criticizing Moscow. “Not necessary, and very bad timing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Vladimir, STOP!”

Trump’s comments came mere hours after he lashed out at Zelensky for prolonging the “killing field” by rejecting a U.S. peace proposal that would have surrendered the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Crimea to Moscow. Zelensky said on Tuesday that any concession of Ukrainian territory is a red line for Kyiv, and he formally turned down the U.S. proposal on Wednesday when Ukrainian, European, and U.S. officials convened in London.

“There is nothing to talk about. It is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” Zelensky said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned last Friday that Washington might “move on” from peace talks if a deal isn’t decided in the coming days. This was emphasized in Rubio’s last-minute decision to not attend Wednesday’s conference. However, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is still expected to fly to Moscow on Friday to meet with Putin for further negotiations.

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What We’re Following

Crooked politics. South Korean prosecutors indicted former President Moon Jae-in on Thursday for alleged bribery. He is accused of receiving more than $151,000 from Lee Sang-jik, the founder of the budget Eastar Jet airline, in the form of wages, housing expenses, and other financial assistance from 2018 to 2020. Prosecutors say these funds were given to Moon’s then-son-in-law, who was hired as a director-level employee at Eastar Jet’s affiliate in Thailand despite having no related work experience and working primarily from South Korea.

Lee was also indicted on Thursday on additional bribery charges and breaches of trust. The businessman served in South Korea’s National Assembly under Moon’s Democratic Party but lost his seat in 2022 after he was arrested and convicted of embezzlement and election law violations.

Moon is the latest South Korean leader to face political scandals that have resulted in legal repercussions. This month, South Korea’s Constitutional Court unanimously voted to remove impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol from office for issuing a short-lived martial law order last December that many have called a coup attempt. He also faces a criminal trial for his actions. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo remains in charge until South Korea elects a new president on June 3.

Washington vs. Pretoria. Trump and Ramaphosa will “meet soon” to discuss ways to improve bilateral relations between Washington and Pretoria, the South African president announced on X on Thursday. The two leaders also reportedly discussed the Russia-Ukraine war, agreeing that the conflict needs to be “brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths.”

U.S. diplomatic ties with South Africa have soured since Trump took office in January—partly spurred by billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa and has long criticized the country’s land redistribution policy; the so-called Expropriation Act aims to help Black South Africans who had their property seized during apartheid. Trump has offered to facilitate the resettlement of white South Africans who wish to move to the United States.

The White House has also been critical of South Africa’s Israel policy, particularly its International Court of Justice case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. In response, the Trump administration has signed an executive order stopping all aid to South Africa, including funding for HIV prevention programs; issued hefty tariffs on Pretoria, some of which have been paused; skipped the G-20 summit hosted by South Africa; and expelled Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to the United States.

A European focus. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday, with both leaders hoping to score a new defense agreement that would open doors for greater cooperation in other areas. “In a world which seems increasingly unstable with an uncertain future, it is so good that we are working so closely together on so many issues: defense and security … but also on trade and the economy,” Starmer said.

Since taking office last July, Starmer has sought to reset London’s relationship with Brussels—namely, by reiterating the United Kingdom’s support for multilateral institutions and its commitment to European security. At the same time, though, the British leader remains careful not to appear too close to the European Union for fear of angering the United States. London is still angling for a trade deal with Washington to avoid Trump’s high tariffs, and experts believe that greater alliance among the European bloc could send the wrong message.

Odds and Ends

Ecologists at England’s University of Exeter published evidence on Monday of wild chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau indulging in alcohol (er, fermented breadfruit) together. Maybe they’d had a long week? Maybe they’d been following the news cycle? Whatever the reason, researchers believe that the consumption of booze may not be a recent development among humans but could be rooted in the two species’ shared evolutionary history; chimps are humans’ closest animal relatives. Sometimes, you just need to kick back with some friends and have a cold one.