Zelenskiy denounces Russian drone attacks 'terror'
Russian forces also dropped more than 1200 glide bombs on Ukraine this week and launched 83 missiles, the president said on Telegram on Sunday.
"The Russians are increasing the terror against cities and municipalities, to intimidate our people even further," Zelenskiy wrote.
The Ukrainian leader meanwhile praised the country's air defence.
Specially developed interceptor drones shot down hundreds of Iranian-made Shahed combat drones launched at Ukraine this week, he said.
Zelenskiy said he recently held a number of meetings with allies to further develop these defensive drones.
Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years, in large parts thanks to foreign weapons.
Russia recently significantly ramped up overnight air strikes on Ukraine and is pummelling it from the air almost every day.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is set to meet US President Donald Trump this week after Trump announced plans to sell members of the military alliance weaponry that it can then pass on to Ukraine.
NATO in a statement said Rutte will be in Washington DC on Monday and Tuesday and would meet with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as well as Congress.
The visit comes as Trump last week teased that he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday.
Rubio said on Friday that some of the US-made weapons that Ukraine is seeking are deployed with European NATO countries.
Those weapons could be transferred to Ukraine, with European countries buying replacements from the US, he said.
"It's a lot faster to move something, for example, from Germany to Ukraine than it is to order it from a (US) factory and get it there," Rubio told reporters last week during visit to Malaysia.
French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu in an interview published on Sunday in La Tribune Dimanche said that European officials have been making the case to the US administration to bolster air defence capabilities with any coming packages.
He added that France is in a "capacity hole" and will have to wait until next year before being able to provide Ukraine new ground-air missiles.
Trump is also facing calls from Republicans and Democrats as well as European allies to support legislation in the Senate that aims to cripple Russia's oil industry and target the Kremlin with US sanctions.
The legislation, in part, calls for a 500 per cent tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports.
It would have an enormous effect on China and India, which account for about 70 per cent of Russia's energy trade.
The White House had expressed some reservations about the legislation.
Trump made clear he wants full authority over the waiver process to lift the sanctions, tariffs or other penalties without having to cede control to Congress.
with AP
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The Advertiser
32 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Envoy meets Zelenskiy as US pledges missiles to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia has met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv as anticipation grows over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the three-year war. Zelenskiy said he and retired general Keith Kellogg had "a productive conversation" about strengthening Ukrainian air defences, joint arms production and purchasing US weapons in conjunction with European countries, as well as the possibility of tighter international sanctions on the Kremlin. "We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its ... ambitions are stopped by force," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. Trump last week said he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Trump has long boasted of his friendly relationship with Putin, and after taking office in January repeatedly said that Russia was more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal. At the same time, Trump accused Zelenskiy of prolonging the war and called him a "dictator without elections". But Russia's relentless onslaught against civilian areas of Ukraine wore down Trump's patience. "I am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said," Trump said late on Sunday. "He'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that." Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine's air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said. Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month in 2024, it said. At the same time, Russia's bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1000km front line. Trump confirmed the US was sending Ukraine more badly needed Patriot air defence missiles and the European Union would pay the US for the "various pieces of very sophisticated" weaponry. While the EU is not allowed under its treaties to buy weapons, EU member countries can and are, just as NATO member countries are buying and sending weapons. A top ally of Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion. It's a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money. "In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. He added: "And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table." Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy for international investment, dismissed what he said were efforts to drive a wedge between Moscow and Washington, adding attempts at pressure were "doomed to fail". NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump, Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The visits came as Russian troops conducted a combined aerial strike at Shostka, in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, using glide bombs and drones early Monday morning, killing two people, the regional prosecutor's office said. The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia has met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv as anticipation grows over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the three-year war. Zelenskiy said he and retired general Keith Kellogg had "a productive conversation" about strengthening Ukrainian air defences, joint arms production and purchasing US weapons in conjunction with European countries, as well as the possibility of tighter international sanctions on the Kremlin. "We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its ... ambitions are stopped by force," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. Trump last week said he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Trump has long boasted of his friendly relationship with Putin, and after taking office in January repeatedly said that Russia was more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal. At the same time, Trump accused Zelenskiy of prolonging the war and called him a "dictator without elections". But Russia's relentless onslaught against civilian areas of Ukraine wore down Trump's patience. "I am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said," Trump said late on Sunday. "He'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that." Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine's air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said. Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month in 2024, it said. At the same time, Russia's bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1000km front line. Trump confirmed the US was sending Ukraine more badly needed Patriot air defence missiles and the European Union would pay the US for the "various pieces of very sophisticated" weaponry. While the EU is not allowed under its treaties to buy weapons, EU member countries can and are, just as NATO member countries are buying and sending weapons. A top ally of Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion. It's a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money. "In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. He added: "And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table." Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy for international investment, dismissed what he said were efforts to drive a wedge between Moscow and Washington, adding attempts at pressure were "doomed to fail". NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump, Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The visits came as Russian troops conducted a combined aerial strike at Shostka, in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, using glide bombs and drones early Monday morning, killing two people, the regional prosecutor's office said. The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia has met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv as anticipation grows over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the three-year war. Zelenskiy said he and retired general Keith Kellogg had "a productive conversation" about strengthening Ukrainian air defences, joint arms production and purchasing US weapons in conjunction with European countries, as well as the possibility of tighter international sanctions on the Kremlin. "We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its ... ambitions are stopped by force," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. Trump last week said he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Trump has long boasted of his friendly relationship with Putin, and after taking office in January repeatedly said that Russia was more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal. At the same time, Trump accused Zelenskiy of prolonging the war and called him a "dictator without elections". But Russia's relentless onslaught against civilian areas of Ukraine wore down Trump's patience. "I am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said," Trump said late on Sunday. "He'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that." Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine's air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said. Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month in 2024, it said. At the same time, Russia's bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1000km front line. Trump confirmed the US was sending Ukraine more badly needed Patriot air defence missiles and the European Union would pay the US for the "various pieces of very sophisticated" weaponry. While the EU is not allowed under its treaties to buy weapons, EU member countries can and are, just as NATO member countries are buying and sending weapons. A top ally of Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion. It's a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money. "In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. He added: "And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table." Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy for international investment, dismissed what he said were efforts to drive a wedge between Moscow and Washington, adding attempts at pressure were "doomed to fail". NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump, Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The visits came as Russian troops conducted a combined aerial strike at Shostka, in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, using glide bombs and drones early Monday morning, killing two people, the regional prosecutor's office said. The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia has met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv as anticipation grows over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the three-year war. Zelenskiy said he and retired general Keith Kellogg had "a productive conversation" about strengthening Ukrainian air defences, joint arms production and purchasing US weapons in conjunction with European countries, as well as the possibility of tighter international sanctions on the Kremlin. "We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its ... ambitions are stopped by force," Zelenskiy said on Telegram. Trump last week said he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Trump has long boasted of his friendly relationship with Putin, and after taking office in January repeatedly said that Russia was more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal. At the same time, Trump accused Zelenskiy of prolonging the war and called him a "dictator without elections". But Russia's relentless onslaught against civilian areas of Ukraine wore down Trump's patience. "I am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said," Trump said late on Sunday. "He'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that." Russia has pounded Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine's air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said. Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month in 2024, it said. At the same time, Russia's bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1000km front line. Trump confirmed the US was sending Ukraine more badly needed Patriot air defence missiles and the European Union would pay the US for the "various pieces of very sophisticated" weaponry. While the EU is not allowed under its treaties to buy weapons, EU member countries can and are, just as NATO member countries are buying and sending weapons. A top ally of Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point as Trump shows growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion. It's a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money. "In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. He added: "And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table." Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy for international investment, dismissed what he said were efforts to drive a wedge between Moscow and Washington, adding attempts at pressure were "doomed to fail". NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump, Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The visits came as Russian troops conducted a combined aerial strike at Shostka, in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, using glide bombs and drones early Monday morning, killing two people, the regional prosecutor's office said. The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea.
Canberra Times
an hour ago
- Canberra Times
Envoy meets Zelenskiy as US pledges missiles to Ukraine
"We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its ... ambitions are stopped by force," Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Trump envoy in Kyiv as US pledges missiles to Ukraine
US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired general Keith Kellogg, has arrived in Kyiv as anticipation grows over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the more than three-year war. Trump last week teased that he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Putin "talks nice and then he bombs everybody", Trump said late on Sunday as he confirmed the US was sending Ukraine badly needed US-made Patriot air defence missiles to help it fend off Russia's intensifying aerial attacks. Russia has spread terror in Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine's air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said on Thursday. Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month in 2024, it said. That has happened at the same time as Russia's bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1000km front line. A top ally of Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said on Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point as Trump showed growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion. It's a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money. "In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. "One of the biggest miscalculations (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table." Also, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as members of Congress. Talks during Kellogg's visit to Kyiv will cover "defence, strengthening security, weapons, sanctions, protection of our people and enhancing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States", said the head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andrii Yermak. "Russia does not want a ceasefire. Peace through strength is President Donald Trump's principle, and we support this approach," Yermak said. Russian troops conducted a combined aerial strike at Shostka, in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, using glide bombs and drones early Monday morning, killing two people, the regional prosecutor's office said. Four others were injured, including a seven-year-old, it said. Overnight from Sunday to Monday, Russia fired four S-300/400 missiles and 136 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the air force said. It said that 61 drones were intercepted and 47 more were either jammed or lost from radars mid-flight. The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired general Keith Kellogg, has arrived in Kyiv as anticipation grows over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the more than three-year war. Trump last week teased that he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Putin "talks nice and then he bombs everybody", Trump said late on Sunday as he confirmed the US was sending Ukraine badly needed US-made Patriot air defence missiles to help it fend off Russia's intensifying aerial attacks. Russia has spread terror in Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine's air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said on Thursday. Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month in 2024, it said. That has happened at the same time as Russia's bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1000km front line. A top ally of Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said on Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point as Trump showed growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion. It's a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money. "In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. "One of the biggest miscalculations (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table." Also, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as members of Congress. Talks during Kellogg's visit to Kyiv will cover "defence, strengthening security, weapons, sanctions, protection of our people and enhancing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States", said the head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andrii Yermak. "Russia does not want a ceasefire. Peace through strength is President Donald Trump's principle, and we support this approach," Yermak said. Russian troops conducted a combined aerial strike at Shostka, in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, using glide bombs and drones early Monday morning, killing two people, the regional prosecutor's office said. Four others were injured, including a seven-year-old, it said. Overnight from Sunday to Monday, Russia fired four S-300/400 missiles and 136 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the air force said. It said that 61 drones were intercepted and 47 more were either jammed or lost from radars mid-flight. The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired general Keith Kellogg, has arrived in Kyiv as anticipation grows over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the more than three-year war. Trump last week teased that he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Putin "talks nice and then he bombs everybody", Trump said late on Sunday as he confirmed the US was sending Ukraine badly needed US-made Patriot air defence missiles to help it fend off Russia's intensifying aerial attacks. Russia has spread terror in Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine's air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said on Thursday. Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month in 2024, it said. That has happened at the same time as Russia's bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1000km front line. A top ally of Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said on Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point as Trump showed growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion. It's a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money. "In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. "One of the biggest miscalculations (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table." Also, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as members of Congress. Talks during Kellogg's visit to Kyiv will cover "defence, strengthening security, weapons, sanctions, protection of our people and enhancing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States", said the head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andrii Yermak. "Russia does not want a ceasefire. Peace through strength is President Donald Trump's principle, and we support this approach," Yermak said. Russian troops conducted a combined aerial strike at Shostka, in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, using glide bombs and drones early Monday morning, killing two people, the regional prosecutor's office said. Four others were injured, including a seven-year-old, it said. Overnight from Sunday to Monday, Russia fired four S-300/400 missiles and 136 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the air force said. It said that 61 drones were intercepted and 47 more were either jammed or lost from radars mid-flight. The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired general Keith Kellogg, has arrived in Kyiv as anticipation grows over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the more than three-year war. Trump last week teased that he would make a "major statement" on Russia on Monday. Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Putin "talks nice and then he bombs everybody", Trump said late on Sunday as he confirmed the US was sending Ukraine badly needed US-made Patriot air defence missiles to help it fend off Russia's intensifying aerial attacks. Russia has spread terror in Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine's air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said on Thursday. Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month in 2024, it said. That has happened at the same time as Russia's bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 1000km front line. A top ally of Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said on Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point as Trump showed growing interest in helping Ukraine fight back against Russia's full-scale invasion. It's a cause that Trump had previously dismissed as being a waste of US taxpayer money. "In the coming days, you'll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves," Graham said on CBS's Face the Nation. "One of the biggest miscalculations (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has made is to play Trump. And you just watch, in the coming days and weeks, there's going to be a massive effort to get Putin to the table." Also, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington on Monday and Tuesday for talks with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as members of Congress. Talks during Kellogg's visit to Kyiv will cover "defence, strengthening security, weapons, sanctions, protection of our people and enhancing cooperation between Ukraine and the United States", said the head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andrii Yermak. "Russia does not want a ceasefire. Peace through strength is President Donald Trump's principle, and we support this approach," Yermak said. Russian troops conducted a combined aerial strike at Shostka, in the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, using glide bombs and drones early Monday morning, killing two people, the regional prosecutor's office said. Four others were injured, including a seven-year-old, it said. Overnight from Sunday to Monday, Russia fired four S-300/400 missiles and 136 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the air force said. It said that 61 drones were intercepted and 47 more were either jammed or lost from radars mid-flight. The Russian defence ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea.
