Ukraine reports heaviest Russian air strikes to date

According to Kyiv, Russia has carried out its heaviest airstrikes on Ukraine since the war began. The Russian army attacked the western part of the country with 728 drones and 13 missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Most of them were intercepted. However, there were also strikes in other parts of the country.

Two people were injured in the shelling in Kherson, southern Ukraine, and one person was also injured in the area surrounding the capital, Kyiv. The mayor of the city of Luszk in the northwestern Volhynia region said the attacks had sparked fires on a company premises. The armed forces in neighboring Poland said their own fighter jets had been deployed to ensure the safety of Polish airspace.

Conversely, there were Ukrainian airstrikes on Russia. The governor of the western city of Kursk announced on Telegram that three people had been killed in an attack, including a member of the Russian National Guard. Several others were injured. The warring parties' statements cannot be independently verified.

Zelenskyy demands "painful sanctions"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow on the online service X of once again trying to undermine all efforts for a ceasefire. This demonstrates the necessity of "painful" sanctions, particularly against the Russian oil business. "Anyone who wants peace must act," Zelenskyy emphasized. At the same time, he declared that his country would intensify its contacts with the United States.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy arrived in Rome for an international Ukraine reconstruction conference. According to the Ukrainian presidential office, meetings with Pope Leo XIV, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, and US Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg are also planned. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will also attend the conference in the Italian capital.

According to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the situation of internally displaced persons in Ukraine, the war-related shortage of skilled workers , and energy supply will be discussed. The issue of dealing with frozen Russian assets will also play a role.

Trump: "Very dissatisfied with Putin"

Referring to a bill proposed by the US Senate for further sanctions against Russia, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was reviewing the matter very closely. He was "very dissatisfied" with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin , who "talks a lot of crap." A telephone conversation between the two heads of state last week yielded no progress toward a ceasefire in Ukraine.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Trump is considering supplying Kyiv with an additional Patriot air defense system in light of the Russian attacks. The United States has so far provided three of these systems, Germany has provided three more , and a consortium of European countries has provided one, a former Pentagon official told the WSJ. However, not all of them will be operational at the same time due to maintenance work.

The US-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system is one of the most advanced in the world. It is used to combat enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. Last week, it was reported that the administration in Washington had halted several weapons deliveries – including anti-aircraft missiles – promised by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden.

Russia has been waging a war of aggression against its neighbor for more than three years. Thousands of civilians have been killed since then, most of them in Ukraine. The highest casualties are among the armed forces. Both countries provide widely differing figures on this.

jj/pgr (dpa, afp, rtr)