Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called out Russia’s latest overnight air assault as the “biggest aerial attack” since the start of the war, with 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles striking cities across the country in multiple waves.
“This telling attack comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire,” Zelensky said on Wednesday. “And yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all.”
The mass bombardment came shortly after US President Donald Trump reversed a surprise decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine, a move reportedly made without his knowledge last week. Trump’s reversal now clears the path for the delivery of 10 Patriot missiles, which Kyiv urgently needs to intercept Russia’s increasingly intense missile and drone barrages.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump expressed renewed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Despite regular communication between Trump and Putin, their dialogue has yet to result in progress toward a ceasefire even though Trump once claimed he could end the war “in a day.”
Last week, after a phone call with Putin, Trump offered a blunt assessment, “He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people. It’s no good.”
The military aid suspension, reportedly signed off by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, caused confusion in Washington. When asked who had made the decision, Trump seated next to Hegseth said, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
While the aid flow may now resume, Trump is also weighing a new sanctions package. He said Tuesday he was “looking at” a proposal by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to impose 500% tariffs on countries continuing trade with Russia.
Though Trump has threatened sanctions since taking office in January, none have been imposed. In June, he explained that sanctions “cost a lot of money” and suggested he was waiting to see whether a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv could emerge.
Still, he noted last week that he and Putin had “discussed sanctions a lot” and added, “He understands it may be coming.”
The overnight strikes reached cities across Ukraine, including Lviv, Rivne, and particularly Lutsk, a key military and humanitarian hub just 90 km from the Polish border. While eastern Ukraine and Kyiv remain frequent targets, attacks on the western region mark a widening scope of Russian bombardment.
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of a drone strike on the border region of Kursk that reportedly killed three people and injured seven others.
No new ceasefire meetings have been scheduled, despite two rounds of talks earlier this year. Both sides appear increasingly pessimistic that diplomacy will end the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Still, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s offensive is advancing.
“We are moving forward,” he said on Wednesday. “Each new day the Ukrainians have to accept the new realities.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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