Ukraine endured its largest aerial assault to date just hours after President Trump lashed out at Vladimir Putin and reversed his stance on military support for Kyiv. The BBC cites President Zelensky as saying 728 drones and 13 missiles were launched by Russia overnight. The AP reports Lutsk, which sits in Ukraine's northwest near Poland and Belarus and contains airfields used by the Ukrainian army, suffered the brunt of the attack, though 10 other regions were also hit.
ABC News reports that by Ukraine's count, 711 of the drones and seven missiles were intercepted. On X, Zelensky said the "massive" attack underscored Putin's unwillingness to meaningfully participate in the US-led efforts to end the war. In Zelensky's view, "This is yet another proof of the need for sanctions—biting sanctions against oil, which has been fueling Moscow's war machine with money for over three years of the war. Secondary sanctions on those who buy this oil and thereby sponsor killings. Our partners know how to apply pressure in a way that will force Russia to think about ending the war, not launching new strikes. Everyone who wants peace must act."
Despite regular contact between Trump and Putin, there has been little progress toward a ceasefire, and Trump on Tuesday expressed his displeasure with Russia's leader, saying, "We get a lot of bulls--- thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed Trump's remarks, saying Moscow is "pretty calm," as "Trump's way of talking is generally quite harsh, the phrases he uses." (The previous biggest-ever aerial assault on Ukraine happened less than a week ago.)
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