Breaking: Russia Attacks Ukraine With 85 Drones and a Missile, Hours After Trump–Putin Meeting

Russia launched one of its biggest overnight assaults on Ukraine in weeks, firing 85 Shahed drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile just hours after President Vladimir Putin met with former U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, 61 of the drones were intercepted, but several others broke through defenses, striking critical infrastructure and frontline settlements in at least four regions. Emergency services are still assessing the damage and casualties.

The timing of the strikes has drawn attention worldwide, as they came so soon after the highly anticipated Trump–Putin summit, which ended without a ceasefire or significant progress toward ending the war.

Former President Trump urged Ukraine to “make a deal” with Moscow, but Kyiv insists that no agreement can be made at the expense of its sovereignty. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to travel to Washington on Monday for talks with Trump and U.S. lawmakers about further support.

Analysts say Russia’s latest barrage shows that diplomatic gestures won’t slow down its military operations. Instead, Moscow appears to be sending a message that it will continue to use battlefield pressure as leverage in any negotiations.

European leaders have condemned the fresh attacks as a direct challenge to international peace efforts. Meanwhile, residents in affected Ukrainian cities spent another night in bomb shelters as air raid sirens echoed across the country.

For ordinary Ukrainians, the summit offered a glimpse of hope — but the strikes that followed made clear that the war remains far from over.

What’s next?

As Ukraine braces for more drone and missile attacks, the world will be watching the next round of talks in Washington. Whether diplomacy can catch up with the realities of the battlefield is the question hanging over Ukraine’s future.