LONDON — Ukraine’s air drive reported a significant Russian assault on Monday night time and into Tuesday morning — the biggest in a single day barrage for weeks, coming whereas Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump and a delegation of European leaders in Washington.
The air drive mentioned Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles into Ukraine, of which 30 drones and 6 missiles have been intercepted or suppressed. The air drive reported the impacts of 40 drones and 4 missiles throughout 16 areas, with particles reportedly falling in three areas.
Monday night time’s assault was the biggest assault since Russia launched 309 drones and eight missiles into Ukraine on July 31, in keeping with the day by day figures revealed by the Ukrainian air drive and analyzed by ABC Information.
Russia’s Protection Ministry, in the meantime, mentioned its forces shot down 23 Ukrainian drones in a single day into Tuesday morning.
13 of the craft have been downed over the Volgograd area, the ministry mentioned. Regional Gov. Andrey Bocharov mentioned on Telegram that falling particles set fires at an oil refinery and on the roof of a hospital constructing, although added there have been no casualties.
On this file photograph, Ukrainian servicemen hearth an anti-aircraft gun in direction of a Russian drone throughout an air assault close to Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk area, on July 19, 2025.
Roman Pilipey/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
The in a single day exchanges bookended a day of high-level talks in Washington. Trump, Zelenskyy and a bunch of European leaders met within the capital on Monday to debate a doable roadmap to finish Russia’s full-scale invasion, which started in February 2022.
Monday’s summit adopted a gathering between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, throughout which Putin refused a right away ceasefire and demanded that Ukraine cede the whole lot of its japanese Donetsk area in trade for an finish to the combating, two sources advised ABC Information.
Forward of Monday’s conferences, Trump gave the impression to be pressuring Zelenskyy into making a deal. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can finish the battle with Russia virtually instantly, if he needs to, or he can proceed to combat,” Trump wrote on social media on Sunday.
The president additionally mentioned Ukraine wouldn’t be allowed to affix NATO and wouldn’t have the ability to regain Crimea — occupied by Russia in 2014.
Such remarks raised considerations of one other fractious Oval Workplace assembly, akin to Zelenskyy’s February go to when the Ukrainian chief was publicly lambasted by Trump and Vice President JD Vance for his alleged ingratitude for American wartime assist.
However Monday’s conferences have been cordial, although the events nonetheless gave the impression to be a way aside on key points.
Trump, Zelenskyy and European leaders all confirmed their assist for a direct bilateral assembly between Zelenskyy and Putin — a proposal the Russian president has repeatedly dodged.
Such a gathering can be adopted by a trilateral assembly involving Trump, the president mentioned. Zelenskyy mentioned Ukraine is “prepared” for a trilateral dialogue. Trump remarked, “I feel it is going to be when, not if.”
Later, Trump posted to social meda saying he had spoken by cellphone with Putin “and started the preparations for a gathering, at a location to be decided, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy.”
The Kremlin is but to explicitly verify Putin’s readiness to attend such a gathering. Yuri Ushakov, a high Kremlin aide, mentioned in an announcement that Trump and Putin “expressed their assist for the continuation of direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump take part in a gathering within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, August 18, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
“On this regard, particularly, the thought was mentioned that the extent of representatives from the Ukrainian and Russian sides ought to be elevated,” Ushakov mentioned. “This refers back to the representatives who take part within the aforementioned direct negotiations.”
On the query of safety ensures for Ukraine, Trump mentioned throughout his assembly with Zelenskyy, “We will be discussing it at this time, however we are going to give them superb safety, superb safety.”
The president later confirmed that Putin would settle for safety ensures for Ukraine, although Russian officers on Monday mentioned that the presence of NATO troops within the nation can be unacceptable.
Zelenskyy and his European companions once more pressured their want for a full ceasefire, solely after which peace negotiations might happen. Trump has repeatedly demanded a ceasefire since returning to workplace in January, however appeared to drop the thought after final week’s assembly with Putin.
“I do not suppose you want a ceasefire,” Trump advised Zelenskyy within the Oval Workplace on Monday. “I do know that it may be good to have, however I also can perceive strategically, like, properly, you already know, one nation or the opposite would not need it.”
Trump added that he likes “the idea of a ceasefire for one purpose, since you’d cease killing folks instantly.”
Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Trump for internet hosting the assembly, and wrote on Telegram afterwards thanking the White Home for “the essential sign from the USA concerning readiness to assist and be a part of” post-war safety ensures.
“The leaders personally got here to assist Ukraine and talk about all the things that can deliver us nearer to actual peace, a dependable safety structure that can shield Ukraine and all of Europe,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Submit-meeting feedback from European leaders, although, hinted at unresolved obstacles to peace.
“You’ve gotten an American president, European presidents and a Ukrainian president all wanting peace,” French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned.
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, August 18, 2025 and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, August 15, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
“In my view, I’ve the best doubts concerning the actuality of a want for peace on the a part of the Russian president, as a result of so long as he thinks he can win by means of battle, he’ll achieve this,” Macron added. “His final goal is to take as a lot territory as doable, to weaken Ukraine and to have a Ukraine that’s not viable alone or is inside the Russian fold.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz mentioned that the thorny situation of Ukrainian territorial concessions was not mentioned. “The Russian demand that Kyiv hand over the free elements of Donbas is, to place it in perspective, equal to the U.S. having to surrender Florida,” he mentioned.
“A sovereign state can not merely resolve one thing like that. It’s a determination that Ukraine should make itself in the middle of negotiations,” Merz added.
ABC Information’ Alexandra Hutzler, Will Gretsky and Tanya Stukalova contributed to this report.
