Russia and Ukraine exchange fire while Trump prepares peace summit
Ukraine and Russia exchanged drone strikes and frontline clashes overnight, following reports of a potential three-way summit led by US President Donald Trump to end the war.
Ukraine's military reported intercepting 89 out of 112 drones launched from Russian territory and occupied Crimea. The wave of Shahed-type drones and various decoys targeted multiple regions across the north, east, and center of the country. The assault, which began late Wednesday, triggered a nationwide response involving air defense units, electronic warfare teams, and mobile fire groups. Drone debris was recorded in at least three locations, with confirmed interceptions at 11 sites.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that one man was injured by falling drone fragments in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, where windows were shattered and an outbuilding was destroyed. Minor fires were reported in the Krasnoarmeysky District and quickly extinguished. The ministry added that its naval forces repelled an attempted unmanned boat attack near Novorossiysk, with no casualties or damage.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces recorded 147 combat engagements over the past 24 hours. Russian forces launched 87 airstrikes, dropped 157 guided bombs, and conducted over 10,000 attacks using artillery and kamikaze drones. Frontline areas in Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson came under sustained fire.
Ukrainian troops pushed back repeated assaults in Kupiansk, Lyman, Toretsk, and other hotspots. Counterstrikes targeted two Russian command centers, three artillery positions, and seven groupings of troops and equipment. Estimated Russian losses included 1,040 personnel, four tanks, several armored vehicles, 47 artillery units, and more than 160 drones.
As military operations intensified, diplomatic activity advanced. Russian President Vladimir Putin held a three-hour meeting in Moscow on Wednesday with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, with Russian officials calling the talks 'very useful and constructive.'
According to The New York Times, Trump intends to meet with Putin 'as soon as next week' and is planning a three-way summit to bring in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The proposed meeting, which would reportedly involve only the three leaders, is intended to explore a path toward ending the conflict. Trump told reporters there is 'a very good prospect' that the talks will move forward. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Russia initiated the request, noting that the US president is 'open to meeting with both sides' because 'he wants this brutal war to end.'
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