Ukraine launches drone attack on Russian factory ahead of peace summit
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operations, said the Plandin plant produces gyroscopic devices, control systems and on-board computers for the missiles and is an 'absolutely legitimate target' because it is part of the Russian military-industrial complex that works for the war against Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers from air-defence unit of 59th brigade fire at Russian strike drones in Dnipropetrovsk region (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)
Russia's defence ministry said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a total of 39 Ukrainian drones overnight and Monday morning over several Russian regions as well as over the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
The summit, which US President Donald Trump will host in Alaska later this week, sees Mr Putin unwavering on his demands to keep all the Ukrainian territory his forces now occupy but also to prevent Kyiv from joining Nato with the long-term aim to keep the country within Moscow's sphere of influence.
Mr Putin believes he enjoys the advantage on the ground as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold back Russian advances along the 600-mile front.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insists he will never consent to any Russian annexation of Ukrainian territory nor give up his country's bid for Nato membership.
European leaders have rallied behind Ukraine, saying peace in the war-torn nation cannot be resolved without Kyiv.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also spoke with Mr Trump on Sunday, Mr Merz's spokesman said on Monday, but did not disclose the contents of the talks.
Spokesman Steffen Meyer reiterated that the German government 'has always emphasised that borders must not be shifted by force' and that Ukraine should decide its own fate 'independently and autonomously'.
Meanwhile, on the front lines, few Ukrainian soldiers believe there is an end in sight to the war, other than a brief respite before Moscow resumes its attacks with even greater might.
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