Ukraine pummels Moscow in revenge strike after huge Russian blitz – as Zelensky wants talks with Trump AND ‘crazy' Putin
As dozens of attack
drones
swarmed the Russian capital, brave Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky revealed
9
Ukrainian drones struck the Kronstadt unmanned plane plant in Dubna, Moscow region
Credit: East2West
9
Fires blaze in the city of Chekhov after Ukrianian strikes
Credit: East2West
9
Russian air defences downing Ukrainian kamikaze drones which swarmed over Moscow and the surrounding region
Credit: East2West
Ukrainian
strikes
hit a key Putin microchip plant in Zelenograd district, with thunderous explosions also hitting a drone-making plant and another defence plant in Dubna.
Both strikes are seen as causing
Moscow's defence ministry claims Ukraine launched nearly 300 drones overnight in revenge for
In the largest-scale aerial attack of the war a few days ago,
read more news
In the latest drone blitz launched by Ukraine, there was major disruption at Moscow's major airports with all forced to close, leading to huge flight delays.
The Mikron microchip plant in the Moscow region is key to Russian defence needs amid sanctions, supplying hi-tech electronics for weapons.
In Dubna, reports say the
target
was Kronstadt state-of-the-art UAV manufacturing plant that mass produces multiple types of drones used by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine.
There were also claims of a confirmed strike in Dubna at an aviation and rocket technology plant.
Most read in The US Sun
Meanwhile, Zelensky has revealed that Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations - including the possibility of a bombshell trilateral meeting.
The brave Ukrainian leader explained at a closed meeting with reporters that he would want to meet directly with Trump and mad Vlad, according to the
How Iran's Trump assassination plot would trigger full-scale invasion by the US and topple Ayatollah's evil regime
He said: "We are ready for the Trump-Putin-me format, or for separate meetings - Trump-Putin, Trump-Zelensky, and then all three together.
Revealing that both the American and Russian sides are aware of the proposal, Zelensky added: "It's not a question of time or place, the main thing is the substance."
Zelensky also said that if the talks are on security guarantees, he "strongly" believes "Europeans must be part of the process" as "they are the ones willing to support us with weapons and financing".
Ukraine is currently waiting for a "memorandum" from Moscow which outlines what the
next
steps
could be in potential ceasefire negotiations as well as
future
peace crunch talks.
The brave leader reiterated Ukraine's desire to engage in talks with
Russia
"in any format, in any composition, and almost anywhere in the civilised world".
Ukraine's latest revenge drone strike came soon after US President Trump took his latest swipe at Putin, warning he is "playing with fire".
Furious rhetoric from the US president has intensified over the past few days as Russia has
and shown signs of
Kremlin
mouthpiece Dmitry Medvedev responded by saying the only truly bad thing
9
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a press briefing following phone calls with US President Donald Trump
Credit: Reuters
9
Ukrainian drones hit the Mikron microchip plant in Zelenograd, Moscow
Credit: East2West
9
A view shows burning houses following a Ukrainian drone attack
Credit: Reuters
He said: "Regarding Trump's words about Putin 'playing with fire' and 'really bad things' happening to Russiam I only know of one REALLY BAD thing: WWIII.
"I hope Trump understands this!"
Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg jumped to the US president's defence, slamming Medvedev's World War Three warning.
'Furthering fears of World War Three is an unfortunate, reckless comment by Dmitry Medvedev, unbecoming of a world power,' he said.
'President Trump is working to stop this war and end the killing. We are awaiting the memo you promised a week ago.'
Following Ukraine's overnight drone blitz, Sergei Markov, director of Russia's Institute of Political Studies, warned: 'Dubna became the target of a massive attack by Ukrainian drones.
'An attack on Dubna carries the threat of nuclear contamination of large areas.'
Russia
carried on its onslaught on Ukraine, aiming Iskander missiles at Kremenchug, and drones at Poltava region, overnight.
Residents in Poltava heard sonic booms from missiles exceeding the speed of sound.
Soon, Britain's state-of-the-art Storm Shadow missiles could be used by Ukraine to blitz targets deep inside Russia, the German Chancellor indicated.
9
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting of the Russia – Land of Opportunities Supervisory Board at the Kremlin
Credit: EPA
9
US President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as he walks on the South Lawn of the White House
Credit: Reuters
9
A serviceman of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attends a military drill
Credit: Reuters
Ukraine's key backers - including Germany, France, the UK and the US - have lifted restrictions on where the weapons they donate can be used, Germany's Merz said.
He said last Monday: "There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine - neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans.
"This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia… With very few exceptions, it didn't do that until recently. It can now do that."
In November last year, the US authorised Ukraine to use American long-range missiles called ATACMS against targets inside Russia.
In the same month, Britain gave the green light for Ukraine to fire our Storm Shadow missiles at Russia.
Trump brands Putin 'crazy'
By Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter
PRESIDENT Donald Trump broke his silence on Sunday after
'I'm not happy with Putin,' Trump fumed as he spoke to reporters in Morristown, New Jersey earlier on Sunday following the overnight onslaught that killed at least 13 and injured dozens.
'I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him? Right? He's killing a lot of people. I'm not happy about that,' he said.
Trump added that
And later in a post on his Truth Social site, the Republican leader continued to bash the mad Vlad.
He wrote: "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him.
"He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is
"Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever."
In the rare rebuke to Putin, the Republican also said that
He added: "I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!"
But the Kremlin on Monday subtly slammed Trump's "crazy" comments, claiming his swipes at the dictator were channelled by the US President's emotional overload.
It also thanked the US leader for his assistance in launching Ukraine peace negotiations.
Putin puppet and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process.
"Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions."
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Nato leaders expected to meet to discuss Ukraine as Russia launches largest attack
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The Journal
3 hours ago
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What parts of Ukraine could Vladimir Putin ask for in exchange for an end to the war?
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But what land is Moscow seeking, and how likely is it that Zelenskyy would even consider conceding territory? What territory does Russia want? Putin is understood to have told Trump last week that he wants Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions, also known as the Donbas. These areas have seen the deadliest battles of the war so far. The regions run from Mariupol in the south all the way up to the northern border with Russia. Before the invasion, they were home to over six million people, but the remaining population is now difficult to determine due to millions having left since the start of the war. During the Soviet era, the regions had a heavily industrialised industry, particularly for coal and steel production. They also have a significant proportion of farmland. A map of Ukraine marking the disputed territories in red, including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and parts of Zaporizhzhia. Shutterstock Shutterstock In September 2022, Russia held 'referendums' and illegally annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – the same thing it did in Crimea in 2014. It has been trying to capture all of the Donbas since then, but it has never had any of the four regions fully under its control. Why does Putin want the Donbas? Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Professor of Politics at DCU who has worked and researched in the post-Soviet region for over two decades, told The Journal that Russia controls almost all of Luhansk and the majority of Donetsk. 'But there are important cities which they don't hold and haven't been able to take, despite the three-and-a-half years of full-scale invasion,' he said. He said that while both regions are predominantly Russian-speaking, they do not have an ethnic Russian majority. Advertisement 'There is this attempt by the Kremlin always to conflate Russian speaking with ethnic Russian. When I was there giving lectures for over a number of periods in Donetsk, the students I met there were Russian-speaking Ukrainians,' he said. 'That's borne out by census figures, it's borne out by opinion polls in terms of self-identification. Of course, there are people who identify as Russian as well, but the demographics have shifted a lot since the war. A lot of people have left.' Given their locations, Ukraine fears that Russia taking control of Donetsk and Luhansk would be detrimental to its defence and would allow Moscow to regroup and begin attacks deeper into the country. 'It's a substantial piece of territory, and it's very well fortified,' Ó Beacháin said. 'It includes cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, which, if the Ukrainians were to hand them over to the Russians, it would mean that Ukraine would be much easier to attack in the future.' What are the conditions like under Russian occupation? For those still living in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk, the regions are treated as parts of Russia. The Russian constitution recognises them as Russian territories, and has forced Ukrainians in the regions to adopt Russian passports. Weather forecasts shown on Russian television will include those regions as part of Russia, even though they don't control all of the territory. Moscow has been encouraging people to move to some cities in the region in order to rebuild them, including Mariupol. The city was taken by Russian forces after a brutal siege three months into Russia's invasion. Ukraine estimates over 25,000 people were killed. Recently, Russian influencers have shared content from Mariupol suggesting that life there is normal, something that has been disputed by Ukrainian residents . Other recent reports show there are acute water shortages in some parts of Donetsk, with residents pleading with Russia for help . 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The Ukrainian president has repeatedly said that he would not be willing to hand over any of his country to Putin. Ukraine's constitution outlines that changes to its territory can only be made through referendums. 'The Ukrainian constitution is quite clear in the territorial definition. You couldn't possibly have a situation where a President could sign over territory. It would be unconstitutional,' Ó Beacháin said. Related Reads Trump tells Zelenskyy and European leaders that Putin 'accepts' security guarantees for Ukraine Opinion: For Ukraine, it's a case of 'if you're not at the table, you're probably on the menu' 'It would be impossible in the foreseeable future to have a referendum of any legitimacy, because millions of people have left Ukraine. Many people are under occupation. How would you have a referendum that would be recognised and legitimate?' The chance that Russia would abide by a 'land for peace' agreement is low. The Budapest Memorandum in 1994 saw Russia agree to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and borders in return for Kyiv giving up its nuclear arsenal. It went on to invade Crimea. The subsequent Minsk agreements were also broken when Putin recognised Donetsk and Luhansk as Russian before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say you would have something approaching civil war in Ukraine, were any Ukrainian government just to hand over territory that was in Ukrainian hands now. Ó Beacháin added that doing this would also be 'political suicide' for Zelenskyy. 'I can't see him doing it, unless he feels that he could do it almost like an act of personal self sacrifice, recognising that his political career is over… but he doesn't strike me as somebody who would avoid responsibility at critical moments.' What happens next? Putin and Zelenskyy have both said they are prepared to meet each other after the meeting in the US yesterday – but whether a territorial swap is on the cards remains to be seen. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed that such a decision would potentially send the wrong message, even though it would be for Ukraine to make. Addressing whether Zelenskyy would be forced to give up territory to Russia, Macron said it was 'up to Ukraine'. 'Ukraine will make the concessions it deems just and right,' he said, but added: 'Let's be very careful when we talk about legal recognition.' 'If countries… can say, 'we can take territory by force', that opens a Pandora's box.' Part of the problem for Zelenskyy and Ukraine is a potential lack of American support from this point onwards. Ó Beacháin said the US 'already have one foot out the door' when it comes to supporting Ukraine. 'Essentially, Trump's big threat is 'we'll walk away', but it's clear that they're walking away anyway,' he said. 'To use Trump's terminology, [Zelenskyy] doesn't really have many cards with Putin or the Europeans or the Ukrainians.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... Our Explainer articles bring context and explanations in plain language to help make sense of complex issues. We're asking readers like you to support us so we can continue to provide helpful context to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. Learn More Support The Journal
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
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Putin marked the Donbas as a key bargaining chip during his Alaska summit with Trump BUFFER ZONE Why does Putin want the Donbas? How 'fortress belt' region scarred by 11yrs of war is tyrant's top prize in peace talks PUTIN laid his cards on the table when he declared that he wants the whole of Ukraine's Donbas region in exchange for peace. The eastern zone, home to Ukraine's "fortress belt", would be a valuable prize for Putin with murderous potential - and one he has sought for over a decade. 8 A member of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army patrol around the town of Velyka Novosilk Credit: Getty 8 Putin said he would freeze the entire frontline if Ukraine handed over the last remaining section of the Donbas Credit: Reuters Advertisement 8 Fighting in raging on the frontline in Donetsk - which has seen unrest now for 11 years Credit: Getty 8 Since invading in 2022, Russia has overrun almost the entire Donbas - comprised of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. But one corner of the Donetsk region remains clinging on. Advertisement The frontline there accounts for just a fraction of the whole conflict, but suddenly the last remaining sliver of land has been thrust to the heart of the peace conversation. At last week's Alaska summit, Putin declared he would freeze the frontline if Ukraine handed over the last remaining enclave of the Donbas. read more on the ukraine war SUITED… NOT BOOTED Trump pledges to protect Ukraine's security as Zelensky wins concessions But Kyiv has consistently rejected the idea of releasing any territory it currently holds - creating a major sticking point in the negotiations. But why is Putin so obsessed by this particular patch? Advertisement The Donbas is Ukraine's industrial powerhouse and holds rich reserves of coal and metal underground. By taking it all Russia would totally suffocate the vital supply of those fossil fuels to Ukraine. The Donbas is also a crucial strategic location in the conflict. It is a gateway guarding the central heartland of Ukraine - built around Ukraine "fortress belt". Moment warped Russian soldiers taunt Ukraine by flying an AMERICAN flag into battle ahead of crunch Zelensky-Trump talks This refers to a run of fiercely-defenced towns and cities which Russia has so far failed to undo. Advertisement The valley around the Kazenyi Torets river, which runs through the unconquered region, has been fortified into a defensive stronghold. Over more than a decade, defensive lines have been embedded into the terrain and the slopes measured up for artillery ranges. Ukraine's army knows every inch of the land - hence the Russians have been unable to penetrate it. 8 Zelensky, who met Trump in the White House on Monday, has vowed not to give over any more land to Russia Credit: AFP 8 In last week's Alaska summit, Putin made the Donbas region a key bargaining chip Credit: Getty Advertisement With the Donbas out of the way, Putin's ranks would find it much easier to storm through and take large swathes of central Ukraine in any future attacks. The region also holds a very particular history which means Russia feels a particular claim to it. It has long been one of the most Russian speaking parts of Ukraine, and political loyalties there have sometimes landed in favour of Russia. Donetsk was the home and main power base of Viktor Yanukovych - Ukraine's former president loyal to the Kremlin. Yanukovych was toppled in 2014 and it was in the aftermath of this when Russia seized Crimea. Advertisement Unrest raged for the next eight years, with a separatist movement fuelled by Russian guns. 8 Strikes on Ukraine continued even as Zelensky and EU leaders sat down with Trump in Washington Credit: Getty 8 A school in the Donbas destroyed school after a strike in the city of Bakhmut Credit: AFP Even though the people of the Donbas firmly backed Zelensky in 2019 votes, Putin used the protection of its residents as a key justification for his so-called special military operation. He recognized two breakaway territories — the self-declared 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Luhansk People's Republic' — before launching his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Advertisement This thin excuse was debunked within hours when the marauding Russians advanced far beyond its boundaries. While the remaining piece of land demanded by Putin may be small, the future of a vast area would be destabilised if it falls into Russian hands. A former high-ranking Kremlin official previously warned: 'Putin has acted opportunistically; when he launched the invasion he had no fixed territorial limits in mind. 'His appetite grows once he's tasted success.'
