Kyiv, July 9 (Reuters) – Russia has targeted Ukraine, targeting a record 728 drones overnight. Soon, US President Donald Trump pledged to send more defensive weapons to Kiev, aiming to directly criticize the unusually direct criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian air force destroyed almost all of the drones through electronic clogs, the Ukrainian air force said on the Telegram messaging app.
The attacks following a series of escalating air force attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks have shown the need to “bite” sanctions against the sources of revenue that Russia uses to fund the war, including those who purchase Russian oil, Ukrainian Voldimia Zelensky said in a telegram.
Trump said Tuesday he was considering supporting a Senate bill that imposes sudden sanctions on Russia, including 500% tariffs on countries purchasing Russia’s oil, gas, uranium and other exports.
“We get a lot of bullshit that was thrown into us by Putin… he’s always very good, but it turns out to be pointless,” Trump told the cabinet meeting.
When asked by a reporter what he would do with Putin, Trump said, “I wouldn’t tell you. We’d be a little surprised.”
Separately, Europe is working on a new sanctions package against Moscow.
Returning to power this year with the promise of a quick end to the war in Ukraine, Trump has shifted our rhetoric from solid support for Kiev to embrace some of Moscow’s justifications for the full-scale invasion that began in 2022.
However, the first talks between Russia and Ukraine have produced small fruits so far, and Moscow has yet to accept the unconditional ceasefire proposed by Trump and accepted by Kiev.
The US president’s promise to supply more defensive weapons reversed the Pentagon’s decision a few days ago to halt some critical ammunition supply to Ukraine despite an increase in Russian attacks that spread fear to Kiev.
Following Trump’s new promise, Zelensky said Tuesday that he ordered widening contact with the United States, primarily to ensure critical delivery of military supply for air defense.
Trump’s Ukrainian envoy Keith Kellogg is scheduled for later Wednesday in Rome when he attends the International Aid Conference of Aid from July 10-11 in Ukraine, attended by Zelensky and Kiev’s European allies.
Poland scrambles jets
Residents of Kyiv and other major cities spent the night at air raid shelters, including subway stations.
Part of the Russian overnight strike was targeting the western region near Poland, a NATO member. The main target is the northwest city of Rootsk, about 200 km (125 miles) from Poland, Zelenskiy said, listing 10 other provinces across the country where damage was reported.
He said Polish and Allied aircraft have been activated to ensure Polish military operational orders.
Regional authorities say that the largest air attack of the war with Rutsk, a city of 200,000, damaged the building, but no deaths or injuries were reported.
Ihor Polingchuk said local businesses and several parking storage facilities were on fire, the mayor of Lutsk.
Ivan Rudnytskyi, governor of the Volyn region, including Lutsk, said 50 Russian drones and five missiles were in the area’s airspace overnight.
“This was the largest enemy attack by UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and missiles in our cities and communities,” Polishchuk said in a social media video.
(Reporting by Frank Jack Daniel by Yurii Kovalenko, Lidia Kelly and Alexandar Vasovacediting)
