KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched a massive wave of drone attacks across Ukraine overnight, effectively dismissing Ukraine’s appeal — backed by key Western allies — for a 30-day ceasefire aimed at facilitating peace talks.
Ukrainian military officials reported that Russian forces fired 108 Iranian-made Shahed drones starting around 11 p.m. Sunday, targeting multiple regions across the country. The Ukrainian Air Force said it successfully shot down more than half of the drones. An additional 30 decoy drones reportedly malfunctioned and failed to reach their targets.
The strikes caused damage in several areas, including Odesa, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, and Zhytomyr, with emergency services confirming at least 22 civilians injured in the latest wave of Russian aggression.
The overnight barrage came just hours before a Western-backed ceasefire initiative was set to take effect. Over the weekend, European leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland visited Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day truce or face intensified sanctions.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s call for an immediate halt to the fighting during a call Sunday with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. “Our top priority remains bringing an end to the fighting and an immediate ceasefire,” the U.S. State Department said in a readout of the call.
Putin, however, had already signaled reluctance to accept the ceasefire. In a televised address Sunday night timed for maximum visibility in the U.S., he proposed direct peace negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday — an apparent effort to reframe the diplomatic momentum on Moscow’s terms.
Zelensky responded swiftly on social media, challenging Putin to meet him face-to-face in Türkiye. “I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally,” Zelensky wrote. A senior Ukrainian official told Axios the president intends to travel to Istanbul regardless of Russia’s stance on the proposed ceasefire.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov clarified Monday that any direct negotiations would resume based on the framework discussed in Istanbul shortly after the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. At that time, Russia’s demands included Ukrainian neutrality and territorial concessions, conditions Kyiv has consistently rejected as tantamount to surrender.
Though Putin ordered a symbolic 72-hour unilateral truce last week to coincide with Russia’s Victory Day, Ukrainian officials denounced the move as a propaganda stunt. Both sides accused the other of breaching that brief pause.
With no let-up in hostilities and Russia pressing forward militarily, prospects for a meaningful ceasefire appear increasingly dim, even as diplomatic pressure mounts for a negotiated end to the war.
