Russia launched ten drones at Ukraine overnight, but all were shot down by Ukraine’s air defence units. The Ukrainian air force confirmed the successful defence on Tuesday.
This drone attack came shortly after Germany issued a warning to Russia. Berlin threatened tougher sanctions if Moscow failed to agree to a ceasefire by midnight on Monday.
“The clock is ticking — we still have 12 hours until the end of this day,” said German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius on Monday. He also confirmed that Germany was working with its European allies on possible new sanctions.
The warning followed Russia’s refusal to agree to a 30-day ceasefire. This proposal was originally suggested by the United States in March but has seen little progress.
Despite this, the Kremlin said it would join peace talks later this week without any preconditions. However, Moscow has not responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offer for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday.
“Russian shelling and assaults continue,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media platform X on Monday. “Moscow has remained silent all day regarding the proposal for a direct meeting. A very strange silence.”
Zelenskyy expressed his full support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for a “full and unconditional ceasefire.” He also welcomed the idea of Trump attending the potential face-to-face meeting with Putin.
Trump voiced optimism about the upcoming talks in Istanbul. He said he was considering joining the meeting after his scheduled visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on the same day.
