Overview
- Ukrainian forces this week reported long‑range drone strikes that hit an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, a Russian naval facility and a weapons factory in Tambov, a development analysts say shows growing Ukrainian reach into Russian strategic targets.
- The strikes came a day after a large Russian drone and rocket assault on Ukrainian cities that news reports linked to at least 22 civilian deaths and about 138 injuries, underscoring the rising human cost on both sides.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter offering direct negotiations with Vladimir Putin, a move that German government circles and others say may have opened a narrow "window for talks" on a European side.
- European officials are discussing a possible E3 (Germany, France, UK) role in any talks but several states and experts, notably Poland, expressed skepticism about Germany’s suitability to lead the effort.
- Germany’s diplomatic standing is under strain after failing to win a non‑permanent UN Security Council seat and facing sharp domestic backlash to Health Minister Nina Warken’s Pflegereform draft, which seeks to close a projected €7.6 billion 2027 shortfall and has drawn intense criticism for shifting costs to care‑dependent people, relatives and municipalities.