Overview

• Over the weekend Russia unleashed its fiercest bombing since 2022, deploying hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against Kyiv and other regions, killing at least 12 civilians.
• Ukraine’s air defenses reported shooting down more than 266 drones and 45 missiles during the latest assault.
• The second phase of the Istanbul prisoner exchange concluded with 1,000 total captives swapped between Kyiv and Moscow, but Russia has rejected a U.S.- and EU-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal.
• EU’s Kaja Kallas and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged heightened pressure on Russia and announced coordinated new sanctions as President Zelenski unveiled fresh punitive measures.
• U.S. President Donald Trump described Vladimir Putin as “crazy” for persisting with the attacks and signaled openness to further sanctions even as Ukrainian intelligence accused China of supplying critical military components to Russia.