Following a phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin, Russia launched overnight drone strikes targeting civilian areas in Ukraine, including a hospital in Sumy.
During the conversation, Putin declined to support a full 30-day ceasefire, though Trump claimed the Russian leader had agreed to stop attacks on Ukraine’s energy and infrastructure. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported continued Russian strikes on civilian and energy sites, emphasizing the need for increased pressure on Moscow to end the war.
Trump and Zelenskyy spoke for about an hour the following morning, with Trump describing their discussion as productive and aimed at aligning Ukraine and Russia’s positions.
The White House framed Trump’s call with Putin as an early step toward peace, with hopes for a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea. However, there was no indication that Putin had softened his demands, which include a complete halt to Western military aid to Ukraine—terms that Kyiv firmly rejects. In response, Zelenskyy called for increased international assistance rather than concessions.
Shortly after Trump and Putin’s conversation, air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv, followed by explosions as Russian drones targeted multiple Ukrainian regions. A hospital in Sumy was directly hit, forcing the evacuation of 150 patients. Attacks were also reported in Donetsk, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Cherkasy. Zelenskyy’s aide, Andriy Yermak, confirmed the hospital strike, criticizing Russia’s continued assault on civilian infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of undermining peace efforts by launching its own strikes on Russian infrastructure. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 57 Ukrainian drones, while authorities in occupied Crimea reported that a Ukrainian drone attack had caused a fire at an oil depot. Despite diplomatic efforts, Moscow’s military actions suggest no immediate move toward de-escalation.
