Volodymyr Zelenskiy has denounced the massive attacks launched by Russia over the past three days, with over 900 drones and missiles, the most intense since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, demonstrating that Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the conflict.
Therefore, the Ukrainian president has once again called for stronger international sanctions on Moscow to force a ceasefire while ordering an increase in the production of interceptor drones to respond to the attacks.
"Putin must start respecting those who speak with him. For now, he is simply playing with diplomacy and diplomats. That must change," Zelenskiy said.
This morning, Russia launched a total of 60 drones over Ukrainian territory: 43 of them were neutralized by air defenses, and three people were injured.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its defenses had shot down 99 Ukrainian drones, 56 of them over the Belgorod region.
Merz defends Ukraine's right to attack Russian rear with allied weapons
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended Ukraine's right to attack military targets in the rear, also with German weapons, emphasizing the need to acknowledge that the war will continue due to Moscow's refusal to declare a ceasefire.
"Those who only defend against an attack on their own territory cannot defend sufficiently. Only those who have the ability to attack military bases located in the aggressor's territory can defend themselves," Merz said in a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in the Finnish city of Turku, as reported by Efe.
"In this sense, Ukraine has long been given the ability to truly defend itself against Russian aggression," the conservative leader pointed out.
Merz made these clarifications after stating on Monday at the WDR television network's European Forum that there are no longer any limitations on the range of Western weapons supplied to Kyiv, whether from the British, French, Americans, or Germans.
Ukraine confirms the fall of 4 towns in Sumy region to Russian forces
Authorities in Sumy have confirmed that Russian forces have taken control of four towns in this region bordering the Russian Federation, where the Kremlin's army has intensified its attack operations after expelling Kiev's troops from the neighboring Russian region of Kursk.
"As of today, the enemy controls the municipalities of Novenke, Vasivka Yunakivska, as well as Veselivka and Zhuravka Jotinska in the Sumy region," said the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Grigorov.
Grigorov explained that the residents of these towns were evacuated earlier, warning that "the enemy continues its attempts to advance with the aim of creating the so-called 'sanitary cordon,' referring to the plans announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin to conquer Ukrainian territory along the border with Russia to push the Ukrainian Army away from the neighboring Russian towns.
The head of the Sumy military administration also explained that hostilities continue in the vicinity of five other towns in the region.
China denies Ukrainian reports of military supplies to Russia
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that China has never provided lethal weapons to any party involved in the Ukraine war and strictly controls dual-use items, in response to Kiev's reports of Chinese supplies to Russian military plants.
"The Ukrainian side is well aware of this, and China firmly opposes unfounded accusations and political manipulation," said ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a press conference, as reported by Reuters.
Russia continues working on peace memorandum draft
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russia is still working on the draft memorandum for a potential peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine, as reported by Reuters.
The memorandum draft will outline the principles of an agreement and the terms of a possible ceasefire, to be delivered to Kiev as soon as it is ready.
"Russia continues to develop a draft memorandum on a future peace treaty, defining a series of positions such as settlement principles, the timeline for a potential peace agreement, and a possible ceasefire for a certain period if appropriate agreements are reached," Zakharova said.
Zelenskiy: "Putin is playing with diplomacy"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in his address to the nation last night that Russia is preparing new ground offensives and has no interest in ending the war. Zelenskiy also announced plans to increase the production of interception drones to counter Russian massive attacks.
"I have ordered a significant increase in the production of our interception drones, and we will seek more funding from our partners to support this," Zelenskiy said about another issue announced in his nighttime address, where he also mentioned allocating more funding to the Ukrainian missile program.
The Ukrainian president reiterated the call for more international sanctions on Russia. "New and strong sanctions against Russia -- from the United States, Europe, and all those in the world seeking peace -- will serve as a guaranteed means to compel Russia not only to cease fire but also to show respect. Putin must start respecting those who speak to him. For now, he is simply playing with diplomacy and diplomats. That must change," Zelenskiy said.
Russia launches 60 drones against Ukrainian territory
Russia launched a total of 60 drones against Ukraine tonight, including Shahed kamikaze drones and replicas used by the Russians to confuse enemy defenses, as reported by the Ukrainian Air Force on Tuesday.
Air defenses neutralized 43 of the attack drones.
In addition, three people were injured in southern and southeastern Ukraine overnight, as reported by Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday.
Russia shoots down 99 Ukrainian drones over seven of its regions
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its defenses shot down 99 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over seven regions of the country. According to the military report, the drone attacks occurred between 8:00 p.m. yesterday and 7:00 a.m. today local time and focused on two Russian border regions.
Of the total unmanned aerial vehicles intercepted during that period, 56 were destroyed over the Belgorod region and 25 over the Voronezh region, both bordering Ukraine.
The remaining drones, added the Russian military command, were shot down over the Vladimir (7), Kaluga (5), Tula (4), Rostov (1), and Lipetsk (1) regions.