Nearly 300 attack drones and almost 70 missiles — including ballistic missiles — were fired overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X.
The Russian airstrikes came despite a diplomatic breakthrough, as the two sides on Friday started the biggest POW exchange since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion in 2022.
U.S. President Donald Trump praised the prisoner swap, posting on Truth Social: “Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???” — even though the exchange had not yet started when Trump posted his message.
“[Trump] wanted to be the first to break the news about it,” a Ukrainian official told POLITICO on condition of anonymity. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov thanked Trump for his involvement, as Kyiv is still trying to keep the U.S. president engaged in efforts to broker peace in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Trump and Putin held a two-hour call last week to discuss a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire. Trump called the talks “very successful,” but Putin has so far only agreed to explore a nonbinding “memorandum” outlining potential peace terms.
Zelenskyy on Sunday condemned the overnight strikes and urged international allies to step up pressure on Moscow to end the conflict.
