News alerts lit up phones across Kyiv on Sunday night after former President Donald Trump made a brief but cryptic comment on a tarmac in Palm Beach, Florida. The president stated that discussions involving Ukraine and Russia are "making progress." However, he offered no further details.
The remark followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent interview, in which he said discussions with Washington remained at a general level but that he expects in-person meetings to take place soon.
Meanwhile, reality arrived in the form of fire and shrapnel as Russia unleashed one of its most intense barrages in months.
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In Poltava, central Ukraine, a missile struck a residential building, reducing apartments to rubble. At least 14 people were killed, including two children, officials said. The attack added to a civilian death toll that the United Nations estimates has surpassed 12,000 since Russia's full-scale invasion began.
In Odesa, Russian missiles hit the city's historic district, damaging landmarks including the Bristol Hotel, museums and the city's philharmonic hall. Images of the destruction spread rapidly online. Ukrainian officials said Norwegian diplomats were just blocks away at the time of the strike. Zelenskyy said, "Odesa will never be the same."
Across the country, Ukraine's air defenses battled an onslaught of 165 missiles and drones over the weekend, intercepting many, but not all. The ones that got through damaged the energy grid, leaving seven regions in darkness. Officials warn that rolling blackouts could continue for weeks.
In Poland, fighter jets scrambled as Russian missiles veered dangerously close to NATO airspace.
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Meanwhile, in Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the war is setting Ukraine back 100 years. Zelenskyy responded by inviting him to visit — to witness firsthand the destruction, but also see Ukraine's technological advancements, particularly in drone warfare, where he says Ukraine remains decades ahead of the world.
