Months after appearing to almost take his side in the Ukraine war debate, President Trump appears to be wising up to the underhand tactics used by Vladimir Putin
Ukraine has received a desperately-needed lifeline of US air defences as Russia rains horror down on its cities in deadly night drone and missile attacks. In the wake of President Donald Trump finally appearing to pivot away from Moscow in support of Kyiv he has agreed to supply Ukraine with Patriot missile defences.
It comes as again Russia has bombarded Ukraine with more than 100 drones and missiles, stepping up its use of “decoy” drones to deplete Kyiv’s dwindling defence weapons. Overnight into Monday, Russia fired four S-300/400 missiles and 136 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the Kyiv air force said. It said that 61 drones were intercepted and 47 more were either jammed or lost from radars mid-flight.
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Russia said it downed 11 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, as well as over the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. US president Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired General Keith Kellog, has arrived in Kyiv as Washington appears to be switching in favour of Kyiv.
Trump has long boasted of his friendship with Putin, repeatedly saying Russia was willing to reach a peace deal. But he has accused Mr Zelensky of prolonging the war and called him a “dictator without elections”.
But Russia’s relentless onslaught against civilian areas of Ukraine wore down Mr Trump’s patience. In April, he urged Mr Putin to “STOP!” launching deadly barrages on Kyiv.
Late on Sunday he said: “I am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said. He’ll talk so beautifully and then he’ll bomb people at night. We don’t like that.” Mr Trump confirmed the US was sending Ukraine US-made Patriot air defence missiles to help it fend off Russia’s intensifying aerial attacks.
It comes amid hopes that more weapons supplies into Ukraine are also heading in from Europe as Ukraine fights back a major surge by Russia. There are also fears North Korea is considering sending in more troops to bolster Russia’s forces, adding to the 14,000 already sent, thousands of which have been killed.
Russia has pounded Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of drones and cruise and ballistic missiles that Ukraine’s air defences are struggling to counter. June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the past three years, with 232 people killed and 1,343 wounded.
Russia launched ten times more drones and missiles in June than in the same month last year. This has happened at the same time as Russia’s bigger army is making a new effort to drive back Ukrainian defenders on parts of the 620-mile front line.
A top ally of Mr Trump, Republican senator Lindsey Graham, said on Sunday that the conflict was nearing an inflection point. This is despite Trump previously dismissing it as being a waste of US taxpayer money.
Graham said: “In the coming days, you’ll see weapons flowing at a record level to help Ukraine defend themselves. One of the biggest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump.”
But Kirill Dmitriev, Mr Putin’s envoy for international investment who took part in talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia in February, dismissed what he said were efforts to drive a wedge between Moscow and Washington. He said: “Constructive dialogue between Russia and the United States is more effective than doomed-to-fail attempts at pressure.
“This dialogue will continue, despite titanic efforts to disrupt it by all possible means.” Meanwhile, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte was due in Washington for talks with Mr Trump, secretary of state Marco Rubio and defence secretary Pete Hegseth as well as members of Congress.
Ukraine’s Presidential office said Trump’s envoy retired general Keith Kellogg, will hold meetings in Kyiv which will cover “defence, strengthening security, weapons, sanctions, protection of our people and enhancing co-operation between Ukraine and the United States.” Andrei Yermak, head of the President’s office said:
“Russia does not want a ceasefire. Peace through strength is President Donald Trump’s principle, and we support this approach.”