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Over 390 drones target Moscow ahead of Zelenskiy-Trump White House meeting
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that the capital came under attack from more than 390 drones overnight. The assault took place ahead of a critical White House meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US President Donald Trump.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that the capital came under attack from more than 390 drones overnight. In a statement on Telegram, Sobyanin said the drones were heading for the Moscow region, but air defense systems shot down most of them long before they reached the city. He noted that Russian air defenses destroyed another 81 drones as they approached Moscow.
Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov also said in a statement on the same platform that a residential building and some houses were damaged, but no casualties have been reported so far.
Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine
Ukrainian officials said seven people were killed and more than 20 wounded in Russian attacks on frontline towns in the country's east. Donetsk region prosecutors announced that three people died in two areas near the contested city of Kostyantynivka, along the 1,200-kilometer front line where fighting has intensified. Although the Russian military claimed to have captured the city this month, Ukrainian officials denied the claim.
Additionally, one person was killed near Kramatorsk, a city critical to Ukraine's defense. A total of 18 people were wounded across Donetsk. Dnipropetrovsk Regional Governor Oleksandr Hanza reported that the Russian army carried out more than 50 attacks using artillery and drones in the region, killing three people and wounding six.
Zelenskiy's White House visit
On the political front, US President Donald Trump will host his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House today. The meeting will focus on US support for Ukraine against Moscow. The visit comes as both Ukraine and Russia have intensified long-range attacks and US-led diplomatic efforts have stalled.
A White House official told AFP last Friday that the two leaders would meet in Washington on Tuesday. The date coincides with the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11. Zelenskiy said he was preparing to meet with the US president and his team, adding, 'I hope Washington will continue its support for Ukraine and that we can end this war with peace.'
Relations between Trump and Zelenskiy have long been strained. Since returning to the White House, Trump has largely halted direct arms shipments to Kyiv, instead favoring the 'Burl' program, which allows Europeans to purchase weapons and transfer them to Ukraine. However, Trump has shown a more flexible stance toward Ukraine in recent weeks. The US remains a key ally of Kyiv, particularly providing intelligence sharing and access to the Starlink system, which ensures military communications on the front lines.
Russia sanctions bill in US Senate
During his Washington visit, Zelenskiy is also expected to meet with the US Senate. Advisers to two senators said all 100 senators were invited to a meeting with the Ukrainian leader on Tuesday evening. One adviser said the Senate may vote on a bill imposing sanctions on Russia, which Graham was a leading supporter of.
The bill aims to reduce revenues from energy sales that Russia uses to finance the war. The legislation, which had been stalled for about a year, resurfaced after Graham's sudden death this month. Lawmakers had lowered the tariff rate in the bill from 500 percent to 100 percent in an effort to garner more support. However, the bill is causing controversy in Congress over concerns it could grant new powers to Trump.
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