Trump Confirms Sanction Considerations

NEW YORK / WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump has confirmed he is considering additional punitive measures against the Russian Federation, following an unprecedented overnight barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine — the most extensive aerial attack since the full-scale war began.

The Kremlin’s coordinated strike unleashed 367 unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic missiles, with targets spanning across multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Ternopil. Ukrainian defence forces reported intercepting the majority — 266 drones and 45 missiles — but the remaining strikes claimed at least 12 lives, including three children, predominantly in the Zhytomyr region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a direct appeal to the United States and its allies: “America’s silence emboldens Putin,” he stated on Telegram. “Each terrorist strike by Russia is sufficient cause for new sanctions.”

Asked whether Washington is preparing further sanctions, President Trump responded from New Jersey on Sunday: “Absolutely. I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people. I don’t know what the hell happened to him. I’ve known him a long time, but this — this is madness.”

Upon his return to the capital, Trump took to social media, declaring that “Putin has gone absolutely CRAZY.” He also criticised Zelensky directly, accusing the Ukrainian leader of “causing problems” with his rhetoric: “He’s not helping his country by talking the way he does. It better stop.”

The White House has not yet issued a formal position, but pressure is mounting amid bipartisan calls for stronger measures.

⚠️ Ukraine: Civilians Targeted, Cities Damaged

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko condemned the Russian strike as “a calculated, terror-driven assault on civilians.” Kyiv reported 11 injured in the capital alone, while further casualties and structural damage were confirmed in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Khmelnytskyi.

“This was fear as a strategy — fear and death as tools of war,” said Klymenko.

Despite Russian denials, claiming civilian infrastructure is not a target of what the Kremlin insists is a “special military operation,” satellite and ground footage shows extensive damage to non-military zones, including residential towers and public buildings.

⚖️ Geneva Protocol Violation Alleged – US Envoy

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, serving as US Special Envoy to Ukraine, described the assault as “a flagrant breach of the 1977 Geneva Peace Protocols” and called for an immediate ceasefire.

Meanwhile, diplomatic negotiations for a 30-day ceasefire have faltered. Kyiv and its European allies accuse Moscow of negotiating in bad faith. Efforts were further undermined earlier this week after Trump resisted imposing sanctions over Russia’s failure to honour a proposed humanitarian pause.

📍Frontline Escalation & Prisoner Exchanges

On the ground, Russia claimed capture of Romanivka in Donetsk, escalating hostilities as both nations prepared for the third phase of a mass prisoner swap involving 1,000 detainees each.

The scale of the aerial campaign, coming just 48 hours after a previous major strike on Kyiv, signals a renewed Russian effort to degrade Ukrainian air defence and civilian morale.

In a statement, Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to President Zelensky, warned: “Without unrelenting pressure, nothing will change. Russia is preparing for more killings — not only here, but eventually, in the West.”

He added: “As long as Moscow can produce weapons, it will use them.”

🇷🇺 Russian Counterclaims

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported downing 95 Ukrainian drones in a four-hour period. Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 12 drones had been intercepted en route to the Russian capital.

Despite ongoing denials from the Kremlin, the scale, frequency, and civilian impact of the attacks have significantly widened the rift between Moscow and the international community.

Developing story. More to follow.