Ukraine's military reported that its drone forces attacked a dozen tankers from Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" over the past two days, targeting vessels delivering fuel to Crimea. The strikes hit eight sanctioned ships in the Sea of Azov, each with a deadweight of about 7,000 metric tons, with two more tankers struck later in the day, according to Kyiv's drone forces.
Russian missile attacks on Kyiv and Odesa
Ukraine's capital Kyiv came under a Russian missile attack early on Wednesday, triggering fires and injuring at least two people, said Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The strikes caused a fire in a storage area and a non-residential building, with one person requiring hospital treatment. The air alert lasted about an hour. This follows Monday's Russian strikes, including multiple missile hits on Kyiv, which killed 30 people across Ukraine.
In the southern port of Odesa, a missile strike earlier in the evening injured 10 people, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. Eight of the injured were being treated in hospital.
Zelenskyy appeals for NATO membership and meets Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a fresh appeal for his country to join NATO, arguing that Ukraine's armed forces are highly experienced and would boost the alliance's defense capabilities. He highlighted Ukraine's ability to strike deep inside Russia, hitting oil refineries and other energy targets, and noted that Ukrainian forces are "eliminating" on average 30,000 Russian troops every month. Zelenskyy is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Ankara. "Frankly, we take no pride in this," Zelenskyy said, noting that the war with Russia, now in its fifth year, is "one we did not seek but one we are forced to fight."
Trump said he had spoken to both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin before the NATO summit about ending the war. "I think they both want to make a deal. It's too bad it took so long ... Something's going to come out," Trump said before the summit. "They both want to get it settled now."
Ukraine signs drone deals with Nordic and Baltic countries
Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that Ukraine had signed three more "drone deals" with Denmark, Estonia, and the Netherlands, sharing its expertise gained from over four years of war with Russia. Ukraine has developed a highly sophisticated drone industry after having limited expertise in the sector when Russia invaded in February 2022. The deals are unique to each country but typically involve Kyiv providing blueprints for drone technology in exchange for royalties, investments, and other military hardware.
Ukraine criticizes IOC decision on Russian Olympic Committee
Ukraine's foreign ministry denounced as "troubling" the International Olympic Committee's decision to lift the Russian Olympic Committee's suspension and urged countries and international sports bodies to maintain restrictions on Russian participation and use of state symbols. "The IOC's decision to cancel the recommendations on limiting Russian athletes' participation is a troubling signal for the entire international community," the ministry said in a statement. It called on countries hosting competitions to uphold a ban on Russian state symbols, as "under this flag an unprovoked war is continuing in Ukraine."
