by Lovely Eseoghene Onohwakpor
Russia Launches Massive Drone Barrage on Ukraine After Putin-Trump Talks Yield No Breakthrough
Just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump concluded high-stakes talks in Alaska, Russia launched a wave of 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, Kyiv reported Saturday.
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The overnight assault targeted multiple regions across Ukraine, with the country’s air force confirming that Moscow deployed an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 85 Iranian-designed Shahed drones. Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted 61 of the drones, according to military officials.
The strikes began late on August 15 — coinciding with the timing of the Putin-Trump meeting — and continued into the early hours of August 16, Ukraine’s air force said in its daily update. Frontline areas in at least four regions came under attack.
The highly anticipated summit in Alaska ended without progress toward a ceasefire or broader resolution to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth year. Despite growing international pressure on the Kremlin to halt the war, no agreement was reached.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has yet to publicly comment on the outcome of the talks.
Since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, tens of thousands have been killed, and millions displaced in what has become Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.