Ukraine and Russia trade strikes as Kyiv inches closer to EU membership
Ukraine and Russia traded fresh waves of strikes over the weekend as Kyiv prepares to open EU accession talks on Monday after Hungary lifted its veto. Fighting intensified in the Donetsk and Kursk regions, while Russian drone barrages once again targeted Kyiv's power infrastructure.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged sustained strikes through Saturday night. Ukraine's Air Force said Russia had launched more than 280 drones targeting power infrastructure in six regions, including the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two main transformer substations had been damaged and some districts were facing power cuts of up to 12 hours.
Ukraine's military, in turn, continued its long-range strikes on refineries and ammunition depots in the Russian regions of Voronezh and Belgorod. On the eastern front, the Russian advance towards Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region was reported to be slowing, while Ukrainian forces said they had retaken a small village in Kursk. A Ukrainian commander told Reuters the situation was "painful but under control".
On the diplomatic side, the first cluster of EU accession talks with Ukraine is expected to open in Brussels on Monday, after Hungary lifted its veto. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Kyiv had met most of the core benchmarks. At the same time, whether the Trump administration joins a fresh financial-support package for Ukraine at the G7 summit will be closely watched.
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