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Here is where things stand on Monday 26May 2025:
- The Kremlin has reacted to US President Donald Trump’s remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin being “crazy” for launching the largest aerial attack on Ukraine on Sunday, attributing the criticism to “the emotional overload of everyone”.
- Overnight, all Ukrainian regions came under Russian drone attack, and several of them – including Kyiv, Sumy, Cherkasy and Donetsk – were attacked with missiles, according to Ukraine’s air force.
- The third night of violence in a row saw two elderly people killed and five injured in the Kharkiv region with two more injuries reported in the Zaporizhia region and one in the Odesa region, according to regional authorities.
- Russia’s Defence Ministry says its air force shot down 96 Ukrainian drones, including six over the Moscow region, which temporarily halted flights at the capital city’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports.
Here’s what happened today
We’ll be closing this live page soon. Here are some of the major developments of the day:
- Ukraine says Russia launched a record number of drones overnight, with President Volodomyr Zelenskyy saying the attacks were a sign Moscow is “acting with impunity”.
- Ukrainian air defences downed most of the drones, but several broke through defences, causing casualties, according to Ukrainian authorities. Two elderly women were killed in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, said the regional governor.
- Russia, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of launching aerial attacks on its “social infrastructure”. The Defence Ministry said it had shot down at least 48 Ukrainian drones today, including five over the Moscow region.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Ukraine’s key Western allies are no longer limiting the range of weapons they supply, a move the Kremlin said would be “dangerous”.
- The Kremlin also responded to Donald Trump’s remark that Putin has gone “absolutely crazy” over the scale of Russian air attacks, suggesting the US president may be experiencing “emotional overload”.
Photos: Putin meets with Russian business officials
Putin meets with Russian business officials, pledges to ‘lend hand’ to local projects: Report
The Russian president has held a meeting with members of the country’s business community, addressing economic growth, import challenges and competition from foreign firms.
Vladimir Putin praised what he said was strong economic growth over the past year despite “very difficult conditions”, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
“I want to assure you that the state will definitely continue to support you and your efforts, and will lend a helping hand to implement your initiatives,” he told the business leaders, TASS reported. “Your companies are taking an increasingly strong position within the country, and are also confidently competing abroad.”
Putin also took aim at foreign IT firms that he claims are continuing to operate in Russia despite announcing their departure, such as video-call service Zoom.
“We need to strangle them,” Putin said. “I say this without any embarrassment, because they are trying to strangle us. We need to reciprocate, that’s all!”
EU rejects Russian bid for talks over carbon border tax: Report
The European Union has declined a request from Russia to hold consultations over the bloc’s carbon border tax, according to a World Trade Organization (WTO) document cited by Reuters.
Russia had sought consultations over the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism – which imposes taxes on imports based on their carbon emissions – as a preliminary step before initiating formal dispute proceedings.
However, the EU responded in a May 26 document submitted to the WTO that such talks “cannot be fruitful and cannot lead to a mutually satisfactory solution”, citing Russia’s “war of aggression” against Ukraine as a key reason, the news agency reported.
‘Without force, Putin will not try to find a solution’: Finland PM urges pressure
Petteri Orpo has called on the international community to heap pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin negotiating a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
“Without force, Putin will not try to find a solution. That’s why we need more pressure,” the Finnish prime minister told AFP on the sidelines of a meeting of Nordic prime ministers in Paimio, Finland.
He said what was needed to fend off Russia’s invasion was “sanctions, military aid to Ukraine, more military aid, political support – all that we can”.
Meanwhile, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said there had been no signs of Russia wanting a ceasefire in Ukraine so far.
“We haven’t seen any indication of that, unfortunately,” he told the news agency.
“I hope this will lead to the US being more explicit, and also putting pressure, not pulling out,” he said, referring to Russia’s recent attacks on civilians.
He said the attacks demonstrated Putin’s “lack of will … to seriously engage in ceasefire or peace negotiations”.
Ukraine’s security service arrests six suspected Russian informants
Ukraine’s SBU internal security agency says it has detained six people, including five youth aged 16 to 23, who gave information to Russia, including coordinates of attack targets.
“The investigation established that the group of agents included a student from [the city of] Zaporizhzhia, his local acquaintance and her cohabitant,” the SBU said, adding that “two brothers” from the eastern city of Kharkiv also worked with them. “After being recruited remotely, the agents were tasked with preparing coordinates for strikes on Ukrainian defence facilities.”
The SBU added that the suspects, who are facing life in prison on treason charges, had “travelled around cities, parking cars with video recorders turned on near potential targets”.
The SBU later said it detained another “informant” – a 57-year-old man in the Mykolaiv region, accusing him of helping Russia to coordinate strikes on southern Ukraine.
Russia says it shoots down 21 more Ukrainian drones
Russia’s Defence Ministry says its air defences have intercepted 21 Ukrainian drones from 2pm to 5pm Moscow time (11:00 to 14:00 GMT).
Five of the drones were destroyed over the Moscow region, six over the Oryol region and six over the Tula region, the ministry said in a post on Telegram. The rest were shot down over the regions of Kaluga and Kursk, it added.
These reported interceptions add to the 27 Ukrainian drones Russia claims to have taken down this morning, most over Oryol, Tula and Kursk.
Quite dangerous’: Kremlin reacts to West’s lifting of range limits on Ukrainian weapons
As we reported earlier, Germany’s chancellor has announced that Ukraine’s main Western allies are no longer putting range limits on weapons they supply to Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the news is “quite dangerous” and contrary to Russia’s plans for a settlement.
Russian cluster bomb kills woman tending to garden: Ukrainian officials
Ukrainian authorities say Russian cluster munitions have hit a home in Ukraine’s northeastern region of Sumy, killing a woman who was outside working on her garden and injuring another.
The attack, which caused a fire, took place in the rural community of Mykolaivka, according to the Sumy regional military administration.
As we reported earlier, Russia’s recent attacks also killed two women in the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk.
AMore from Germany’s Merz: ‘No more range restrictions’ on Ukraine’s weapons
The German chancellor has said Western-supplied arms to Ukraine no longer come with any range limits.
“There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine – neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, nor by the Americans,” said Merz.
“This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia … With very few exceptions, it didn’t do that until recently. It can now do that.”
Merz, as we reported earlier, is expected to receive Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin on Wednesday.
Russia’s’ economy minister says economy going through ‘hypothermia’
Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov is pushing for the central bank to take steps to slow inflation when it decides on interest rates next week, warning the economy has symptoms of “hypothermia”.
Reshetnikov, speaking in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, suggested that inflation in recent weeks had been about 3-4 percent when recalculated in annual terms.
“We expect that May data will consolidate this trend, and we of course expect that the central bank will duly take this into account when taking decisions because we also see risks of economic hypothermia in the current regime,” Reshetnikov said.
The ministry forecasts annual inflation for 2025 at 7.6 percent, an estimate that Reshetnikov believes is “realistic”.
Grappling with stubbornly quickening inflation, Russia’s central bank has kept its key interest rate at 21 percent since October last year, a tight monetary policy that has stifled investment.
Top French diplomat calls for ‘just peace’ in Ukraine
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says there should be a ceasefire in Ukraine “to provide an opportunity to hold negotiations that will guarantee the establishment of a lasting and just peace”.
“Ukraine is ready for peace, and it is Russia’s turn to show whether it wants to continue the war or is ready for negotiations,” he said at a joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Yerevan.
“France and Europe are not at war against Russia or the Russian people. But we are against the revision of borders on the European continent by force. Our opposition to this will manifest itself in the form of more severe sanctions. Our desire is for the war to end,” he added.
Russia’s latest attacks show it is not serious about peace: Denmark
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has accused Russia of being duplicitous by expressing openness to peace talks while simultaneously waging mass air raids in Ukraine.
“During the day, Putin talks about negotiations, then he bombs Ukraine during the night,” Frederiksen said at a meeting of Nordic leaders in Finland.
Ukrainian drone attack injures civilian in Russian-occupied Kreminna town: Report
A Ukrainian drone has injured a civilian in the Russian-occupied town of Kreminna, according to a local military expert cited by Russia’s TASS news agency.
The injured man, suffering from shrapnel wounds, has been hospitalised in the region, said the report.
Russian forces seized Kreminna, located in Ukraine’s Luhansk region, early in the war.
Putin views negotiation offers as ‘sign of weakness’: Germany’s Merz
Russian President Vladimir Putin interprets Western calls for negotiations as “a sign of weakness” and appears set to press on with his offensive in Ukraine, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Speaking to public broadcaster WDR, Merz said Moscow’s resistance to meeting at the Vatican for peace talks – an idea floated by Italy and the US – is evidence that it is not prepared for swift negotiations.
“If even an offer to meet at the Vatican does not get [Russia’s] approval, then we must be prepared for this war to last longer than we all wish or can imagine,” said Merz.
Zelenskyy expected in Berlin on Wednesday: Report
The Ukrainian president plans to visit Berlin to meet Chancellor Merz on Wednesday, according to Germany’s Der Spiegel publication.
The leaders are expected to review steps towards additional Russia-Ukraine technical talks and a potential new round of EU sanctions against Russia, according to the magazine.
Civilian injured in Russian drone attack on car in Kherson
A Russian drone has struck a civilian car in Ukraine’s southern port city of Kherson’s Korabelnyi district, injuring a 55-year-old man, according to the regional military command.
The man, who suffered a concussion, made his way to a medical facility and is now receiving treatment, the Ukrinform news agency reported.
Ukraine ready for talks in any format, wants to end war this year: Top diplomat
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has told the French newspaper Liberation that his country is “ready to talk in any format about measures that will help end this war”.
“We really want to end it this year. That is why it is so important to continue the pressure on Russia with our allies both in Europe and from the US,” he said.
Russia claims to have shot down 27 Ukrainian drones
Nine of the drones have been shot down over Russia’s Oryol region, nine over the Kursk region, six over the Tula region, and three over the Yaroslavl region, according to TASS news agency, citing a Defence Ministry update.
The interceptions took place today between 8:30am and 2:00pm Moscow time [05:30 to 11:00 GMT], it said.
Macron calls for threat of ‘massive sanctions’ against Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he believes Trump, who recently accused Putin of going “absolutely crazy” in waging mass attacks on Ukraine, is beginning to see that the Russian leader “lied” to him about the war.
Macron, who has been a staunch backer of Ukraine, said he hopes Trump’s anger at Moscow “translates into action”.
He also urged for the imposition of a deadline for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, backed up by the threat of “massive sanctions”.
If you’re just joining us
Here are the latest developments:
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has addressed Russia’s latest aerial attacks on Ukraine, calling them retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on “social infrastructure”.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of acting with “total impunity” after waging another massive wave of overnight air strikes on Ukraine.
- Russia’s TASS news agency, citing the Defence Ministry, reports that Russian forces have taken control of the villages of Vladimirovka and Belovody in eastern Ukraine.
- Russia’s Foreign Ministry special envoy Rodion Miroshnik has accused the Ukrainian military of causing more than 400 civilian casualties in April, including with “inhumane methods of warfare”.
- Ukraine has confirmed information that China has supplied machine tools, gunpowder and other products to 20 Russian military factories, according to Ukraine’s foreign intelligence chief, who was quoted by the Ukrinform state news agency.
North Korea sending defence specialists to Russia: Ukrainian intelligence
The head of Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service, Oleh Ivashchenko, says Russia is relying on North Korea for highly skilled defence industrial workers, particularly those specialised in the aircraft industry.
“We know that North Korea has begun supplying Russia with specialists with appropriate background for work in the defence-industrial sector, in particular, in the aircraft industry,” Ivashchenko told Ukraine’s Ukrinform news agency.
He added that North Korea also sends workers to Russia to boost “agriculture, construction of houses and highways”.
Last month, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that its soldiers were fighting with Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
Moscow and Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership treaty in June, which commits them each to provide immediate military assistance to each other using “all means” necessary in the event of “aggression”.
‘Ridiculous’: Kremlin dismisses claims of Russian link to UK arson attacks
Kremlin spokesman Peskov has rejected any Russian involvement in arson attacks on property associated with British PM Keir Starmer.
Earlier this month, the UK police responded to fires at a house in north London owned by Starmer, another at a property nearby where he used to live, and to a blaze involving a car that also used to belong to him.
Three men – two Ukrainians and one Romanian – have been charged in connection with the fires, but British media reports have said officials are probing a possible Russian link.
Asked about the reports, Peskov said, “London is inclined to suspect Russia of involvement in all the bad things that happen in Britain.”
“As a rule, all these suspicions are false, unsubstantiated and often ridiculous,” he said.
‘Emotional overload’: Putin putting relationship with Trump in backseat for now
We’ve been hearing from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. During his daily briefing, he said Russia is responding to attacks being carried out by Ukraine and that Russia’s targets are military infrastructure.
Peskov also went on to thank the US government for the role that it played in facilitating the first round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkiye earlier this month.
He said Trump had a big part to play in all this and that Russia is grateful for his role. However, Peskov said the comments the US president has made over the past 24 hours are a result of “emotional overload”.
What is clear is that Putin is seemingly not too concerned about disrupting his relationship with Trump. He wants to maintain his stated goal of complete victory in this conflict. Seemingly, the relationship between Trump and Putin has taken a backseat for the Russian president for the time being.
Ukraine confirmed Chinese supplies to 20 Russian military plants: Spy chief
Ukraine has confirmed information that China has supplied machine tools, gunpowder and other products to 20 Russian military factories, according to Ukraine’s foreign intelligence head, quoted by the Ukrinform state news agency.
“There is information that China supplies tooling machines, special chemical products, gunpowder, and components specifically to defence manufacturing industries. We have confirmed data on 20 Russian factories,” Oleh Ivashchenko said.
Zelenskyy says Russia acts with ‘total impunity’, calls for more sanctions
Zelenskyy has accused Russia of acting with “total impunity” after waging another massive wave of overnight air attacks on Ukraine.
“Only a sense of total impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and continue increasing their scale,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
He accused the Russian leader of snubbing global efforts to engage in dialogue with him, arguing he can “only be constrained by force”.
“The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions. Russia’s disregard for diplomacy and refusal even to consider a ceasefire must be met with a freeze on Russian finances and a halt to its oil trade,” said Zelenskyy.
Putin to meet Turkiye’s top diplomat today: Kremlin
Putin and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will meet later today to discuss bilateral relations, according to the Kremlin.
Turkiye, which has maintained working ties with Russia despite being on opposing sides of numerous geopolitical conflicts, was the site of recent Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
Kremlin labels latest attacks as ‘retaliatory’, targeting only military sites
Kremlin spokesman Peskov has addressed Russia’s latest aerial attacks on Ukraine, calling them retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on “social infrastructure”.
“We see how the Ukrainians are striking our social infrastructure facilities, our peaceful infrastructure,” he said. “This is a retaliatory strike. And the strike is precisely against military facilities and military targets.”
Ukraine faces ‘acceleration’ of Russian attacks
Ukraine is dealing with greater strikes. We’ve just heard from the Ukrainian air force that a new record was set in terms of the number of missiles and drone attacks overnight. It didn’t seem like that here on the ground. It seemed like the Sunday strike was much stronger.
There are two possible reasons for that. First, Russia may not have hit Kyiv as hard last night. Second, according to Ukraine’s air force, they knocked down 288 of the 355 drones and all nine of the missiles last night.
Despite the fact that many projectiles get shot down, they sometimes do break through, and that’s where the casualties occur that US President Trump is complaining about.
All of this suggests that there is an acceleration, not just a sustained campaign.
Russia killed 630 Ukrainian children since all-out war erupted: Prosecutor general
The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office has provided an update on child casualties in Ukraine since the all-out war started in February 2022.
So far, Russian attacks have killed 630 Ukrainian children and injured 1,960, it said.
About half of the casualties took place in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, it said. Large numbers of casualties were also reported in Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv and Sumy regions.
Russia claims to have shot down 96 Ukrainian drones
Russia’s Defence Ministry says its air defence systems intercepted 96 Ukrainian drones overnight, including six over the Moscow region.
Moscow’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports temporarily halted flights, Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.
What did Trump say about Russia, Ukraine yesterday?
The US president issued a rare rebuke of President Putin yesterday, accusing him of going “absolutely crazy” after Russia waged its largest aerial attack of the war.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” he added.
Trump also criticised Zelenskyy, a more frequent target of his ire, in his post, accusing him of “doing his country no favours by talking the way he does”.
“Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he said of Zelenskyy.
The remarks came less than a week after Trump spoke with Putin on the phone for more than two hours, a conversation both leaders described positively and which the US leader said would “immediately” lead to truce talks.
![President Donald Trump, center, surrounded by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., speaks to reporters before a House Republican conference meeting, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AP25140499420472_cropped-1747758611.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Kremlin reacts to Trump comments slamming Putin
The Kremlin has responded to Trump’s remark that Putin has gone “absolutely crazy” after Moscow launched its largest aerial attack of the war on Ukraine on Sunday.
In comments cited by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is grateful to Trump for help launching peace negotiations with Ukraine.
The decisions Putin makes, Peskov added, are to ensure Russia’s security.
“Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions,” said Peskov.
He also stressed that Moscow and Washington are at the beginning of trying to bring their bilateral ties back to working order.
Russia claims to have captured two Ukrainian villages in Sumy
Russia’s TASS news agency, citing the Defence Ministry, reports that Russian forces have taken over the northeastern villages of Vladimirovka and Belovody.
It follows a string of claimed advances in the east of the country. Yesterday, Russia said it captured the villages of Stupochky, Otradne and Loknya.
Russia claims Ukrainian attacks killed or injured 478 civilians in April
Russia’s Foreign Ministry special envoy, Rodion Miroshnik, has accused the Ukrainian military of causing more than 400 civilian casualties in April, including with “inhumane methods of warfare”.
Miroshnik, quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency, said Ukraine’s attacks in April killed 59 people, including five minors, and injured 419, including 21 minors.
He accused Ukrainian forces of deploying “weapons with enhanced destructive power”, including “cluster munitions, rocket projectiles with shrapnel and fragmentation warheads” and banned “modifications of antipersonnel mines”.
Ukraine claims to have killed, injured more than 1,000 Russian troops in past day
Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces has shared estimated combat losses inflicted on Russia over the past day.
It claimed to have killed and injured more than 1,000 military personnel, as well as destroyed four tanks, eight armoured combat vehicles and 51 artillery systems.
The latest personnel casualties bring Russia’s total personnel losses of the war to 981,850, it estimates.
Russia’s overnight drone barrage sets new record: Ukrainian Air Force
The 355 drones Russia fired at Ukraine overnight have set a new record for the war, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
The previous high of 298 was recorded just the night before, the statement added.
Two injured, home destroyed in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region
A Russian attack on the village of Yurkivka in the southeastern region of Zaporizhia destroyed a home, injuring two elderly people, according to the regional governor.
The attack’s blast wave also damaged several nearby homes and cars, he said.
Two killed, dozens of homes damaged in Kharkiv’s Kupiansk city
Russian attacks across Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkiv caused civilian casualties and widespread infrastructure damage, according to regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov.
The attacks killed two women – aged 58 and 84 – and injured three more elderly people in the city of Kupiansk, he said. They also damaged 39 homes, a shop and two cars.
In the Bohodukhiv district, the attack damaged power grids, Syniehubov added.
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