AdvertisementIn this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following a Russian attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Jul 9, 2025. (Photo: Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)09 Jul 2025 04:56PM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST KYIV: Russia targeted Ukraine with a record 728 drones overnight, shortly after US President Donald Trump pledged to send more defensive weapons to Kyiv and aimed unusually direct criticism at Russian President Vladimir Putin.Ukrainian air defence units destroyed almost all the drones, including through electronic jamming systems, Ukraine's air force said on the Telegram messaging app.The attack, which follows a series of escalating air assaults on Ukraine in recent weeks, showed the need for "biting" sanctions on the sources of income Russia uses to finance the war, including on those who buy Russian oil, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.Trump said on Tuesday (Jul 8) he was considering supporting a bill in the Senate that would impose steep sanctions on Russia, including 500 per cent tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports."We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin ... He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless," Trump said at a cabinet meeting.When asked by a reporter what action he would take against Putin, Trump said: "I wouldn't tell you. We want to have a little surprise."Separately, Europe is working on a new sanctions package against Moscow.Ukraine's Zelenskyy says latest phone call with Trump his most productive yetNo progress at all, Trump says after phone call with PutinTrump, who returned to power this year promising a swift end to the war in Ukraine, has shifted US rhetoric away from staunch support for Kyiv towards accepting some of Moscow's justifications for the full-scale invasion it launched in 2022.But initial rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine have so far borne little fruit, with Moscow yet to accept an unconditional ceasefire proposed by Trump and accepted by Kyiv.The US president's promise to supply more defensive weapons reversed a Pentagon decision days earlier to stall some critical munitions supplies to Ukraine, despite rising Russian attacks that spread fear in Kyiv.Following Trump's new promise, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he had ordered an expansion of contacts with the United States to ensure critical deliveries of military supplies, primarily air defence.Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg is due in Rome later on Wednesday to attend a Jul 10-11 international aid conference on Ukraine, attended by Zelenskyy and Kyiv's European allies.POLAND SCRAMBLES JETSResidents of Kyiv and other major cities spent the night in air raid shelters including metro stations.Part of Russia's overnight strike was aimed at a western region close to NATO-member Poland. The northwestern city of Lutsk, some 200km from Poland, was the main target, Zelenskyy said, listing 10 other provinces across the country where damage was also reported.Polish and allied aircraft were activated to ensure air safety, Poland's Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said.Buildings were damaged but no deaths or injuries reported in what amounted to the biggest air strike of the war on Lutsk, a city of 200,000 people, regional authorities said.This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian State Emergency Service on Jul 9, 2025, shows a firefighter extinguishing a fire after a Russian attack in Zhytomyr region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo: AFP/Handout / Ukrainian State Emergency Service)A storage facility of a local enterprise and some parking structures were ablaze, the mayor of Lutsk, Ihor Polishchuk said.Ivan Rudnytskyi, governor of the Volyn region that includes Lutsk, said 50 Russian drones and five missiles were in the region's airspace overnight."It was the most massive enemy attack with UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and missiles on our city and community," Polishchuk said in a social media video. Source: Reuters/ecSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...