- Russia committed the largest assault so far in the ongoing war on Sunday, involving exploding drones and missiles across Ukraine.
- At least four people were killed in the attack, including a woman and her baby.
- President Donald Trump responded by hinting at stronger sanctions against Russia.
Russia this weekend launched its largest attack of the war with Ukraine, which has now lasted over three years. In response, President Donald Trump said he is ready to add stronger sanctions against Russia.
According to BBC, the attack on Sunday killed at least four people across Ukraine, including a mother and her baby. The strikes also damaged Ukraine’s main government building in Kyiv.
What we know about Russia’s attack over the weekend
Sunday’s attack was the largest drone assault in the war so far, according to The New York Times.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 805 Iranian-designed Shahed exploding drones and decoys on various locations across the country. Before Sunday, the largest attack had been on July 9, when Russia launched 728 drones.
During the attack, Russia also fired 13 cruise and ballistic missiles, per The New York Times.
This attack was the first time the Cabinet of Ministers building, which houses the prime minister’s office and some government ministries, had been hit since the war began.
The woman and baby who died in the attack were killed in Kyiv with deaths also reported in the cities of Sumy and Chernihiv. Other cities that were also hit on Sunday include Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Kremenchuk and Odesa. There were at least 44 people who had been injured across the country, according to CNN.
On Sunday, Kyiv was under an air-raid siren for 11 hours.
According to The Associated Press, Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 747 drones and four missiles. Hits from 54 drones and nine missiles were reported at 33 locations across Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X on Sunday, saying, “Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war.”
Sunday’s attack has sparked comments from global leaders calling for stronger action to stop Russia and bring an end to the war.
Trump speaks of stronger sanctions against Russia
While speaking with reporters on Sunday, the U.S president said he was “not happy with the whole situation,” per BBC.
Previously, Trump had threatened stronger measures against Russia, but hadn’t taken any action after Russian President Vladimir Putin ignored his deadlines and threats of sanctions.
Reporters asked Trump if he was prepared to move to a “second phase” of sanctions to punish Russia. Trump replied, “Yeah, I am,” according to Fox News. He gave no further details.
On Monday, a Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said that no sanctions would be able to force his country to “change the consistent position that our president has repeatedly spoken about.”
Trump’s threat follows comments from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said the Trump administration was prepared to escalate economic pressure on Russia, with strong European backing.
In an interview, Bessent said that if European nations increased their sanctions and secondary tariffs on countries that purchase Russian oil, then “the Russian economy will be in total collapse, and that will bring President Putin to the table,” per BBC.
“We are in a race now between how long can the Ukrainian military hold up, versus how long can the Russian economy hold up,” he added.
Since the war began in 2022, Russia has earned around $985 billion off oil and gas sales. China and India are the largest buyers of Russian energy as the EU has significantly reduced purchases.
Zelenskyy has urged European countries to fully stop their purchases of Russian energy.
“We have to stop (buying) any kind of energy from Russia, and by the way, anything, any deals with Russia. We can’t have any deals if we want to stop them,” the Ukrainian president said, per BBC.
He also called Trump’s tariff strategy “the right idea.”
European leaders still working to end the war
During his comments on Sunday, Trump said he has plans to talk with Putin “over the next couple of days,” but it is unclear what he hopes to get out of the conversation, per Fox News.
He also shared that some European leaders will be visiting the White House this week on Monday or Tuesday, to discuss ending the war.
“Look, we’re going to get it done,” Trump said, per Fox News. “The Russia-Ukraine situation. We’re going to get it done.”
Sunday’s attack was condemned by other leaders as well.
In a statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “These cowardly strikes show that Putin believes he can act with impunity. He is not serious about peace. Now, more than ever, we must stand firm in our support for Ukraine and its sovereignty,” per the AP.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen posted on X about Sunday’s attack, saying that Europe is working to build security guarantees for Ukraine and put pressure on Russia.
“Once again, the Kremlin is mocking diplomacy, trampling international law and killing indiscriminately,” von der Leyen wrote. “Europe stands, and will continue to stand, fully behind Ukraine.”