Ukraine-Russia conflict newest: Trump to ship weapons to Kyiv after Putin’s forces kill two in drone assault

Italy’s Leonardo is open to supplying technology for drones but it does not plan to open a factory in Ukraine, the chief executive of the state-controlled defence group told daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published on Saturday.

Rome hosted a conference on Thursday to mobilise international support for Ukraine, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the participants pledged more than 10 billion euros (£8.6 billion) to help the war-torn country.

Leonardo has clinched an agreement with Turkish defence company Baykar and will soon begin production of drones in Italy, the Italian group’s CEO Roberto Cingolani told Corriere, adding that Baykar was cooperating with Ukraine.

“We, in cooperation with other players, can make a technological contribution. We will see what the real demands are,” Cingolani told the paper.

Leonardo could help with equipment that makes drones more effective, the CEO said without elaborating.

Ukraine’s supporters in Washington have been waiting for months for Donald Trump to throw his support behind a bipartisan bill that would hit Russia with sanctions.

The bill, which aims to pressure Moscow into entering good-faith peace negotiations with Ukraine, has gained momentum this week in Congress, but it still lacks the presidential push it needs to get over the finish line.

Now, the bill’s supporters are anxiously awaiting what the Republican president has said will be a “major statement” on Russia on Monday.

Trump, who vowed during his election campaign to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has given no details on what his planned announcement would entail, but over the past few weeks he has grown increasingly and publicly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his reluctance to accept a ceasefire and the growing civilian death toll of Russian attacks.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters earlier in the week that the Senate could vote on the bill this month.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have privately told European diplomats that the bill will move imminently, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

In Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine involving 597 drones and 26 missiles, two people were killed and 20 were injured, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s Western cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi suffered the most during the overnight attack, officials said.

Ruslan Zaparaniuk, the governor of the Chernivetskyi region, said that a 26-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man were killed and 14 others wounded as Russian drones and a missile struck the city, located about 40 km (24 miles) from Ukraine’s border with Romania.

Several fires broke out across the city, and residential houses and administrative buildings were damaged, regional officials said.

In the city of Lviv, on Ukraine’s border with Poland, 46 residential houses, a university building, the city’s courts, and about 20 buildings housing small and medium-sized businesses were damaged in the attack, the mayor said.

“Windows and doors were blown out. Curtains fell, TV set was hurled. The apartment is covered in glass shards. It is horrible,” Oleh Sidorov, 64, told Reuters in Lviv. “I want to clean the apartment. But I do not know how I will sleep during the night, there is no window.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to North Korea on Saturday.

Ukraine’s prime minister says increasing pressure on Russia to halt its war is also critical for the safety of Europe as a whole.

Speaking about the overnight attacks from Russia which killed two people and injured another 20, Denys Shmyhal said the western regions of the country were hit hardest.

“This attack is another warning to the world that the enemy is not going to stop. We have to increase pressure on the aggressor, impose sanctions on the sectors that finance the war to force Russia to peace,” he said on X.

“Ukraine needs more weapons and resources from its partners to effectively counter the invader. Supporting Ukraine is a matter of security for the whole of Europe.”

Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that two people have been killed and 20 others injured in a huge barrage of overnight attacks.

The “vast majority” of the nearly 600 drones and 26 missiles were destroyed by Ukrainian air defences, Zelensky said, but some hit their targets.

”Sadly, there were hits on civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings. As of now, 2 people have been reported killed in Chernivtsi. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Around 20 more people injured in the attack are receiving all the necessary assistance,” The Ukrainian president said on X.

“The pace of Russia’s aerial strikes demands swift decisions – and it can be curbed through sanctions right now. Tough secondary sanctions are needed against everyone helping the Russians produce drones and profiteer from oil.

“More air defence systems are needed, along with investments in interceptor drones, which are already delivering good results. This war can only be stopped through strength. We expect not just signals from our partners, but actions that will save lives.”

Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister says Russia has continued to escalate the scale of its attacks on Ukraine, after Moscow launched 597 drones and 26 cruise missiles at targets across the country.

Yulia Svyrydenko said cities just 50 km (31 miles) from the border with the European Union were attacked, highlighting the risk to the rest of the continent.

“Cities 1,000 km from the front — and just 50 km from the EU border — were attacked. This is rapidly growing threat to all of Europe, and failure to recognise it as such only assures the eventual cost increases with every passing day,” she said.

“This cycle of escalation must be stopped. It requires stronger sanctions, more air defence systems, and greater investment in interceptors. Signals are no longer enough. Lives depend on decisive action.”

Donald Trump on Tuesday said the US would send more weapons to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against intensifying Russian advances.

The package could include defensive Patriot missiles and offensive medium-range rockets but a decision on the exact equipment had not been made, sources said. One of the people said this would happen at a meeting on Thursday.

The Trump administration had so far only sent weapons authorised by former president Joe Biden, who was a staunch supporter of Kyiv. The Pentagon and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr Trump had pledged to swiftly end the war but months into his presidency, little progress has been made. The Republican president has sometimes criticised US spending on Ukraine’s defence, spoken favorably of Russia and publicly clashed with Ukraine’s leader.

However, sometimes he has also voiced support for Kyiv and expressed disappointment in the leadership of Russia.