Vladimir Putin humiliates Donald Trump with Ukraine drone strike hours after 'productive' peace talks

In the wake of what Donald Trump described as "good and productive" peace talks with Vladimir Putin, Russia launched drone attacks on two Ukrainian hospitals and energy infrastructure.

The strikes followed a display of disturbing triumphalism from Putin's inner circle, who boasted after the conversation with the US president that they had achieved everything they wanted, outmanoeuvring Britain, the EU, and striking at Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Kremlin president and now a top security official, gloated on social media: "The phone call between Presidents Putin and Trump proved a well-known idea - there is only Russia and America in the dining room," and added, "On the menu: light appetisers - Brussels sprouts, British fish and chips and Paris rooster. The main course is a Kiev-style cutlet. Enjoy your meal!".

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky responded defiantly, saying: "We are not salad or compote to be on Putin's menu, regardless of his appetite."

In a crude retort, Putin's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: "The Kyiv regime is not a salad or compote, but what the contents of the menu turn into after digestion."

Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to London, Andrey Kelin, directed criticism at Sir Keir Starmer for the UK's robust backing of Ukraine, lamenting: "Great Britain is going into confrontation, continues to belligerently supply Ukraine with weapons and money," and questioned, "What are they trying to achieve? The complete destruction of Ukraine?", reports the Mirror.

Two Russian hospital strikes, which led to the evacuation of patients, occurred in Ukraine's border region Sumy. One of these was a clinic treating wounded soldiers from the ongoing conflict.

Despite Putin's assurances to Trump that he would avoid striking energy targets, his forces reportedly hit a power plant in Sloviansk, Donetsk region. This resulted in a power outage in the eastern Ukrainian city.

Following his two-hour phone conversation with Trump, Putin launched 145 drones and 56 decoy UAVs into Ukraine, aimed at disrupting air defences. Approximately 72 of these drones were shot down.

An hour after the call, explosions shook the capital city Kyiv, injuring a 60 year old man in Bucha and damaging private homes.

Russian forces boasted about an aerial strike that destroyed American M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. These vehicles, supplied by Biden, Trump's predecessor, were being used by Ukrainians in an attempt to establish a foothold in the Belgorod region on Tuesday.

The dictator also increased the use of the deadly TOS-1A Solntsepek flamethrowers to attack a stronghold of the Ukrainian army in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region. This weapon, dubbed "the most terrible [conventional] weapon in the world", uses munitions that disperse a fuel aerosol and explode the resulting gas cloud, as seen in new footage.

The Solntsepek, often referred to as a "poor man's nuclear weapon", is known for its devastating impact. Although it's not atomic, the weapon can cause horrific devastation, often leaving only charred human skeletons within a blast radius of 1,000ft, rupturing lungs and leaving no hope of survival with a blast temperature as high as 3,000°C.

In addition, footage from the Russian Ministry of Defence has shown the use of the BM-21 Grad self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher on the frontline. Ukraine retaliated by hitting Russian targets overnight, causing an explosion at the Kavkazskaya oil transshipment point at Kropotkin in the Krasnodar region, which is crucial for exports.

Following a series of explosions, the facility, which is linked to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, was rendered unusable. Thirty staff members were evacuated and a massive emergency operation was launched to extinguish the flames.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he would agree to the US's request for a 30-day ceasefire on strikes on energy and other infrastructure, but only if Russia unconditionally committed to such a truce.

Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, announced that talks on the ceasefire would continue in Jeddah over the weekend. Zelensky defended his decision to send troops into the Belgorod region of Russia, where intense fighting is currently taking place.

He portrayed this move as a defensive measure against Putin's attempt to seize territory in the Sumy region.

Ukraine has resorted to using motorbikes and quad bikes for border crossings, in addition to using Bradleys and other armoured vehicles. A spokesperson stated, "Ukraine has the right to take pre-emptive steps to avoid Russian strikes."

He also mentioned, "These are absolutely understandable strategic steps of ours as long as the enemy is on our territory."

He further spoke about the situation, saying, "We saw a new concentration of troops on the border of the Sumy region. We see what they want to do, they want to strike at the Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia regions. That's what we see. Well, we won't let them do it that easily."

Following discussions, Trump said, "My phone call with Russian President Putin today was very good and productive."

About their resolution he added, "We agreed to an immediate ceasefire on all energy and infrastructure, with the understanding that we will work quickly to achieve a full ceasefire and ultimately an end to this terrible war between Russia and Ukraine."

Later, Witkoff revealed that a draft ceasefire, pertaining to all forms of infrastructure, not just energy, is in place and expected to start on Sunday in Jeddah. "Of course, we still have some details [to discuss], but it will start on Sunday in Jeddah," he commented.

Elaborating on the prospects of peace, he expressed optimism: "And beyond that, [I hope] we will move to a full ceasefire. We had a very good conversation today about the tools that would help achieve this. So overall, really positive results."

Witkoff praised Putin and Trump as "great leaders" who have "united for the good of humanity", despite Putin's initiation of a war that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and his responsibility for the repression and deaths of political opponents. Zelensky, who was not immediately briefed following the Trump-Putin discussions, highlighted Russian attacks on his country in the aftermath of the phone summit.

"Now in many regions you can literally hear what Russia really needs," he stated, referring to the Iranian Shahed drones deployed by Putin. " he said, referring to Iranian Shahed deployed by Putin. Unfortunately, there are hits, and precisely in civilian infrastructure. Direct hit of a Shahed in a hospital in Sumy, strikes on cities in the Donetsk region, attack drones right now in the sky of Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy regions.

"It is precisely such night attacks by Russia that destroy our energy, our infrastructure, the normal life of Ukrainians.

"And the fact that this night was no exception shows that we must continue to put pressure on Russia for the sake of peace." He said Putin had "actually rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire."

Putin lauded Trump's "noble goal of ending hostilities and human losses" while demanding the West cease supplying military aid and intelligence to Kyiv, leaving Ukraine at the mercy of the dictator. A Kremlin statement has outlined that "The key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working towards its resolution through political and diplomatic means should be the complete cessation of foreign military assistance and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv.

However, Trump denied discussing this matter, stating: "We didn't talk about it, we didn't talk about it at all. We discussed many things, but aid to Ukraine was never discussed."

Reports suggest that in closed talks with leading Russian business and industrial leaders, Putin may demand Western recognition of Russian sovereignty in invaded regions of Ukraine.

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