تصعيد عسكري روسي أوكراني

As international efforts to stop the war continue, military escalation between Russia and Ukraine intensified today (Saturday), with explosions ringing out in the capital Kyiv. The capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, stated that air defense systems are working to shoot down aerial targets, according to the "Ukrinform" agency.

Andrei Boucharov, the governor of Russia's Volgograd region, confirmed that 3 people, including a child, were injured due to an attack by a Ukrainian drone. Boucharov said, "On the night of August 23, Russian air defense systems repelled a large-scale attack using drones on the territory of Volgograd region... The attack resulted in the injury of 3 people, including a child."

For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense systems destroyed 9 Ukrainian drones in the airspace of Bryansk region, and 7 others in the airspace of Rostov and Volgograd regions, as well as Krasnodar Territory.

Moscow launched a heavy attack on Ukraine using drones and missiles. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that Moscow used 574 drones and 40 missiles, a record number since mid-July. These strikes resulted in casualties and injuries, with explosions echoing in Kyiv throughout the night.

Meanwhile, the chances of holding a summit between Russia and Ukraine have diminished with U.S. President Donald Trump announcing that he will make an important decision within two weeks that may include imposing sanctions on Russia amid stalled mediation efforts.

After the U.S. president announced earlier in the week that Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, who recently met separately, agreed to the proposal for a summit between them, he later compared them to "oil and water," emphasizing that bringing them together for a joint meeting is extremely difficult.

Trump noted, "In two weeks, we will know which direction I will go," confirming that "it will be a very important decision, and it will either be massive sanctions or tariffs, or both, or we will do nothing and say: It's your battle."

Trump revealed that he might invite the Russian leader to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, which will be held in the United States, if progress is made regarding Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that there is no plan for a meeting between the two presidents, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv to discuss key issues, including potential security guarantees for Ukraine.

Lavrov weakened hopes for direct talks between Putin and Zelensky to resolve the conflict, which has entered its fourth year, by questioning the legitimacy of the Ukrainian president and reiterating the Kremlin's hardline demands.

For his part, Zelensky stated that Ukraine has no agreements with the Russians, noting that his country only agreed with Trump on how to proceed with diplomatic efforts.

The issue of potential security guarantees for Ukraine has topped U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to mediate a peace agreement to end the war.