Fighting Intensifies Across Russia and Ukraine

Russian air defences shot down dozens of Ukrainian drones across widely dispersed regions, including two near Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, officials said Saturday.

Meanwhile, all external power lines supplying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — which remains under Russian occupation — were cut off for several hours, raising alarm before electricity was restored. The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed the outage, while Ukrainian officials blamed Russian shelling and said technicians had to intervene to restore operations.

Separately, Dutch and German intelligence agencies accused Russia of ramping up its use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, particularly the World War I-era chloropicrin poison gas. Moscow has denied the allegations.

Weapons and Defence: Patriot Missiles and German Cooperation

U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that he had discussed the possibility of sending Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine during calls with both German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A German government spokesperson confirmed that Berlin is exploring options to purchase additional Patriot air defence systems from the United States to bolster Ukraine’s defences.

Diplomacy: Trump, Zelenskyy, and Putin in the Spotlight

President Trump also disclosed that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, during which he discussed potential sanctions. Trump said Putin appeared “worried” about the possibility of new measures, adding, “He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people – it is no good.”

In a separate conversation, Zelenskyy and Trump reportedly had a “very important and fruitful” phone call on Friday, with both leaders agreeing to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences amid rising concerns in Kyiv over the pace of US military aid.

Upcoming Visit: German Defence Minister Heads to Washington

Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is expected to visit Washington, D.C. later this month for high-level talks with U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, according to the German Defence Ministry. The agenda will focus on air defence systems and military production capacity, underscoring continued NATO coordination on Ukraine.