On Monday, Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had carried out a "massive strike" on targets in Kyiv and the surrounding region, as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that Washington had paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine and urged President Volodymyr Zelensky to focus on ending the war.1,3,5
The ministry said the attack targeted military-industrial facilities, storage sites for cruise missiles and drones, and data centres. Zelensky described the overnight attack differently, saying Russia had launched ballistic missiles and drones at Ukraine's energy infrastructure. It was not immediately clear from the accounts available what damage the strikes caused. Police officers were photographed inspecting a building in Kyiv that had been hit by a Russian missile strike.1,5
The dispute over intelligence sharing has centred on Zelensky's comments. A day after he said Washington had resumed providing Kyiv with intelligence to help defend against Russian missile strikes, Zelensky again questioned on Monday whether the United States had continued to share such information. In a separate claim, Zelensky said he received no early warning of a Russian attack from partner countries that had previously shared intelligence, including the United States. Kyiv authorities had said there was a "pause" in the sharing, a claim Rubio rejected.5,3,1
Speaking while on a trip to Uzbekistan for talks with Central Asian leaders, Rubio said Zelensky should concentrate on a different goal. "What he should be focused on and what we want to be focused on is bringing an end to this war," Rubio said. He said there had been no "pause" in the sharing of intelligence.1
Rubio also warned of a "real risk" that the war between Russia and Ukraine could spread into another country, as he called for an end to the conflict. The warning came as the fighting continued to intensify around the Ukrainian capital, according to the strikes Russia described on Monday.4,1
President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Zelensky in recent days over the war. On Sunday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he was making "great progress" in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine. He also wrote: "Zelensky doesn't care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him... he doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did."1
Trump's remarks follow a deal he made with Russia to secure fuel exports in exchange for the easing of sanctions. Relations between Washington and Kyiv have drawn growing attention ahead of the midterm elections, and France 24 published an analysis on the subject earlier this week, headlined by a question about why ties had soured.1
Trump has also accused Zelensky of targeting Russian energy facilities. In the same post, Trump wrote that "Zelensky is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States." The reports did not say whether Zelensky's office had responded to that claim.1
