Russia blasted a maternity ward in Ukraine overnight Monday as it unleashed one of its largest airstrikes of the war against Kyiv — firing more than 300 drones and missiles over the border, Ukrainian officials said.
“Today was one of the largest attacks on Kyiv,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “Russian missile and Shahed (drone) strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace.”
The Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its fourth year since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, continues to shape global geopolitics, with recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure and faltering peace negotiations underscoring the war’s intensity. The interplay of military escalation, symbolic attacks like Ukraine’s strike on the Kerch Bridge, and diplomatic gridlock reveals a war far from resolution.
The Conflict’s Current Landscape
Since Russia’s invasion, the war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and devastated Ukraine’s infrastructure. Russia occupies roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, annexed in 2014, and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Ukraine has mounted a fierce resistance, bolstered by over $400 billion in international aid, including $118 billion from the U.S. Both sides have escalated attacks in 2025, with Russia launching massive drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities—killing four in Sumy on June 3, 2025, and injuring dozens across Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Odesa—while Ukraine targets Russian military assets deep inside its territory.
The conflict’s economic toll is staggering. Ukraine faces ongoing destruction of its energy infrastructure, with Russian strikes causing power outages for 700,000 in occupied regions. Russia, meanwhile, contends with Western sanctions and Ukrainian attacks on its oil refineries, airfields, and supply lines. The war’s human cost includes over 40,000 civilian casualties and 12.7 million people needing humanitarian aid. Amid this carnage, both sides are engaged in U.S.-mediated peace talks, but recent Ukrainian operations signal a strategy of applying maximum pressure to strengthen Kyiv’s negotiating position.
Ukraine’s Recent Drone Attacks
On June 1, Ukraine executed one of its most audacious operations, dubbed “Operation Spiderweb,” targeting Russian air bases thousands of miles from the border. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) smuggled drones into Russia, striking at least five airfields and damaging or destroying up to 12 nuclear-capable bombers, including A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 aircraft. Planned over 18 months and overseen by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and SBU chief Lt. Gen. Vasyl Maliuk, the attack disrupted Russia’s ability to bomb Ukrainian cities, which Zelenskyy claimed reduced Russia’s strategic cruise missile capacity by 34%. The operation exposed vulnerabilities in Russia’s air defenses, with satellite images confirming destroyed aircraft. Russia downplayed the attack, but its silence underscored the breach’s significance.
This strike followed a May 2 drone assault on Crimea, described as Ukraine’s largest on the peninsula that year. Targeting airfields in Saky, Kacha, Hvardiiske, and Dzhankoi, the attack disrupted Russian air operations, with fires confirmed by NASA satellite data. These operations reflect Ukraine’s shift toward long-range, precision strikes to degrade Russia’s military infrastructure and signal resilience amid stalled talks.
The Kerch Bridge Attack
On June 3, Ukraine struck the Kerch Bridge, a 12-mile structure linking Russia to occupied Crimea, in its third attack on the bridge since 2022. The SBU claimed responsibility, detailing a months-long operation to plant 1,100 kilograms of explosives on the bridge’s underwater supports. A detonation “severely damaged” the pillars, temporarily halting traffic. Video footage released by the SBU showed an underwater explosion and debris, emphasizing the strike’s precision. Russian authorities reported the bridge reopened after hours of closure, but a second explosion that afternoon caused further disruption.
The Kerch Bridge, opened by Vladimir Putin in 2018, is a symbol of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and a critical supply route for its forces. Ukraine’s repeated targeting—previously with a truck bomb in October 2022 and sea drones in July 2023—aims to disrupt Moscow’s logistics and assert that “Crimea is Ukraine.” SBU chief Maliuk called the bridge a “legitimate target” due to its military use, reinforcing Ukraine’s claim to the peninsula. The attack, following the drone strikes, was a public relations coup, boosting Ukrainian morale and challenging Russia’s narrative of invincibility.
State of Peace Negotiations
Peace talks, mediated primarily by the U.S. and hosted in Istanbul, have made little progress. A second round on June 2, 2025, resulted in an agreement to exchange dead and captured soldiers, but no ceasefire or broader deal emerged. Russia demands recognition of its control over Crimea and occupied regions, a cap on Ukraine’s military, and a block on NATO membership. Ukraine insists on a full Russian withdrawal, NATO and EU integration, and war crimes prosecutions. Russia’s refusal to share its peace terms before the Istanbul meeting, as noted by the Institute for the Study of War, ensured the talks were “largely unproductive.”
Ukraine proposed a summit involving Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump, but Russia’s Dmitry Peskov dismissed it as “unlikely.” Earlier talks in Paris and London in April 2025 revealed U.S. proposals, led by envoy Keith Kellogg, for legal recognition of Russian control over Crimea, de facto acceptance of occupied territories, and sanctions relief—terms Ukraine and Europe rejected as tantamount to surrender. Zelenskyy’s invitation to the NATO summit in The Hague (June 24–26, 2025) signals Western support, but tensions with the U.S. persist over territorial concessions.
U.S. Stance Under Trump
The Trump administration’s approach has been inconsistent, reflecting both diplomatic ambition and frustration. Trump, who claimed he could end the war in “one day,” has pushed for a quick resolution but faces a complex reality. His April 2025 proposal, the “Witkoff plan,” offered Russia control of Crimea and occupied regions, barred Ukraine from NATO, and promised sanctions relief and U.S. operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. These terms, seen as pro-Russia, drew criticism from Ukraine, European allies, and U.S. Democrats like Chuck Schumer, who called capitulation to Putin a “moral tragedy”.
Trump’s silence on Ukraine’s recent drone and bridge attacks, noted by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, suggests a cooling of his engagement. Posts on X speculate he was unaware of the drone strikes, highlighting a lack of coordination with Kyiv. Trump’s public rebukes of both Putin and Zelenskyy—criticizing Russia’s civilian strikes and Ukraine’s resistance to territorial concessions—reflect his desire to broker a deal, but his suggestion that Zelenskyy might cede Crimea contradicts Ukraine’s constitutional stance. Vice President JD Vance has expressed pessimism, stating the war “won’t end anytime soon”.
The U.S. has pressured Ukraine to negotiate, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggesting a possible shift away from mediation if talks fail. However, Trump’s focus on domestic priorities and trade disputes with China may limit his commitment, straining ties with NATO allies wary of his pro-Russia leanings.
Implications and Outlook
Ukraine’s drone and bridge attacks demonstrate its capacity to strike deep into Russian territory, bolstering its leverage but risking escalation. Russia’s retaliatory strikes, targeting Ukrainian civilians and rescuers, signal Putin’s reluctance to compromise. The Kerch Bridge’s symbolic and strategic importance makes it a flashpoint, with Ukraine’s actions challenging Russia’s control over Crimea and complicating peace talks. Negotiations remain deadlocked, with Russia’s maximalist demands and Ukraine’s refusal to cede territory creating an impasse.
The U.S.’s push for a deal favoring Russia has alienated Ukraine and Europe, undermining trust in Trump’s mediation. Successful diplomacy requires multilateral consensus and realistic concessions—elements lacking here. Without a ceasefire, the war risks becoming a “frozen conflict,” with Crimea as the central sticking point. For now, Ukraine’s bold operations and Russia’s relentless assaults suggest both sides are prioritizing military gains over diplomacy, leaving peace elusive in 2025.