They both want to get it settled now
On the 1,596th day of a war that has reshaped the contours of European security, Ukraine struck a dozen vessels from Russia's shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov, targeting the fuel arteries sustaining occupied Crimea. Russian missiles answered with strikes on Kyiv and Odesa, wounding at least twelve civilians, as the conflict's brutal arithmetic continued its daily toll. Against this backdrop, President Zelenskyy pressed for NATO membership and prepared to meet Donald Trump in Ankara, where the possibility of a negotiated settlement — long deferred — appeared, however tentatively, to be entering the conversation.
- Ukraine launched coordinated drone strikes against ten sanctioned shadow fleet tankers in two days, directly targeting the fuel supply keeping Russian-occupied Crimea operational.
- Russian missiles struck Kyiv and Odesa in the same window, injuring twelve civilians and hospitalizing nine — a reminder that every Ukrainian offensive move draws a price paid by ordinary people.
- Zelenskyy pressed NATO allies to recognize Ukraine's battlefield-hardened forces as an asset to the alliance, citing monthly Russian troop losses he estimates at 30,000 and deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
- Trump, speaking ahead of a NATO summit, signaled that both Kyiv and Moscow may now want a settlement — the most explicit indication yet that diplomatic momentum is building, even as the fighting intensifies.
- Ukraine is converting wartime necessity into economic leverage, signing drone technology deals with Denmark, Estonia, and the Netherlands — trading blueprints for royalties, investment, and military hardware.
On the 1,596th day of the war, Ukrainian drone forces struck a dozen vessels from Russia's shadow fleet over two days of coordinated attacks in the Sea of Azov. The targets — aging, uninsured tankers under international sanctions — form the backbone of Russia's effort to fuel its military operations in occupied Crimea. By striking them, Ukraine is pursuing a strategy of slow strangulation: cutting the peninsula off from the supply lines that sustain it.
Russia responded with missile strikes on Kyiv and Odesa. In the capital, fires broke out in a storage facility and a non-residential building, leaving two people injured. In Odesa, ten civilians were wounded, eight of them hospitalized. The attacks came days after a particularly deadly Monday that killed thirty people across Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy used the moment to renew his push for NATO membership, arguing that Ukraine's forces — forged by nearly five years of combat — would strengthen the alliance rather than burden it. He pointed to Ukraine's capacity to strike deep into Russian territory and claimed his forces were eliminating roughly 30,000 Russian troops each month, adding quietly that Ukraine took no pride in those numbers.
In Ankara, Zelenskyy was set to meet Donald Trump, who told reporters before a NATO summit that he believed both sides now wanted to end the war. The statement was short on specifics but long on implication — the clearest signal yet that negotiations may be moving from possibility to proximity.
Away from the front lines, Ukraine has begun turning its wartime ingenuity into an export. New drone technology agreements with Denmark, Estonia, and the Netherlands — exchanging technical blueprints for royalties, investment, and hardware — mark the transformation of a country that entered the war in 2022 with almost no drone industry into one now capable of licensing its innovations abroad. Ukraine's foreign ministry also pushed back against the International Olympic Committee's decision to lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, warning that the move risked normalizing a state still waging an active war.
On day 1,596 of the war, Ukraine's drone forces struck a dozen vessels from Russia's shadow fleet in two days of coordinated attacks aimed at strangling the fuel supply to occupied Crimea. Eight tankers, each displacing roughly 7,000 metric tons and all subject to international sanctions, were hit in the Sea of Azov. Two more followed later that same day. The strikes represent an intensification of Ukraine's strategy to isolate the peninsula by targeting the aging, uninsured ships that Russia has assembled to circumvent oil embargoes—a fleet that has become critical to sustaining Russian military operations in the south.
Meanwhile, Russian missiles found their targets in Ukraine's two largest cities. Early Wednesday morning, Kyiv came under attack. Vitali Klitschko, the capital's mayor, reported that strikes ignited fires in a storage facility and a non-residential building. Two people were injured; one required hospitalization. The air alert sounded for roughly an hour. Hours later, a missile struck the southern port city of Odesa, wounding ten civilians. Eight of them were admitted to hospitals. These attacks followed a particularly deadly Monday, when Russian strikes across Ukraine killed thirty people.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the moment to press his case for NATO membership. He argued that Ukraine's armed forces, hardened by nearly five years of combat, would strengthen the alliance's defensive posture. He pointed to Ukraine's demonstrated capacity to strike deep into Russian territory, destroying oil refineries and energy infrastructure. He claimed Ukrainian forces were eliminating approximately 30,000 Russian troops each month. "Frankly, we take no pride in this," Zelenskyy said of the casualty figures, framing the conflict as one Ukraine never wanted but was compelled to wage.
Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Ankara on Wednesday. Trump, speaking before a NATO summit, said he had spoken with both the Ukrainian and Russian presidents about ending the war. "I think they both want to make a deal," Trump said. "It's too bad it took so long. Something's going to come out. They both want to get it settled now." The statement suggested movement toward negotiations, though the specifics remained unclear.
Beyond the immediate fighting, Ukraine has begun monetizing one of its most consequential wartime innovations: drone technology. Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine had signed three new drone agreements with Denmark, Estonia, and the Netherlands. The deals typically involve Ukraine providing technical blueprints in exchange for royalties, investments, and military hardware. The arrangement reflects how thoroughly Ukraine has transformed itself from a nation with minimal drone expertise in February 2022 into a sophisticated manufacturer and exporter of unmanned systems.
Ukraine's foreign ministry also took aim at the International Olympic Committee's decision to lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. The ministry called the move "troubling" and urged countries and sports bodies to maintain restrictions on Russian athletes and the use of Russian state symbols. "Under this flag an unprovoked war is continuing in Ukraine," the statement read, framing the IOC's decision as a signal that could embolden Russia on the international stage.
Notable Quotes
Frankly, we take no pride in this. The war with Russia is one we did not seek but one we are forced to fight.— President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
I think they both want to make a deal. It's too bad it took so long. Something's going to come out.— President Donald Trump
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Ukraine keep hitting these tankers? They're just ships.
They're not just ships—they're Russia's lifeline to Crimea. Sanctions cut off normal oil trade, so Russia assembled this shadow fleet of old, uninsured vessels. Destroy the fuel supply, and you cripple the occupation.
And the drone deals with Denmark and Estonia—that seems like a strange pivot when the war is still happening.
It's not a pivot. It's survival. Ukraine discovered it could build drones faster and cheaper than anyone expected. Why not turn that into revenue? Money funds the war effort. And it locks allies into Ukraine's technological ecosystem.
Trump says both sides want a deal now. Do you believe him?
I think both sides are exhausted. But "wanting a deal" and agreeing on terms are different things. Ukraine wants NATO membership and territorial integrity. Russia wants recognition of its gains. Those positions haven't moved much.
Thirty thousand Russian troops eliminated per month—that's a staggering number. Is it credible?
It's hard to verify independently. But Ukraine has no incentive to understate Russian losses when making the case for NATO membership. The figure serves a purpose: it shows Ukraine can inflict real costs on a much larger military.
What does the IOC decision tell you about how the world sees this war?
That memory is short and geopolitics is complicated. The IOC wants to normalize Russia. Ukraine sees that as abandonment. It's a small thing, but it signals that some institutions are already moving on.