A Ukrainian firefighter works to extinguish a fire following mass Russian strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Saturday, July 12, 2025. Over Sunday night, Russia fired 136 drones at Ukraine. Photo by Ukrainian State Emergency Service/UPI | License Photo
Russia fired 136 drones at Ukraine, Kyiv’s air force said Monday, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with NATO head Mark Rutte, where the two are expected to announce a new weapons deal for their besieged European ally.
The overnight attack began at 6:39 p.m. Sunday, and consisted of four surface-to-air missiles launched from Russia’s Kursk region and the drones from several areas of Russia.
The drones were reportedly Iran-made and -supplied Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle systems.
Sixty-one of the drones were shot down and another 47 were either lost from radar or suppressed by electronic warfare, Ukraine’s air force said, adding that 28 hit targets in 10 locations.
“The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units and drone systems, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” it said in a statement on Telegram.
The attack came as Trump is set to meet with Rutte, the NATO secretary general, on Monday. Rutte is in Washington, D.C., for a two-day trip ending Tuesday.
Trump told a press gaggle at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday that he will send Ukraine Patriot air defense system munitions, with the bill to be covered by the European Union.
He also mentioned his upcoming meeting with Rutte, stating they will be sending “various pieces of very sophisticated” military equipment to Ukraine “and they’re going to pay us 100% for them.”
Trump’s announcement comes as he has grown publicly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump campaigned on ending the war in 24 hours, but since returning to the White House in January has failed to bring about a cease-fire.
He has pursued a cease-fire plan, but has been unable to get a commitment from the Russian leader. Earlier this month, Trump and Putin spoke over the phone, after which the American president told reporters that he “didn’t make any progress” toward securing a cease-fire.
To reporters on Sunday, he said, “Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everyone in the evening. There’s a bit of a problem there. I don’t like it.”
