Some 150 Drones Target Ukraine As Trump Doubts Putin On Peace: “Just Tapping Me Along”

Overnight into Sunday Russia launched a massive wave of drones on Ukraine, which targeted several regions, resulting in at least one person killed and a 14-year-old girl wounded in the city of Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region

Another person was wounded in the Odessa region, and in all there were around 150 drones sent, with Ukraine’s air force saying it was able to intercept or electronically jam 67 of them.

Given that such drone and missile attacks have remained frequent, even as there’s a US-led effort to get peace talks off the ground, Ukraine’s military has been trying to target drone manufacturing hubs inside Russia with its own strikes

On Wednesday the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said that “a strike had successfully hit a drone manufacturing facility in the Yelabuga district of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, located some 655 miles from Ukraine’s border.”

“The armed forces said Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces struck the facility, which produces about 300 different combat drones per day, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, and the Russian-made versions, known as Geran uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs),” Newsweek reported.

Trump on Friday said Ukraine and Russia were “very close to a deal” but has also of late expressed skepticism over Moscow’s willingness, and has warned that the Russian side better not drag its feet to buy more time to advance on the battlefield.

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump wrote in a social media post after attending the funeral for Pope Francis.

Trump and Zelensky had an impromptu face-to-face meeting inside St. Peter’s Basilica on the sidelines of the funeral. The NY Times suggests that Zelensky was able to make progress in winning Trump over:

President Trump’s standing among Ukrainians is practically on life support. But many cheered one statement he made on Saturday after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, questioning why President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would continue to pummel Ukraine as the United States is trying to broker peace talks.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social after meeting with Mr. Zelensky on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral, adding that Mr. Putin may need to be “dealt with differently” — with more sanctions.

The Ukrainian side is hoping this has restored positive relations between the two leaders, given it was their first meeting since the blowup and damaging encounter in the Oval Office on Feb.28.

Trump on Truth Social: It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealth with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!

Had anyone heard the expression “tapping me along” before Trump started to use it to express his frustration and impatience with Iran and Russia? https://t.co/wklP6953m7

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 26, 2025

“Even such a small thing as Mr. Trump’s short meeting with Mr. Zelensky felt like a major change,” NY Times continued. “Since taking office, the Trump administration has at times appeared almost solicitous of Mr. Putin, a sharp reversal in U.S. policy. And Mr. Trump has made no secret of his dislike for the Ukrainian leader.”