More than 140 strikes on Ukrainian front-line positions had been recorded by 7 a.m. local time, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russia is deploying an additional four regiments, 24 battalions, and 162 batteries to counter Ukrainian strike drones, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"(Russia) wants permission from Ukraine to hold their parade, so they can safely march onto the square for one hour once a year, and then go back to killing our people and waging war again," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"So far, it has not led to a fruitful outcome for a variety of reasons," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
'The Azov (Corps) is already patrolling its hometown of Mariupol. For now, from the air. But there's more to come," the statement read.
Since mid-April, Ukraine has struck the Tuapse oil terminal on Russia's Black Sea coast four times, triggering major fires at one of the country's key oil export hubs despite active air defenses and repeated Russian claims of intercepted drones. The attacks have caused days-long fires, halted refinery operations, polluted parts of the coastline, and forced authorities into prolonged emergency response efforts. This raises a question: If Russia maintains one of the largest air defense networks
Discussions between Umerov and U.S. officials focused on humanitarian issues, prisoner exchanges between Kyiv and Moscow, and details of Washington-backed security guarantees for Ukraine, according to Zelensky.
"We just don't see the point (to follow it) for the parade," a senior Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent.
