Russia-Ukraine war: Senior Ukrainian officials arrived in Washington on Tuesday to secure deeper US backing as peace talks with Russia falter. Kyiv accused Moscow of deliberately stalling negotiations and continuing its military aggression despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, met with US Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg and accused Russia of “playing for time” and manipulating negotiations to dodge sanctions and delay a ceasefire. “We need a ceasefire — we have fully supported the US proposal on this since March,” Yermak emphasised.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was more direct, saying Moscow had ignored Ukraine’s latest proposals during the second round of direct talks in Istanbul. “Each day of silence from them proves their wish to continue the war,” Sybiha wrote on social media.

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Kyiv bombs Russian bridge to Crimea

As negotiations stalled, Ukraine showcased its continued military capability with a dramatic underwater strike on the Kerch Bridge, a key logistics and symbolic asset for Russia. The SBU, Ukraine’s security service, said it planted explosives beneath the road-and-rail bridge linking Russia to annexed Crimea. Though damage reports remain unclear, Russian authorities later claimed the bridge had reopened to traffic.

The attack follows a series of coordinated Ukrainian strikes over the past few days, including drone assaults on Russian-occupied energy infrastructure in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and airfields housing long-range bombers. Ukrainian officials say these are in retaliation for ongoing Russian assaults on Ukrainian power stations, which have left millions without electricity.

Russian strike kills civilians in Sumy

Meanwhile, Russia escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities, killing four people and injuring more than two dozen in Sumy. Zelenskyy condemned the shelling as a “deliberate” attack on civilians and declared it a sign of Russia’s true intentions. “That’s all one needs to know about the Russian wish to end this war,” he stated.

The Ukrainian president also announced a shakeup in the military command, appointing a new senior official to keep the focus on battlefield efficiency after over three years of war.

Britain to deliver 100,000 drones to Ukraine by April 2026

In a major show of support, the United Kingdom pledged on Wednesday to deliver 100,000 drones to Ukraine by April 2026 — a tenfold increase that underscores the evolving nature of modern warfare. The £350 million ($473 million) drone package is part of a broader £4.5 billion UK military support plan, which includes artillery and troop training.

British Defence Secretary John Healey said the aid reflects lessons learned from Ukraine’s defense against Russia and marks a strategic pivot toward a more technologically advanced military posture.

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Peace talks in Istanbul made little progress. Russia demanded Ukraine surrender more territory and reduce the size of its armed forces — terms Kyiv flatly rejected. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said peace talks remain “extremely complex” and warned against expecting “immediate solutions.”

(With inputs from agencies)