"Putin's criminal war is getting closer to our borders," Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on Wednesday.

Russia now controls more than two-thirds of Ukraine’s Donetsk region — the main theater of the ground war. Russian forces have carved out a 10-mile-deep pocket around the Ukrainian troops defending the crucial city of Kostiantynivka, partly surrounding them from the east, south and west.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants cease-fire negotiations next week and would be willing to meet directly and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

General Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said allies could seize Kaliningrad "in a timeframe that is unheard of."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that Russia fired over 300 drones, along with more than 30 cruise missiles.

A recent Russian drone strike deliberately targeted and damaged a Polish-owned factory in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, a move that is escalating tensions along NATO’s eastern flank. -While the attack on the Barlinek Group facility does not trigger NATO’s Article 5 collective defense clause,

Ukraine has taken possession of most of the 49 tanks given by Australia, and the rest will be delivered in coming months, said Defence Minister Richard Marles. “The M1A1 Abrams tanks will make a significant contribution to Ukraine’s ongoing fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion," Marles said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to ramp up arms shipments to Ukraine is a signal to Kyiv to abandon peace efforts, Russia said on Thursday, vowing it would not accept the "blackmail" of Washington's new sanctions ultimatum.

President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Russia to accept a peace deal in Ukraine within 50 days or face bruising sanctions has given the Kremlin extra time to pursue its summer offensive.

NATO's enhanced ground capabilities in the Baltic region spark Russian warnings as military focus intensifies on Kaliningrad and the strategic Suwalki Corridor