Washington, July 8
US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will send additional weapons to Ukraine, shortly after Moscow claimed new territorial gains.

Trump made the remarks at the White House on Monday (US time), acknowledging Ukraine's mounting challenges on the battlefield amid intensified Russian strikes.

"We're going to have to send more weapons -- defensive weapons primarily?" Trump told reporters, noting the scale of attacks Ukraine has endured.

"They're getting hit very, very hard," he added while clarifying that he was "not happy" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The US President's assurance came days after Washington had paused certain arms shipments to Kyiv -- a decision that caught Ukrainian officials by surprise and prompted urgent requests for clarification.

The brief halt in military support emerged as a significant concern for Kyiv, which is currently grappling with some of the most severe missile and drone attacks since the war began more than three years ago.

Trump's comments coincided with Russia claiming a new victory on the battlefield, announcing the capture of its first village in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region after months of offensive operations.

The fresh advance was preceded by a large-scale drone and missile barrage, reportedly targeting Ukraine's military recruitment centres.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it had conducted a retaliatory drone strike on a Russian ammunition factory in the Moscow region -- underscoring Kyiv's resolve to continue defensive and counter-offensive actions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also took to X to express his intent to strengthen international support and cooperation through upcoming strategic meetings.

"I instructed Ukraine's Minister of Defence to prepare the next Ramstein meetings in various formats," Zelensky posted. "The UK, along with Germany and other partners, is currently keeping Ramstein operational, and in August–September we expect -- very much expect -- the format to deliver new steps for our Ukrainian resilience."

Highlighting the growing reliance of Russian forces on Iranian-made "Shahed" drones, Zelensky said, "Everyone in the world can see how much Russia is relying on the use of 'Shahed' drones. They have few options left to prolong the war… I thank everyone who is helping us counter these attacks and, of course, everyone supporting our defence against Russian missiles.

US to send 'more weapons' to Ukraine, says Trump