• Zelenskyy plans to meet Trump at UN to discuss security guarantees and sanctions on Russia.
• Russia launched a major aerial assault, firing 40 missiles and 580 drones, resulting in casualties.
• The conflict highlights increasing NATO concerns over Russian provocations in eastern Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week. This meeting is intended to address the escalating conflict and the need for enhanced security guarantees for Ukraine, alongside discussions on imposing stronger sanctions against Russia, amidst intensified Russian attacks, according to dawn, lemonde, trtglobal, and aljazeera.

During one of its largest assaults, Russian forces launched 40 missiles and 580 drones, leading to the death of at least three individuals and injuring dozens more. Zelenskyy specifically mentioned that a missile hit an apartment building in Dnipro, showcasing the significant impact of the attacks on civilian infrastructure, as highlighted by lemonde and trtglobal.

In light of recent Russian air incursions into eastern Europe, NATO member states are taking preventative measures to bolster defenses. Poland has deployed its military alongside allied forces to ensure aerial security following reports of Russian drones violating its airspace. On the eastern front, three Russian fighter jets reportedly entered Estonian airspace, heightening concerns among NATO allies, according to dawn and aljazeera.

Moreover, Zelenskyy has emphasized the necessity for Western backing to prevent future aggressions from Russia. He indicated that without a meeting between leaders or the establishment of a ceasefire, sanctions would be expected, as reinforced in statements he made recently, referenced by trtglobal and lemonde.

This backdrop of escalating military actions is coupled with failed peace negotiations, where previous discussions yielded little beyond prisoner exchanges. Russia continues to press for hardline demands, expecting Ukraine to concede several territories, which Kyiv has categorically rejected, seeking instead a deployment of European troops to assist as peacekeepers, according to dawn, aljazeera, and trtglobal.