Ukrainian President Zelenskyy hopes for further help from abroad.

Nearly 1,200 days after the start of the Russian invasion, Ukraine can hope for new military aid from the West. Defense ministers from Germany, Great Britain, and numerous other countries plan to coordinate further military aid for Kyiv today in Brussels. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov is also expected to attend the meeting of the so-called Ukraine Contact Group. He is expected to provide an update on the situation on the front lines and state which defense equipment his armed forces currently need most urgently.

The meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels will be chaired by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his British counterpart John Healey. The two politicians will once again replace former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who initiated the Ramstein Group, comprising approximately 50 countries, and led it until the change of administration in Washington.

The new US administration under President Donald Trump did not want to continue this job. It is focusing less on military aid than on persuading Kyiv and Moscow to conclude a ceasefire agreement as quickly as possible. Other countries fear that this could be to Ukraine's detriment.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire sought by Trump remains out of reach. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha demanded a response from Moscow to a document containing proposals for a peace settlement, which was presented to the Russian delegation on Monday at the latest round of peace talks in Istanbul. "We demand Russia's response," Sybiha wrote on Platform X. "Every day of silence proves their desire to continue the war."

The format of the Istanbul talks has been downgraded to meetings about the exchange of prisoners of war. "Russia has so far rejected every significant format for a ceasefire," Sybiha criticized. "This would be reason enough for our partners to impose new sanctions against Russia, now."

According to the General Staff in Kyiv, there were 134 Russian advances during the day. Pokrovsk remains one of the focal points of Russian attacks.

Another offensive is reportedly underway in northeastern Ukraine, along the border with Russia. The General Staff somewhat vaguely describes the situation as the "Kursk region." Since there are virtually no Ukrainian troops left in the western Russian region of Kursk itself, the attacks are likely to be primarily directed at the neighboring Ukrainian region of Sumy.

During the night, the Russian military again deployed swarms of drones against numerous targets in Ukraine. According to media reports, numerous explosions were reported in cities such as Kherson, Odessa, and Zaporizhia. In Kharkiv, at least one person was injured by falling debris from a drone.

In light of the recent Russian attacks on Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is warning of the danger of a nuclear accident at a nuclear power plant. IAEA President Rafael Grossi said during a visit to Kyiv that his agency's presence on the ground remains essential, even more than three years after the start of the war, to prevent the risk of a serious nuclear accident. The situation also remains dangerous for nuclear safety.

Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, the IAEA has played a central role in protecting and monitoring the condition and safety of Ukraine's nuclear power plants. It regularly sends teams of experts to the active reactor sites in Rivne and Khmelnytskyi and, since September 2022, has been permanently present at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made changes at the top of the military leadership. The former Army Chief of Staff, Mykhailo Drapatyy, has been relieved of organizational duties such as mobilization, training, and the preparation of recruits, Zelenskyy said in his evening video message. "As Commander of the Joint Armed Forces, Drapatyy will focus exclusively on combat issues so that he can devote himself 100 percent to the front." The reduction in authority followed a fatal Russian missile attack on a military training area in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Drapatyj himself offered his resignation via Telegram two days ago as a consequence of the fiasco, in which, according to him, twelve soldiers were killed and dozens injured. However, the 42-year-old is considered one of Ukraine's most capable generals. Observers assume that Zelenskyj did not want to forgo his leadership qualities on the front lines.

Zelensky also appointed Oleh Apostol as head of the paratrooper troops and Robert Browdi as head of the drone troops.

In light of the ongoing threat from Russia, NATO intends to dramatically expand its military capabilities for deterrence and defense. According to alliance sources, the German Press Agency (dpa), the current targets are to be increased by approximately 30 percent. For example, significantly more long-range cruise missiles and drones, as well as capabilities in areas such as air defense and artillery, will be maintained in the future.

To ensure the targets are met, Germany and the other member states are now being assigned new national planning targets. They are to be formally adopted this Thursday at a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels.