President Trump told reporters that Ukraine should not target Moscow following a report that he advised Ukraine to ramp up its attacks.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should not target Moscow and that Russian President Vladimir Putin should agree to a ceasefire deal by a 50-day deadline or sanctions will kick in.

The skies over Moscow and St. Petersburg were filled with drones coming from Ukraine, days after President Trump told reporters Ukraine should not target Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Saturday that Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov had made an offer for a meeting with Russian negotiators for next week. Meanwhile, earlier, Trump set a 50-day deadline for Moscow to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine or face "100 percent tariffs".

Russia's Defence Ministry, in a separate post, said its air defence units had downed 87 Ukrainian drones in different areas across central, western and southern Russia in a period

Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) said Russia began to hit enlistment centers in recent weeks in a concerted effort to disrupt Ukraine's mobilization. Olha Polishchuk, ACLED's Eastern Europe research manager,

Putin’s refusal to compromise on Ukraine, say analysts, is a colossal error costing Russia regional influence, lucrative energy markets and its place in the world.