President Donald Trump stated he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. In an interview released Tuesday, July 15, 2026, Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, "It’s time for this war to end."

Despite Trump's optimism, Moscow warned on Wednesday that Western troops deployed to enforce any eventual peace deal would be considered legitimate military targets. A Russian statement said, "We would regard such units as legitimate military targets."

Meanwhile, fighting continues across Ukraine and Russian-occupied territories. Ukraine’s military reported striking the Balaklava thermal power station in Russian-occupied Crimea, a facility providing nearly half of the peninsula’s electricity, according to Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine expects to develop the technical capability to manufacture missiles compatible with U.S.-made Patriot air-defense systems by the end of 2026.

The ongoing drone warfare has pushed both militaries to use older weapons to intercept unmanned aircraft. A video supplied by East2West shows a Russian soldier losing control of a Soviet-era YakB-12.7 rotary machine gun mounted on an improvised ground platform.

This development comes amid continued missile and drone strikes, including an explosion over Kyiv on July 2, 2026.

Sources

Notable Quotes

  • Trump: "I say, ‘Vladimir, it’s time for you to stop. It’s time for this war to end.’"
  • Russian warning: "We would regard such units as legitimate military targets."