Ukraine updates: Merz says Putin delaying, urges 'pressure'

A Ukrainian drone exploded over Estonia, local authorities said.

"There is no evidence that it was a Russiandrone," security police chief Margo Palloson said in Tallinn, with Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur saying the drone hit Estonia because of Russia's continued war against Ukraine.

The aircraft was likely misdirected by Russian electronic defense measures, while it is still unclear whether it came from Latvian or Russian airspace.

Pieces of the drone were found by a farmer some 75 kilometers (almost 47 miles) from the border with Russia.

No injuries were caused by the explosion.

Incidents of drones entering the airspaces of other countries in the context of Russia's war in Ukraine were recorded in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania and Moldova, with the drones being Russian in all of the cases.
 

One worker was killed and three were injured in a Russianattack on a coal mine, Ukraine's largest energy company DTEK said.

The company, which owns the mine, said the attack had "damaged the company's buildings and equipment," as well as causing a power outage.

While DTEK did not specify the mine's location, a local trade union leader said a Russian attack on miners on the same day took place in the Dobropillia community in Donetsk Oblast, one of the areas most affected by the war with Russia.

DTEK also added that 146 workers were underground at the time of the attack, and that efforts to bring them to the surface are ongoing.

US Secretary of State and acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio late Monday, held a virtual meeting with his EU counterparts to discuss developments in Ukraine and what steps Kyiv's allies could take to bring about a ceasefire.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, among others, were on the call according to the US State Department.

Sybiha said Ukraine was grateful to Rubio as well as President Trump for what he called his "peacemaking leadership."

Trump tapped Rubio to coordinate the drawing up of security guarantees for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

Later on X, Sybiha wrote of the meeting: "I reiterated Ukraine’s position that security guarantees must be concrete, legally binding, and effective. They should be multidimensional, including military, diplomatic, legal, and other levels."

"We all share the conviction that the Ukrainian army is the fundamental level of any such guarantees," he continued, "therefore its maximum strengthening is our top priority."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Russia must take the next step toward peace in Ukraine, otherwise the West will be forced to take it.

Merz, speaking at a Berlin press conference alongside visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using "delay tactics" to avoid negotiating a ceasefire with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Merz added that Putin had, "made the meeting contingent upon pre-conditions that from a Ukrainian, and also from our, from my personal perspective, are totally unacceptable."

Continuing, Merz said that if the "Russian side doesn't take the next step, then more pressure is needed."  

"If the meeting agreed to by [US President Donald] Trump and Putin doesn't take place, then the ball is in our court. With us, I mean the Europeans and the Americans," he said, adding that the EU was already working on a new set of sanctions.

Canada's Carney echoed Merz's sentiments regarding Putin's slow-walking and the need to strengthen support for Ukraine more than three years into its grueling defensive war.

Carney said Canada is focused on bringing peace and security to Ukraine and eager to contribute to its ability to defend itself. He also noted that credible security guarantees would be the bedrock of peace in Ukraine.

The meeting in question is one that Trump promised a little over a week ago when he welcomed Putin to Alaska with applause and a red carpet. After the two met, Trump suggested a bilateral meeting between the Russian and his Ukrainian counterpart as well as a possible trilateral meeting including himself, was just around the corner.

At the time, Trump offered his standard two-week deadline for the meting to happen. That deadline is approaching on Friday with no indication that a meeting will take place.

Today's Ukraine coverage starts in Berlin, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke to the situation during a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is in Germany for talks on trade and security.

Ukraine's Western allies also discussed approaches to forcing Russia to end its assault on Ukraine in a video call led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Stay tuned to our blog for this and much more throughout the day.