Airports in Moscow were briefly shut on Wednesday, after Russia claimed it shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones.In a series of announcements, Russia's Defence Ministry said on Telegram that at least 376 Ukrainian drones were intercepted or destroyed on Wednesday.

By Tom Balmforth, Andreas Rinke, John Irish KYIV/BERLIN/PARIS (Reuters) -For Ukraine and its allies, who spent months trying to win Donald Trump over to their cause in the war started by Russia, it is back to square one.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said Russian President Valdimir Putin is playing President Trump "like a fiddle," at an Axios event Wednesday. Why it matters: Bipartisan pressure is growing in the Senate for the White House to give lawmakers the green light to pass a new package of sanctions against Moscow.

War experts believe Moscow is planning a summer offensive in Ukraine. Economic and military pressures closer to home could end up pushing Moscow into peace talks. A slowdown in inflation, declining industrial output and consumer spending all point to a slowdown in the Russian economy.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has voiced support for US President Donald Trump's peacekeeping efforts and warned China of consequences for any potential support of Vladimir Putin's war, according to Lindsey Graham’s post on the social media platform X.

President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month, the Kremlin said Wednesday. Putin visited the region bordering Ukraine the previous day, according to the Kremlin.

The Kremlin has withstood pressure for an immediate cease-fire as a precondition for peace talks, but the Russian president’s push for normalizing relations with the United States appears in limbo.

U.S. President Donald Trump refuses to impose sanctions on Russia as it may hinder future business and trade opportunities with Moscow, the New York Times (NYT) reported on May 20, citing a White House official.