Ukrainian official, US secretary of state discuss defense, security guarantees, sanctions

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said Monday he held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss defense support, security guarantees, and stronger sanctions against Russia.

Yermak said he informed Rubio about “constant strikes by the Russians, who are attacking our cities, residential buildings, with drones and missiles,” claiming that for the first time an Iskander ballistic missile hit Ukraine’s government building in Kyiv.

“Putin understands only force, does not want to stop the war, pressure on Russia must continue. A stable peace is our goal, which we must achieve,” Yermak said on Telegram, while thanking US President Donald Trump for his “leadership in striving to end Russia’s war against Ukraine” and praising Rubio for “doing a lot to achieve a just peace.”

On Sunday, Ukraine’s air force reported intercepting 747 of 810 drones and four of 13 missiles fired in separate strikes, while Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on US social media company X that the government building in Kyiv had been damaged for the first time since the conflict began.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it struck drone facilities, airbases, and a logistics site in Kyiv, claiming its objectives were met while denying civilian targets were hit.

Both sides have repeatedly denied targeting civilians during the more than three and a half years of war.