Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces are holding back a concerted summer push by Russia's bigger army to break through defenses along parts of the front line. He says Ukraine has thwarted Russian efforts to get into Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region. He says the situation has also improved in the northeastern Sumy border region. Analysts say Russia has recently made only incremental gains in its slow and costly advance against Ukrainian defenses. With the war now in its fourth year after Russia's February 2022 invasion of its neighbor, the effort is draining resources on both sides, although Russia can sustain the fight for longer while Ukraine seeks further support from Western partners.

Russian forces have launched a large-scale drone assault across Ukraine, where officials said three people were killed and 64 others wounded. The overnight strikes caused widespread destruction in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where apartment buildings, private homes, playgrounds, industrial sites and public transportation were hit. Moscow' has deployed high numbers of drones and missiles in recent days. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by reiterating calls for greater international pressure on Russia.

All four international airports around Moscow temporarily suspended flights as Russia said its forces intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones. Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that almost a dozen Russian regions were targeted. The overnight assault came two days ahead of a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It coincides with celebrations in Moscow marking Victory Day in World War II. The day celebrating Moscow's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 is Russia's biggest secular holiday. The leaders of China, Brazil and other countries will attend.

Ukraine has used U.S weapons to attack inside Russia in recent days. That's according to a U.S. senator and a Western official familiar with the matter. The weapons were used under recently approved guidance from President Joe Biden allowing American arms to be used to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, confirmed the strikes with U.S. weapons, but didn't say how he was briefed. Ukrainian officials had stepped up calls on the U.S. to allow Kyiv's forces to defend themselves against attacks originating from Russian territory.

Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from some parts of the country's northeast and were battling Russian troops in other areas. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy postponed all his upcoming foreign trips, underscoring the seriousness of the threat his soldiers are facing. Against that grim backdrop, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to reassure the ally of continuing American support. He announced a $2 billion arms deal Wednesday. Most of the money comes from a package approved last month. The top diplomat is in Ukraine as Russian troops press a new offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A massive barrage of Russian cruise missile and drone strikes hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other Ukra…

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — The outskirts of Kharkiv have the feel of an open-air morgue, where the dead lie unclaimed and unexplained, sometimes …