Russia launches nearly 150 drones against Ukraine as Trump says he doubts Putin's desire for peace

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a sweeping drone assault and airstrikes across Ukraine early Sunday, killing at least four people, officials said, after U.S. President Donald Trump cast doubt over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to end the war.

Three people died and four were wounded in airstrikes on Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the regional prosecutor's office said. Another person died and a 14-year-old girl was wounded in a drone attack on the city of Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which was hit for the third consecutive night, Gov. Serhii Lysak said.

The attacks came hours after Russia claimed to have regained control over the remaining parts of the Kursk region that Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise incursion in August 2024. Ukrainian officials said the fighting in Kursk was still ongoing.

Trump said Saturday he doubts Putin wants to end the more than 3-year-old war, expressing new skepticism a peace deal can be reached soon. Only a day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were “ very close to a deal.”

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump wrote in a social media post as he flew back to the U.S. after attending the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump also hinted at further sanctions against Russia.

On Sunday evening, as he left his golf club in New Jersey, Trump told reporters he remained “disappointed” in Russia's attacks. Trump said of Putin: "I want him to stop shooting, sit down and make a deal.”

Asked what he would do if Russia does not stop its attacks, Trump replied: “I have a lot of things that I can do.”

The Vatican Trump-Zelenskyy conversation was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since their heated Oval Office meeting at the White House on Feb. 28.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday the coming week would be “very critical," and that the U.S. would need to “make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in.”

Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about possible concessions to Russia, Rubio emphasized the need to be “grownups and realistic.”

“There is no military solution to this war. The only solution to this war is a negotiated settlement where both sides are going to have to give up something they claim to want and are going to have to give the other side something they wish they didn’t,” he said.

Russia fired 149 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks, the Ukrainian air force said, adding that 57 were intercepted and another 67 jammed.

One person was wounded in drone attacks on the Odesa region and one other was hurt in the city of Zhytomyr. Four people were also wounded in a Russian airstrike on the city of Kherson on Sunday, local officials said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses shot down five Ukrainian drones in the border region of Bryansk, as well as three drones over the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Five people were wounded when Ukrainian forces shelled the city of Horlivka in the partially occupied Donetsk region, said the Russian-installed Mayor Ivan Prikhodko.

Morton reported from London. Nicholas Riccardi in Bridgewater, New Jersey contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

FILE - A Ukrainian tank passes by a burning car near the Russian-Ukrainian border in the Sumy region of Ukraine, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Mystyslav Chernov, File)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and President Donald Trump, talk as they attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican, Saturday, April 26, 2025.(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

FILE - In this image made from a video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, March 14, 2025, Russian soldiers ride on a self-propelled gun in Russia's Kursk region. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko following their talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, on March 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sunday, April 27, 2025, a Russian Army 152mm howitzer Giatsint-B fires towards Ukrainian positions in Kherson, Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

MONTREAL (AP) — Mike Matheson and Juraj Slafkovsky scored goals 37 seconds apart to start the third period, propelling the Montreal Canadiens to a 6-3 win over the last-place Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.

Alexandre Carrier scored twice in a 20-second span in the second period for Montreal, which rebounded from a 4-0 home-ice loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.

Noah Dobson and Oliver Kapanen also scored in the Canadiens' fourth straight win over the Canucks.

Jakub Dobes, making his first start since Jan. 1, stopped 20 shots for Montreal. Dobes defeated Vancouver for the second time in as many outings this season.

Elias Pettersson, Evander Kane and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks.

Vancouver has lost the first four games of its season-long six-game Eastern Conference road trip. Overall, the Canucks have lost seven straight and nine of their last 10.

Nikita Tolopilo made 35 saves in his first appearance in goal for Vancouver since Dec. 8.

The Belarusian goaltender was recalled Sunday under emergency conditions from the Canucks’ AHL affiliate.

Starter Thatcher Demko was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury he suffered in his team’s 5-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Demko returned to Vancouver to be further evaluated by the Canucks’ medical staff.

Vancouver scored the opening goal of the game for the first time in six games, marking their first lead in a game since Dec. 30.

Carrier’s first goal was his 100th career point. It also was the first career multigoal game for the 29-year-old blueliner.

Canucks: At Ottawa on Tuesday in the fifth game of a six-game trip.

Canadiens: At Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Montreal Canadiens' Alexandre Carrier, second from left, scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) as Canucks' Tom Willander (5) defends during second-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks' Max Sasson (63) scores against Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) during second-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo (60) watches the puck in front of Montreal Canadiens' Alexandre Texier (85) as Canucks' Marcus Pettersson (29) defends during second-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens' Alexandre Carrier (45) scores against Vancouver Canucks goaltender Nikita Tolopilo, bottom left, as Canucks' Tom Willander (5) defends during second-period NHL hockey game action in Montreal, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)