Here are the key events on day 1,227 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is how things stand on Saturday, July 5 :

Fighting

• Russian air defences have downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in widely dispersed parts of the country, including two near the country’s second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, according to officials.
• All external power lines supplying electricity to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine were down for several hours before being restored, the UN nuclear watchdog said.
• Ukrainian authorities blamed Russian shelling for the power cut, adding that technicians had to take action to restore it.
• Dutch and German intelligence agencies say that Russia is increasing its use of prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine, including the World War I-era poison gas chloropicrin. Moscow denies this.

Weapons

• United States President Donald Trump said he discussed sending Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine in calls with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• A German government spokesman said the country was exploring the possibility of purchasing more Patriot air defence systems from the US for Ukraine.

Politics and diplomacy

• Trump said that he discussed sanctions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Thursday call, who is worried about them and understands they might be forthcoming.
• The US president repeated that he was “very unhappy” with his Russian counterpart, adding: “He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people – it is no good.”
• Zelenskyy says he agreed with Trump, to work to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences, as concerns mounted in Kyiv over US military aid deliveries. The two leaders had a “very important and fruitful conversation” by phone on Friday, Zelenskyy said.
• German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will travel to Washington later this month for talks with his US counterpart about air defence systems, as well as production capacities, the ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin once again refused to end his war in Ukraine until Russia achieves its “goals” despite another direct call between the Kremlin chief and President Donald Trump. 

“Vladimir Putin, for his part, noted that we continue to seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict,” Russian diplomat Yuri Ushakov said in a readout following the call.

“Our president also said that Russia will achieve the goals it has set: that is the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current acute confrontation, and Russia will not back down from these goals,” he added.

PUTIN’S ATTEMPT TO ‘PLAY TRUMP’ ON UKRAINE WILL FAIL, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SAYS

In an attempt to justify his invasion, Putin has repeatedly claimed that Ukraine posed a threat as it looked to become a NATO member, and has made clear he wants to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and topple the government in Kyiv. 

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding how Trump reacted to Putin’s clear acknowledgment that he intends to continue his war effort. 

The call comes two days after the U.S. said it was halting some previously pledged military arms slated for Ukraine, and which were already in Poland, over concerns relating to U.S. stockpiles. 

PENTAGON’S WEAPONS PAUSE TO UKRAINE COULD ‘ENCOURAGE’ AND ‘ESCALATE’ PUTIN’S WAR AMBITIONS: SECURITY EXPERTS

Ukrainian and German soldiers are seen training on the Patriot air defense missile system at a military training area in Germany in June 2024. (Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images)

While speaking with Fox News Digital this week, experts warned the move could embolden Putin and his war ambitions. 

The readout of the call released by the Kremlin did not detail whether this move by the Trump administration was discussed. 

Members of the Ukrainian military walk amid debris after a shopping center and surrounding buildings were hit by a Russian missile strike on April 16, 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine.  (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The pair also reportedly discussed the conflict in the Middle East, particularly as it relates to Iran and recent U.S. and Israeli strikes against Tehran’s nuclear program.

“The Russian side emphasized the importance of resolving all disputes, disagreements and conflict situations exclusively by political and diplomatic means,” the readout added.