Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine "ready to support de-escalation" if US can verify Russia's sincerity

A NATO fighter jet intercepted an unmanned aircraft that entered Lithuanian airspace near the town of Pratkunai, roughly 100 km west of Vilnius, marking the alliance’s first such shoot‑down in the country; officials said the device, likely carrying explosives, entered from the direction of Belarus and lingered for about half an hour before being neutralised. The event came days after NATO secretary‑general Mark Rutte warned that attacks close to the bloc’s borders would prompt stronger support for Kyiv. In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would be prepared to take steps that lower hostilities if the United States can verify that Russia is sincerely willing to end the conflict, noting that Ukrainian precision strikes have been affecting Russia’s war‑economy. Meanwhile, Russian forces reported downing more than two hundred Ukrainian drones and Ukrainian attacks sparked fires in the Russian city of Taganrog, while eight civilians were injured in recent Russian strikes on Kyiv.