May 19, Kathmandu-Just hours before a scheduled call, Russia launched its largest drone assault on Ukraine to date, deploying 273 explosive drones and decoys aimed at the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions, according to Ukraine’s air force. Of these, 88 were intercepted, while 128 were likely neutralized through electronic jamming. Meanwhile, Russia’s defense ministry reported that it had downed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight. In a parallel effort to advance peace negotiations, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome on Sunday. These diplomatic developments followed rare direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Turkey on Friday—the first such engagement since the early stages of the war. While there were initial hopes for a face-to-face meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin ultimately opted to send an envoy. In response, Zelenskyy appointed his defense minister to lead Ukraine’s delegation.