The Russian leader is convinced that Moscow’s battlefield superiority is growing, and that Ukraine’s defenses may collapse in the coming months, according to people close to the Kremlin.

Trump’s decision to help Ukraine fight an onslaught of Russian attacks reverses a Pentagon decision to withhold defensive weapons.

Ukraine was hit by the largest airborne assault of the war after Russian unleashed more than 700 drones and missiles targeting 14 of the country's 24 provinces.