Ukraine targets Russian oil facilities after Zelensky meets with Trump
✓Skip to content
Ukraine targeted Russian oil facilities on Thursday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey.
Ukrainian forces struck two oil depots, one in Stavropol and the other in Tver, that are about 500 kilometers from the front line, according to Zelensky.
“Units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces also struck a reserve fuel storage facility located about 800 kilometers from the front,” the Ukrainian president wrote on the social platform X.
“An oil pumping station in Russia’s Ufa, nearly 1,500 kilometers from our border, also came under sanctions. An oil loading terminal in the Rostov region, about 200 kilometers from the front line, was sanctioned as well,” he added.
His main goal has been to reclaim a dominant stance on the battlefield to ensure Ukraine has an upper hand in negotiations with the Kremlin.
Trump’s nod of approval on Wednesday for Ukraine to co-produce key air-defense weapons known as the Patriot missiles proved to be another win for Kyiv.
Still, experts and officials have said Ukraine’s ability to complete production for Patriot missiles remains roughly one to three years away.
Regardless, Zelensky said he was “grateful” to meet with Trump face-to-face on Wednesday as the two continue down a positive trajectory that differs vastly from the Oval Office blowup last February.
“I’m grateful for the strong emphasis placed on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense to better protect people’s lives. President Trump and I spoke about some ideas that could strengthen our positions and bring peace closer,” Zelensky wrote in another X post translated from Ukrainian by X’s AI chatbot Grok.
“I count on our teams to follow up promptly on everything discussed today. We also talked diplomacy – we are trying to make it work. We will keep working productively to make it happen,” he added, after noting Ukraine and the U.S. could “accomplish a great deal together.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said U.S. actions involving its war with Ukraine are “ambivalent” while appreciating the strides toward peace.
“The U.S. position is somewhat ambivalent,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters, according to The Associated Press.
“Still, unlike the Europeans, the United States maintains a desire to facilitate a move toward a peace process. They may be misguided or mistaken at times, but we see that desire as sincere,” he said. “We welcome it, and we hope that once the Americans manage to resolve the situation regarding Iran despite the significant complications involved their efforts on the Ukrainian track will resume.”
Upon taking office for a second term, Trump vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war overnight, which did not happen.
Instead, the war has dragged on for more than four years, with attempts at intervention from U.S. and European counterparts alike.
The Kremlin has maintained its push to grab Ukraine’s territorial land, which Zelensky has said will require approval from its citizens.
Debate over sovereignty and land ownership has prolonged efforts towards peace and stability.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · NPR ↗ · The Hill ↗ · Axios ↗
On Thursday, Ukrainian forces conducted strikes on multiple Russian oil facilities, ranging from depots near the front line to infrastructure nearly 1,500 kilometers distant. This followed a Wednesday meeting between Zelensky and Trump at the NATO summit in Turkey. During that meeting, Trump approved U.S. co-production of Patriot air-defense systems with Ukraine, which Zelensky characterized as strengthening Ukraine's defensive capability. Zelensky indicated Ukraine's strategy centers on improving its military position to create favorable conditions for negotiations. The Kremlin responded by describing U.S. policy as mixed—simultaneously pursuing peace talks while maintaining support for Ukraine—and expressed hope the U.S. would eventually focus diplomatic efforts on Ukraine after addressing its Iran concerns. The conflict, now in its fifth year, remains unresolved despite Trump's earlier pledge to end it quickly.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · NPR ↗ · The Hill ↗ · Axios ↗
Skip to content
Ukraine targeted Russian oil facilities on Thursday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey.
Ukrainian forces struck two oil depots, one in Stavropol and the other in Tver, that are about 500 kilometers from the front line, according to Zelensky.
“Units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces also struck a reserve fuel storage facility located about 800 kilometers from the front,” the Ukrainian president wrote on the social platform X.
“An oil pumping station in Russia’s Ufa, nearly 1,500 kilometers from our border, also came under sanctions. An oil loading terminal in the Rostov region, about 200 kilometers from the front line, was sanctioned as well,” he added.
His main goal has been to reclaim a dominant stance on the battlefield to ensure Ukraine has an upper hand in negotiations with the Kremlin.
Trump’s nod of approval on Wednesday for Ukraine to co-produce key air-defense weapons known as the Patriot missiles proved to be another win for Kyiv.
Still, experts and officials have said Ukraine’s ability to complete production for Patriot missiles remains roughly one to three years away.
Regardless, Zelensky said he was “grateful” to meet with Trump face-to-face on Wednesday as the two continue down a positive trajectory that differs vastly from the Oval Office blowup last February.
“I’m grateful for the strong emphasis placed on strengthening Ukraine’s air defense to better protect people’s lives. President Trump and I spoke about some ideas that could strengthen our positions and bring peace closer,” Zelensky wrote in another X post translated from Ukrainian by X’s AI chatbot Grok.
“I count on our teams to follow up promptly on everything discussed today. We also talked diplomacy – we are trying to make it work. We will keep working productively to make it happen,” he added, after noting Ukraine and the U.S. could “accomplish a great deal together.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said U.S. actions involving its war with Ukraine are “ambivalent” while appreciating the strides toward peace.
“The U.S. position is somewhat ambivalent,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters, according to The Associated Press.
“Still, unlike the Europeans, the United States maintains a desire to facilitate a move toward a peace process. They may be misguided or mistaken at times, but we see that desire as sincere,” he said. “We welcome it, and we hope that once the Americans manage to resolve the situation regarding Iran despite the significant complications involved their efforts on the Ukrainian track will resume.”
Upon taking office for a second term, Trump vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war overnight, which did not happen.
Instead, the war has dragged on for more than four years, with attempts at intervention from U.S. and European counterparts alike.
The Kremlin has maintained its push to grab Ukraine’s territorial land, which Zelensky has said will require approval from its citizens.
Debate over sovereignty and land ownership has prolonged efforts towards peace and stability.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · NPR ↗ · The Hill ↗ · Axios ↗
Ukraine's Defense Forces struck oil facilities in Stavropol, Tver, near Ufa, in the Rostov region, and a reserve fuel storage facility Thursday The targeted facilities ranged approximately 200 to 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine's border Zelensky met with Trump on Wednesday at the NATO summit in Turkey Trump approved co-production of Patriot air-defense missiles between Ukraine and the U.S. Ukraine's ability to complete independent Patriot missile production remains one to three years away Zelensky's main goal is to reclaim a dominant stance on the battlefield to ensure Ukraine has an upper hand in negotiations Zelensky stated he was grateful for Trump's commitment to strengthening Ukraine's air defense The Kremlin said the U.S. position on Ukraine is ambivalent The Kremlin stated it appreciates the U.S. desire to facilitate a peace process more than European efforts Trump vowed upon taking office to end the Russia-Ukraine war overnight The war has dragged on for more than four years Debate over sovereignty and land ownership has prolonged peace efforts
Read the full story at NPR ↗ · NPR ↗ · The Hill ↗ · Axios ↗
- Ukraine struck Russian oil facilities Thursday, including depots in Stavropol and Tver, plus targets up to 1,500 kilometers from its border
- Zelensky met Trump at the NATO summit Wednesday and said Trump approved co-production of Patriot air-defense missiles with the U.S.
- Zelensky stated Ukraine's goal is to strengthen its battlefield position for negotiations; full Patriot production capability remains one to three years away
- Trump promised to end the war quickly upon taking office, but the conflict has continued for over four years
- The Kremlin expressed ambivalence about U.S. actions while noting the U.S. still pursues a peace process, unlike European counterparts