Zelenskyy, G7 leaders work to persuade Trump that ‘the situation is turning in Ukraine’
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On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that Russia must make a peace deal with Ukraine, adding that he will do everything possible to end the war after a “very good” meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and G7 leaders at their summit in France.
The Ukrainian presidency also shared photos of Zelenskyy in conversation with Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the summit.
“I’ll do whatever I can,” Trump told reporters, adding that too many young men are dying on the battlefield on both sides.
Zelenskyy said the G7 leaders agreed at the Évian-les-Bains conference that Russia is not winning its war in Ukraine, and discussed other sanctions to bring Moscow to the negotiating table.
Speaking via video link in an interview at the Reuters NEXT Europe conference in London, Zelenskyy said Russia will face a very difficult winter – amid Ukraine’s increasing attacks on its energy infrastructure – if a peace deal is not reached before then.
Zelenskyy said Trump responded well to his request to increase air defense missile facilities in Ukraine.
“The main focus is to strengthen the air defense in Ukraine and to advance the negotiations, to get Russia to end its war,” Zelenskyy wrote in X after the meeting. “Peace is necessary.”
Zelenskyy and European leaders want to emphasize to Trump that Ukraine’s fortunes have improved as Kyiv seeks more support to strengthen its hand in eventual peace talks with Moscow.
European leaders wanted to convince Trump that previous US positions on the terms of a possible deal were too favorable to Moscow, especially since Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russia have boosted its fortunes.
“The situation is changing in Ukraine. The situation in 2026 is very different from that of 2025. Ukraine is taking a bold step forward,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in X. “Russia’s fatigue is evident. This is the time to double our support.”
As Trump proposed what the White House described as a close deal with Iran to end hostilities and address talks on a range of topics, Trump said sanctions on Russian oil could return as more oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has been attacked by Iran.
The US in March temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil exports as crude prices soared amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Resignations increased as the war progressed.
“Soon we will be able to do that because the oil is flowing,” Trump told reporters. “We are in a position to do that soon.”
There are no negotiations on the horizon
Zelenskyy said on Monday that he promised to meet Putin at the G7 summit. Putin has repeatedly dismissed the idea of direct talks with Zelenskyy unless they are held in Moscow.
The Kremlin said Tuesday that no dates have been set for Trump ambassador Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to visit Moscow for peace talks in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking to reporters, suggested that the two could fly to Moscow after the signing of a memorandum to end tensions between the US and Iran.
For nearly four years the Russians have been capturing and destroying Ukrainian territory, but that Russian advance appears to have stalled. Nationally, CBC’s Terence McKenna breaks down how the drone war has shifted momentum.
Speaking at a press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the priority for his country – which has held previous direct talks between Ukraine and Russia – is for the parties to resume talks and end the war as soon as possible.
In recent months, Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of tanker attacks near Turkey’s northern coast, including one on a Turkish-owned ship. Ankara protested to both Kyiv and Moscow about the attack.
Ofeleba in buying fuel at other stations in Russia
In Tuesday’s clashes, Ukrainian drones opened fire on a major refinery in Moscow. Oil producer Tatneft has announced cuts in fuel purchases across the country, signs of the growing impact of Kyiv’s campaign to target Russia’s energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said the Gazprom Neft refinery was hit at a distance of 500 kilometers, indicating the reach of Ukraine’s long-range strikes.
“This is the right response to the Russian strikes – and the withdrawal of the war that must be ended,” he told X.
Local emergency officials said the fire at the refinery, which had been targeted several times, was extinguished and did not affect operations. Earlier, the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, said that the facility in the area was damaged, without giving any further details.
Seeking to find an important source of funds for the Russian war, the attack on Ukraine’s refineries has doubled since the beginning of 2026, which has led to a full or partial shutdown of oil processing and a decrease in the output of gasoline, diesel and aviation, according to official data, social media, and Reuters statistics.
Russian regions are likely to have seen fuel supply disruptions in recent weeks, but central authorities have so far described the problems as local obstacles.
