World leaders lined up in support of Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the G7 summit commenced in France. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to “choke off” Russian revenue with additional sanctions and pledged hundreds of millions of pounds in energy support for Ukraine, including enriched uranium for its nuclear power plants.
Macron's Call for Pressure on Russia
Summit host Emmanuel Macron, the French president, stated ahead of his meeting with Donald Trump that he wanted the US to declare, “We are with you, we will continue to support Ukraine, and we will increase the pressure on Russia to achieve a meaningful negotiation.” He emphasized that the right negotiation involves Ukraine and Russia at the table, with Europeans and Americans present.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed hope that “for the first time, a window can open for diplomacy” to end the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters. He indicated a desire to discuss this further with Trump.
US President Donald Trump, who arrived at the summit on Monday, remarked, “We had a very good conversation yesterday with President Zelenskyy and President Putin, and I think maybe we can do something there. I really do. I think they’re both open to it.”
Drone Attacks and Infrastructure Damage
On Tuesday morning, a drone set fire to an oil depot in the Poltavskaya area of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, authorities reported. Regional officials closed a local road leading to the bridge across the Kerch Strait, which links Crimea to the Krasnodar region. On Monday, Ukraine struck two bridges connecting the Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Kherson region with Crimea.
In the Krasnodar region, a popular summer tourist destination, disruptions to fuel supplies have triggered panic-buying, the regional governor said last week. A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, used to attack Ukraine, crashed on Monday in Siberia’s Irkutsk region during a training flight. The Russian defense ministry confirmed the aircraft’s four-person crew ejected safely. These bombers are typically used to launch cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine.
Zelenskyy Condemns Attack on Monastery
President Zelenskyy stated that two Russian drones “deliberately” targeted Kyiv’s monastery quarter in a mass overnight barrage, setting the UNESCO-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra site ablaze and killing 11 people across the country. Amid international condemnation, Zelenskyy described the attack as “one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date” and urged G7 leaders to take “decisive and substantive” action against Moscow. He called for “more pressure on the aggressor and more support for Ukraine’s air defense, especially anti-ballistic capabilities.”
Russia denied targeting the cathedral and claimed it was hit by a US-made Patriot air-defense missile. However, contradicting this claim, journalist Peter Beaumont reported that outside the Pechersk-Lavra complex on Monday morning, state security officers stood over the remains of two Shahed-Geran type drones, built in Iran and Russia and used extensively by Moscow’s forces.
Drone Strike on Kharkiv Zoo
During Monday’s heavy Russian air raids on Ukraine, a drone struck the zoo in Kharkiv, killing ten rabbits and injuring and distressing other animals, including an elephant, prosecutors said. The drone hit an area described as a vivarium housing hundreds of rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and mice. The elephant’s adjacent enclosure was damaged.
Russia Allows Sale of Substandard Fuel
Russia is reportedly being forced to permit the sale of substandard fuel as Ukrainian attacks on oil pipelines, refineries, transport, and storage squeeze supplies. The emergency measure was reported by the Russian newspaper Kommersant, which cited a source. Refineries are now allowed to sell gasoline and diesel domestically with sulfur levels about 15 times the maximum permitted in Europe, China, and India. The concessions also allow a higher share of aromatic hydrocarbons, toxic compounds linked to health issues.
On Monday, authorities in the Udmurtia region east of Moscow announced temporary limits on gasoline at stations operated by Tatneft starting June 12, after the company’s major refinery had to completely shut down production due to drone strikes, according to Reuters. Long lines of cars queued on Monday in Sevastopol, Crimea. Driver Alyona, who gave only her first name, said, “How can it be solved, how? Only if the special military operation ends.”
Other Developments
A Ukrainian drone strike killed three farm machine workers in the Russian border region of Bryansk on Monday, the region’s acting governor said. Yegor Kovalchuk stated the three were killed while working in a field in Pochepsky district near the border. There was no independent confirmation. Ukraine denies targeting civilians.
Ukraine was scheduled to officially begin European Union membership negotiations on Monday, launching a process that requires its government to commit to years of political reforms even as it continues to fight the Russian invasion. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka was to attend a conference in Luxembourg to open the talks, calling it a “Rubicon” moment. “All Ukrainian society believes that joining the European Union is our dream.” Moldova was also set to officially launch its membership talks.
