Ukraine Says It Hits 2 Major Russian Oil Refineries Hours After Zelensky's Meeting With Trump

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces deed 2 of Russia’s biggest lipid refineries overnight successful its latest long-range strikes, officials said Wednesday, arsenic Kyiv deepened its economic, subject and negotiated unit connected Moscow.

Ukraine’s almost regular long-range drone and rocket strikes utilizing domestically developed weapons person battered Russian lipid accommodation for months. The cognition has brought a substance situation that is embarrassing nan Kremlin much than 4 years aft Russia’s all-out penetration of its neighbor.

The overnight attacks started fires astatine a Lukoil refinery successful Russia’s Perm region, much than 900 miles from Ukraine, and a refinery successful Ryazan, astir 180 miles from nan border, Ukraine’s Security Service and General Staff said successful abstracted statements.

The refineries person a mixed yearly accumulation capacity of astir 220 cardinal barrels of oil, according to Ukraine, and make a captious publication to Russia’s subject effort and its authorities revenue.

It was not instantly imaginable to independently verify nan claims. Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov said only that six group were taken to infirmary aft a drone attack. He said drone debris caused fires astatine unidentified “industrial sites.”

Russian online retailer Wildberries, a awesome supplier likened to Amazon that Ukraine has targeted successful caller days, said it evacuated labor from a installation successful Ryazan but provided nary further details.

Russia has blase aerial defenses but its immense territory is difficult to comprehensively cover.

The attacks came hours aft President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington connected Tuesday for talks pinch President Trump to push for much captious American thief for Ukraine’s conflict against its overmuch bigger enemy.

“Russia must consciousness that each time of this warfare will only travel astatine a higher costs for it. We request to weaken nan aggressor and support up nan unit to bring an extremity to this warfare closer,” Zelensky said connected societal media.

Ukraine’s caller high-profile successes against Russia person impressed Washington and helped reconstruct U.S. goodwill aft Trump’s reluctance astatine nan commencement of his 2nd word to support supporting Kyiv. That stance had raised nan specter of Ukraine and Europe having to guidelines up to Russian aggression alone.

Zelensky says he had a bully gathering pinch Trump

Zelensky said he had a “good meeting” pinch nan American president, and Trump described nan gathering arsenic a “Great Honor.” The talks took spot down closed doors.

“Many things were discussed. The gathering went very well!” Trump wrote connected Truth Social.

Zelensky said he besides had a gathering successful Washington pinch representatives of some parties successful nan U.S. Senate, pinch much than 60 senators successful attendance, arsenic Ukraine pushes for much sanctions connected Russia. He besides met pinch representatives of Lockheed Martin, days aft he welcomed a delegation from Raytheon to Kyiv.

The U.S. weapons manufacturers are a important root of blase weaponry, specified arsenic Patriot aerial defense systems, that Ukraine hopes to make itself. Trump said earlier this period he would assistance Ukraine licenses to manufacture nan Patriots it needs to antagonistic Russia’s ballistic missiles.

Zelensky says Ukraine is discussing associated accumulation and exertion speech pinch some Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Ukraine is fresh to stock its cutting-edge — and battle-tested — drone technology. Its swift method invention has paid dividends arsenic it helps pin down Russia’s bigger service connected nan beforehand statement and denies it supplies by hitting rear areas.

That has impressed countries astir nan world. Matthew Whitaker, nan U.S. Ambassador to NATO, said during a sojourn to Ukraine earlier this week: “From reconnaissance and logistics to precision strikes, Ukraine has shown nan world really unmanned systems tin springiness smaller forces a decisive edge.”

U.S. envoys to sojourn Kyiv but nary day set

Prospects for a colony to extremity nan fighting look dim, contempt a yearlong negotiated push by nan Trump administration.

But U.S. officials besides agreed that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, nan president’s main envoys, would make a travel to Kyiv sometime successful nan future, according to a personification acquainted pinch nan talks who was granted anonymity to talk nan closed-door meeting.

Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, nan caller commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military, said successful a societal media station connected Wednesday that he had held his first telephone speech pinch Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, nan Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command.

“I outlined my imagination of Ukraine’s triumph and nan capabilities required to execute it,” said Drapatyi, who was appointed past week arsenic portion of a authorities reshuffle.

“At this shape of nan war, we must fortify operations crossed aggregate domains, forestall force infiltration into our protect lines, and grow some long-range and medium-range precision strikes against nan enemy,” he added.

Ukraine says it hits complete 200 Russian vessels successful 3 weeks

Ukrainian units besides person struck 201 Russian vessels complete nan past 3 weeks successful nan Black Sea and Sea of Azov, which separator some countries, a elder subject charismatic said.

The tally doesn’t see vessels deed by Ukraine’s Security Service and different subject groups, a Ukrainian subject commandant who could beryllium identified only by his telephone motion Magyar, successful keeping pinch nan rules of nan Ukrainian military, said precocious Tuesday.

Ukrainian forces besides struck a naval guidelines utilized Russia’s Black Sea, according to nan General Staff.

It reported different strikes connected a radar position successful Russia’s Bryansk region connected nan separator and connected a drone motorboat tract and a roadworthy span successful nan occupied portion of Ukraine’s eastbound Donetsk region.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported Wednesday that its aerial defenses changeable down 295 Ukrainian drones overnight supra a number of Russian regions and occupied Crimea.

Russian glide bombs struck nan northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv and 17 different places successful nan region of nan aforesaid sanction complete nan erstwhile 24 hours, wounding 11 people, nan caput of nan location subject administration, Oleh Syniehubov, said.

Arhirova and Hatton constitute for nan Associated Press. Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.