Ukraine strikes Moscow’s largest oil refinery. Zelenskyi, Trump and Macron meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. The EU formally opens the first cluster of accession talks with Ukraine.
Ukraine strikes Moscow’s largest oil refinery
Ukrainian drones struck the Moscow oil refinery in the Kapotnya district on Tuesday.
Head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Lieutenant Andriy Kovalenko said: “Moscow is under attack, the Moscow oil refinery is on fire. Despite the fact that Putin has deployed all key air and missile defense systems to Moscow, it is not saving the Russians. Putin cannot guarantee security to Moscow residents.”
The facility is located around 15 kilometers from the Kremlin and is reportedly heavily protected by layered air defenses.
The refinery processes around 11 million tons of oil a year and covers around half of Moscow’s diesel needs, Kovalenko said in a post to social media.
“Moscow has been already rationing fuel at petrol stations, with a maximum of 20 liters available for one vehicle after constant attacks on oil depots and refineries. We are now expecting a larger crisis,” he added.
The Moscow oil refinery supplies the region’s key fuel demands. It is owned by Gazprom Neft.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on X of the strike on Tuesday: “This is a just response to Russian strikes — and to the dragging out of a war that must be ended.”
Ukrainian drones evaded four layers of Russian air defenses and struck the refinery, Ukrainian news site Defense Express said Tuesday.
The oil refinery is located close to the Kremlin and is protected by Pantsir air defense systems and anti-drone nets.
“The Moscow refinery is located outside the Moscow Ring Road, and the drones had to penetrate three layers of air defense, consisting primarily of Pantsir air defense systems deployed on modern platforms. However, russia is currently establishing what appears to be a fourth layer of air defense. Therefore, taking this additional layer into account, Ukrainian drones would have had to penetrate a total of four air defense rings to reach the refinery near Moscow, not including other air defense systems deployed along the route from the Ukrainian border,” the article reads.
Zelenskyi, Trump, Macron meet on sidelines of G7 summit in France
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on June 16, two people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
The meeting marked the first encounter between Zelensky and Trump in over four months and lasted around 30 minutes, as Kyiv seeks to revive stalled peace talks.
The three leaders later took part in a joint working session with other G7 leaders, where Russia’s war against Ukraine was a central topic of discussion.
In a post to X on Tuesday, Zelenskyi said: “At the G7 Summit in France, substantive meetings have already began.”
EU formally opens first cluster of accession talks with Ukraine
The EU formally opened the first cluster of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova on Monday. The European Commission called the move a “defining moment for Europe.”
Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status in June 2022. In January 2025, the European Commission recommended starting formal negotiations on aligning national laws with EU standards, but the move was blocked by then-Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that opening the first negotiating cluster was a “huge step forward,” praising Ukraine for the progress made so far on reforms on issues like corruption and the rule of law. Media and diplomats debate the timeline of the bloc’s enlargement.
[EU officials] believe that with sufficient will, Ukraine could complete technical talks in around four years, while acknowledging that membership is ultimately a political decision, the Guardian said on Sunday. Ukraine’s and Moldova’s accession paths could be separated as Chisinau is making larger progress, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said last week.The EU could open five remaining clusters in Ukraine’s accession negotiations on July 14, European Pravda said.
Although the event is not yet listed in the Council’s official calendar, the date has been discussed and informally agreed by European ministers.
Without naming a specific date, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said Monday that the remaining clusters could be opened on 14 July.
