Ukraine Hits Two Major Russian Oil Refineries Hours After Zelensky Meets Trump

Ukrainian forces struck two of Russia's largest oil refineries overnight, officials announced Wednesday. The attacks happened just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. Ukraine said the strikes were part of its ongoing effort to weaken Russia's military and economy. The refineries hit were located in Russia's Perm region and in the city of Ryazan.

Ukraine has been launching long-range drone and missile strikes on Russian oil facilities for several months. These weapons are built inside Ukraine, and the attacks have caused serious problems for Russia's fuel supply. The strikes have embarrassed Russia's government, known as the Kremlin, more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The refinery in Perm is more than 900 miles from Ukraine's border, making it one of the farthest targets Ukraine has ever hit. The refinery in Ryazan is about 180 miles from the border. Together, the two refineries can produce around 220 million barrels of oil each year, and Ukraine says they are important to Russia's war effort and government income.

Russia's regional governor in Ryazan confirmed that six people were taken to a hospital after a drone attack. He said drone debris caused fires at what he called 'industrial sites,' but he did not name them. A large Russian online retailer called Wildberries, similar to Amazon, said it moved workers out of a building in Ryazan but gave no other details.

After visiting Washington, Zelensky said he had a 'good meeting' with President Trump. Trump called it a 'Great Honor' and wrote on Truth Social, 'Many things were discussed. The meeting went very well!' The two leaders spoke privately, so details of the full conversation were not made public.

Zelensky also met with more than 60 U.S. senators and held talks with officials from two major American weapons companies — Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Ukraine hopes to build advanced weapons, like Patriot air defense systems, inside its own country. Earlier this month, Trump said he would allow Ukraine to get licenses to manufacture the Patriot missiles it needs to defend against Russian attacks.

Ukraine is also offering to share its drone technology with other countries. Ukrainian drones have helped slow down Russia's larger army by hitting supply lines and rear areas far from the front lines. Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, said Ukraine has 'shown the world how unmanned systems can give smaller forces a decisive edge.'

Peace talks do not appear to be moving forward quickly, despite a yearlong push by the Trump administration to find a settlement. However, U.S. officials said two of Trump's top envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, plan to visit Kyiv in the future, though no date has been set. An envoy is a person sent by a government to represent it in talks with another country.

Ukraine's new top military commander, Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, spoke by phone this week with the top U.S. military commander in Europe. Drapatyi was appointed just last week as part of changes in Ukraine's government. He said Ukraine must strengthen operations in many areas and expand long-range strikes against Russia.

Ukrainian forces also reported striking more than 200 Russian ships in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov over the past three weeks. A Ukrainian military commander known only by the call sign Magyar shared the news. Ukrainian forces also hit a Russian naval base, a radar station, and a road bridge in occupied territory.

Russia said its air defenses shot down 295 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions. Russian glide bombs struck the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and 17 other locations in the same region, wounding 11 people. The attacks show that even as Ukraine presses forward, Russian forces continue to hit Ukrainian cities.