Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at a conference in 2017 (EPA)

Saturday’s Coverage: Trump Administration Opposes Tighter Sanctions on Russia’s Oil

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1201 GMT:

Russia has apparently targeted a building in Kyiv used by the US aerospace manufacturer Boeing.

The building was badly damaged in the intense aerial attack overnight on June 9-10, according to photographs and “six people familiar with the matter”.

No staff were injured by the strikes, said Boeing, which employs around 1,000 people in Ukraine.

“This is not just an attack against Ukraine, but also an attack where American business is being hit,” said Andy Hunder, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine. “This is a war against a world where American businesses are making money and thriving.”

“Russian strikes on American companies in Ukraine are yet another example of Putin’s disregard for US peace efforts,” said Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

UPDATE 1056 GMT:

Ukraine’s air defense downed or blocked 159 of 183 drones and 8 of 10 missiles launched by Russia overnight.

One civilian was killed and one injured in the Kherson region in the south. Two were wounded in the Donetsk region in the east.

UPDATE 1001 GMT:

Ukraine says it sabotaged an electrical substation in the Russian city of Kaliningrad early Saturday, causing $5 million in damage and cutting power to a military production site.

Ukrainian agents drained the coolant from the substation’s power transformer before setting the facility on fire.

“We once again remind you that Russia no longer has a rear either in the east, in the west, or anywhere else on the planet. Everything Russian involved in the war against Ukraine will burn, sink, and be destroyed regardless of its level of protection or location,” said a Ukrainian military intelligence official.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: In a 50-minute call for Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is ready for a third set of talks with Ukraine over Moscow’s 39 1/2-month full-scale invasion.

Putin said the discussions could be held after June 22, when a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner of war exchange and return of bodies — agreed in the previous talks on Jun 1 — is completed.

In the talks, held in Istanbul, Russia has rejected the proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Instead, it is maintaining the ultimatum for Ukraine to give up all of four regions — Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south and Donetsk and Luhansk in the east — as well as the Crimea peninsula, seized by Moscow’s forces in 2014.

The Kremlin is demanding a weak, demilitarized, “neutral” Ukraine with no effective armament and security guarantees by Western partners. All sanctions will be lifted on Moscow, with an amnesty for all Russians accused of crime against humanity.

Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have even indicated that the Zelensky Government must be removed before Russia will complete an agreement.

Trump showed no concern over Russia’s terms. Instead, he posted that Putin called “to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday” and “more importantly” to discuss Israel’s strikes on Iran.

“He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war [on Ukraine] should also end,” Trump said. He hinted at follow-up discussions in the coming week.

Zelensky Focuses on POW Exchanges

On Saturday, Ukraine and Russia conducted their fourth exchange of the week for the 1,000-for-1,000 deal.

Zelensky published several sets of photographs of the returning POWs, draped in Ukrainian flags.

Zelensky said he expected the prisoner swaps to continue until June 20 or 21. In his nightly address to the nation, he said, “We hope the Russian side fulfills its part of these humanitarian commitments as agreed.”

He urged the US to “shift tone” in any interaction with Russia, as it was “too warm” and would not help end the invasion.