Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Donald Trump at the G7 summit in Évian, France, June 16, 2026
Sunday’s Coverage: Trump Administration’s Insults of “Little F*****” Zelensky
UPDATE 0659 GMT:
Russia launched drone attacks on three merchant ships in the Black Sea, heading to ports in Ukraine’s Odesa region, early Monday.
A Panama-flagged bulk carrier was hit, setting a fire and forcing the evacuation of the crew. An Egyptian citizen who worked as a cook was killed.
Vessels flying the flags of Palau and Belize were also attacked. There were no casualties.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Donald Trump plans to ask US weapons manufacturers to build air defense missiles under production licenses for Ukraine and Europe.
Zelensky asked Trump for the licenses in a 30-minute meeting at the G7 summit in France last week. He said Trump “responded positively”.
The Ukrainian President has noted repeatedly that the American munitions are needed to counter Russia’s ballistic missiles fired on Ukraine almost every night.
G7 leaders said in their joint statement that their countries are “ready to consider extending to Ukraine the benefit of licenses to allow for an increase in Ukraine’s military production”.
Zelensky reaffirmed in a Sunday interview, “This time, it became quite public that the American team, for the first time, responded positively to the licenses.”
He added, “During the summit, all the G7 members were aware of our operation in Moscow Oblast, had seen the results, and supported Ukraine’s absolutely justified and appropriate responses.”
Ukraine’s Counter-Attacks
Zelensky also spoke on Sunday of the successful Ukrainian counter-attacks deep inside Russia, hindering refineries, terminals, ports, and facilities supporting Moscow’s 52-month full-scale invasion.
During wartime, fury is an absolutely justified emotion for our people. But fury must be followed by action. It can’t just be fury and nothing more. The Russians must feel that the war must return to Russia, to the territory of the country that launched the aggression.
He noted Saturday’s strikes on an oil refinery in the Tyumen region, with two new Fire Point drones covering 2,070 km (1,286 miles), and said they will soon be able to reach more than 3,000 km (1,864 miles).
Zelensky hailed the opening of talks with the European Union on Ukraine’s accession, covering justice, freedom, and human rights. “There is a chance to open five more clusters between mid- and late July, provided there is no purely political obstruction,” he said.
