Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump in the White House, Washington D.C., July 28, 2026

EA-Frontline VideoCast: Ukraine Pushes Russia Back on Frontlines

EA on WION: Ukraine — Will Trump Implement New Sanctions v. Russia?

Sunday-Monday Coverage: Kyiv Strikes Moscow Amid Russia’s Managed Elections

UPDATE 0604 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met US CIA Director John Ratcliffe at Shannon Airport in Ireland, say “two people familiar with the matter”.

Sources said Zelensky saw Ratcliffe during a stop for fuel en route to New York.

Last month the CIA Director travelled to Moscow, passing a message to Vladimir Putin through his counterparts at Russian intelligence agencies. He emphasized that Russia was not “winning” in its invasion of Ukraine, as it faced military and economic problems, and called on the Kremlin to return to negotiations.

UPDATE 0556 GMT:

At least three civilians have been murdered and 10 injured by Russian strikes across Ukraine overnight.

The fatalities and six of the injuries were in the Dnipropetrovsk region in southeast Ukraine, as Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Pavlohrad were hit by ballistic missiles in attacks on warehouses and an industrial facility.

A five-story residential building and warehouse were struck in Kyiv.

Ukraine’s air defenses downed 177 of 220 drones. Russia fired four Kalibr cruise missiles, Onyx anti-ship missiles, and Iskander-M/S-400/KN-23 ballistic missiles. Nine of the missiles were intercepted, but strikes were recorded at 22 locations.

UPDATE 0536 GMT:

Ukraine’s drones struck the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara in southwest Russia overnight.

The refinery is on the Volga River around 765 km (475 miles) from the border. It can produce up to 10,000 metric tons (73,000 barrels) of oil per day, and can process around 7 million tons of oil annually.

Eyewitness footage on social media showed a giant fireball above the facility with smoke billowing from the plant.

The refinery has been targeted on multiple occasions, with operations suspended on June 10.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday.

The two leaders are attending the UN General Assembly. Zelensky has planned around 20 meetings with officials and organizations.

Upon arrival in New York, the President posted:

Ukraine’s number one priority is bringing peace closer and protecting the lives of our people. There are concrete security proposals and de-escalation measures that could bring the end of the war closer. We are working to strengthen air defense and ensure sufficient financing for Ukraine.

After speaking by phone with Trump on Sunday, Zelensky hailed an “an important conversation” on Sunday: “We got through a lot….This meeting could change a lot.” He cited “ideas for de-escalation steps and for addressing fundamental security issues – energy security, food security, and the protection of human life”.

The President confirmed that he and Trump will discuss a mutual Ukrainian-Russian pause in strikes against energy infrastructure and on shipping in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.

There are also ideas on the table for bringing peace closer, starting with strong de-escalation steps. Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia, and this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part….

It will no longer be the case that only the country under attack suffers. The nature of war is now such that the aggressor will suffer as well.

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that he discussed air defense for Ukraine and a possible energy infrastructure truce with Trump on Monday.

“We had a lengthy discussion on Ukraine and Russia, the need to help our Ukrainian friends more ​quickly and more strongly in terms of ​interceptors, because that is the key issue from a defensive ‌point ⁠of view,” he summarized after the “very constructive” meeting in Trump Tower.

Macron met Zelensky late Monday and announced a deal for Paris to provide radars and interceptors for Ukraine’s air defenses this winter.