U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 8 that Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia are an “escalation” that could end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
During Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey on the sidelines of the NATO summit, a reporter asked the U.S. president to respond to Ukraine’s long-range strikes against Russia. In response, Trump asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to comment.
“I think [what] we’re discussing is the ability of Ukraine to reach deep inside of Russia,” Rubio said. “I think that’s one of the dynamics that’s changed in this war over the last few months, and that is that the Russians are finding it more difficult to defend their own airspace.”
Rubio expressed hope that this would “create the space” for negotiations to bring the war to a close.
Trump jumped in to say, “It’s an escalation, but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end” to the war.
The U.S. president also said that the United States will grant Ukraine a license to procure Patriot missiles.
“We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That’s pretty cool. This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving ‘em enough,” he said.
Trump’s comments come in the aftermath of Ukrainian drones striking three Russian oil refineries, Russian tankers on the Sea of Azov, and pipeline pumping stations. It was a significant night of strikes, spanning from the Ukrainian border to the Ural Mountains.
Russia is facing serious fuel shortages in several regions as Ukraine continues expanding its drone campaign against Russian oil refineries and energy facilities. Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted sites located far from the front lines.
On Monday, Ukraine struck the Omsk oil refinery—Russia’s largest refinery—located deep in Siberia, roughly 1,700 miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Ukraine’s General Staff and Special Operations Forces also reported drone attacks on the TANECO and TAIF-NK refineries in Tatarstan’s Nizhnekamsk, the Saratov oil refinery, and the Borisoglebsk military airbase in Russia’s Voronezh region.
Russian authorities acknowledged that drone strikes had occurred in those regions but did not identify the specific targets. The Russian defense ministry stated that its air defenses intercepted 415 drones overnight.
Ukraine further claimed responsibility for striking a petroleum products pumping station in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, about 900 miles from Ukrainian-held territory. Russian officials did not immediately confirm the attack.
The full extent of the damage caused by the attacks has not yet been determined.
In addition, Kyiv said it targeted nine oil tankers operating in the Sea of Azov, an important supply route supporting Russian forces in Crimea and other occupied areas of southern Ukraine.
Rostov Governor Yury Slyusar reported on Telegram that two people were injured in the attacks. He added that only two tankers had been hit and that both were empty.
Meanwhile, in Russia’s Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border, Governor Alexander Shuvaev said a drone strike on a village killed one person and injured six others.
Russian energy company Gazprom also reported that drones targeted the Krasnodarskaya pumping station, a facility that transports natural gas to Turkey through the Blue Stream pipeline. According to the company, gas exports continued without disruption.
Throughout the conflict, which is now in its fifth year, Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leading to widespread blackouts and heating shortages during the winter months.
