The Ukrainian leader has said his country’s forces conducted further long-range drone attacks inside Russian territory, targeting Moscow’s oil industry.
Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy confirmed in a July 9 post on X that Ukraine’s defense forces carried out strikes on two oil depots, one in Stavropol and the other in Tver, both some 310 miles from the front line.
Forces also struck a reserve fuel storage facility 500 miles from the front line; an oil pumping station in Ufa, 930 miles away; and an oil loading terminal in the Rostov region, 125 miles from the front line, he said.
The Ukrainian president said the strikes were “in response to Russia dragging out the war and continuing its attacks.”
“I thank all our warriors who make results like these possible every single day,” Zelenskyy said. “We offered Russia a way to end this war long ago, and every day it chooses to prolong it should bring the reality of war back to where it began – to Russia.”
Russian authorities on July 9 confirmed that Ukrainian forces had struck oil tankers in the Rostov region.
Rostov Regional Governor Yuri Slyusar said in a Telegram post that overnight, the Russian military intercepted and destroyed more than two dozen Ukrainian drones, but some had struck their targets.
Slyusar said that drones had struck two tankers in Taganrog Bay, causing a fire and mechanical damage.
The crews were evacuated, and there were no injuries, he said.
Patriots for Ukraine
“One of the things we’re going to be talking about is we’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots,” Trump said during a press conference.
“That’s pretty cool, right? This way, he can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough. Let’s say, ‘make them yourself.’”
The air defense systems are critical for Ukraine’s security.
They have been in high demand throughout Ukraine’s four-year war with Russia and have also been essential elsewhere around the world, particularly during the Iran war.
Zelenskyy praised the Patriot air defense systems, saying, “The Patriot system is the best, you know, in the world for today, the best anti-ballistic system.”
Trump acknowledged during the meeting that there was a lengthy delivery time for the Patriot and other U.S.-made weapons systems, hoping that granting Kyiv a license could help satisfy Zelenskyy’s calls for more defense support.
Escalation of Strikes on Russia
When asked about Kyiv striking oil and military targets in Russia, Trump said, “It’s an escalation, but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end” to the war.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was also present at the meeting, suggested that the war has shifted in Kyiv’s favor over the past few months.
“The Russians are finding it more difficult to defend their own airspace,” Rubio said. “And what we hope that means is that it’s going to create the space now to negotiate the end of this war.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on July 9 that Trump’s belief that an escalation of military operations could expedite an end to the conflict was a misconception.
“Rising tensions and further escalation cannot contribute to a peace process in any way,” Peskov said, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.
He added that the more strikes Ukraine carries out against Russian infrastructure, “the wider the security zones we will need to create.”
“Further escalation will likely prolong the special military operation to some extent, although I cannot say by how much, and it will certainly force us to create a broader buffer security zone,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
