Donald Trump indicated that the United States could soon reinstate sanctions on Russian oil shipments, as leaders at the G7 summit moved on Tuesday to prioritize the war in Ukraine. Trump said the sanctions on Russia, partly waived by the US due to the Iran war to help lower oil prices, can be reinstated as more oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. "Soon we'll be able to do that because the oil is now flowing. We're in a position to do that soon," Trump stated.
Trump Urges Russia to Make Peace
After a "very good" meeting with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said Russia should make peace with Ukraine. "Look, Russia should make a deal," he told reporters, adding that too many young men were dying on the battlefield on both sides. "I'm gonna do whatever I can." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz commented on Trump's statement: "I found him to be very cooperative, and I also saw him listening very attentively. And in that respect, once again, it gives me a certain degree of optimism that we here, as Europeans and as Americans, are now doing everything we can, together, to end the war."
G7 Leaders Discuss Additional Sanctions
Zelenskyy told Reuters that G7 leaders agreed Russia was not winning the war and discussed additional sanctions targeting Russia's oil exports, banking sector, and military production. However, two European diplomats said Trump was noncommittal on imposing further US sanctions on Moscow. A French diplomat noted that G7 leaders committed to providing Kyiv with more air defense capabilities.
Ukrainian Bomber Crash
A Ukrainian Su-24M bomber aircraft crashed on a mission in the Khmelnitskyi region in western Ukraine on Tuesday, killing its two-member crew, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukraine is estimated to have about a dozen of the aging SU-24 family of warplanes, which are used to launch Scalp/Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by Britain and France.
Russian Strikes Kill Eight
Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least eight people on Tuesday, officials said. A drone strike in Nikopol, central Dnipropetrovsk region, killed "a mother and son – a woman of 87 and a 51-year-old man" as well as a third person not immediately identified, said regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha. "The enemy targeted people walking along the road with an FPV drone," he said on Telegram. Russian shelling of Sloviansk in Donetsk region killed three people, while drone strikes on the southern Kherson region killed two and wounded 16. Five attacks on Zaporizhzhia left one dead, three injured, and set a home and a shopping center ablaze, said regional governor Ivan Fedorov.
Damage to Kyiv Monastery
Repairs to the nearly 1,000-year-old Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery could take around two years, an official said on Tuesday. A Russian attack on the complex set fire to the roof of the Dormition Cathedral within the vast Unesco world heritage site. More than 80% of the 11th-century cathedral's roof was damaged, but firefighters prevented the fire from spreading inside, said Maksym Ostapenko, director general of the complex.
Russian Artist Killed in Poland
A Russian artist critical of Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov was shot and killed in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska, a prosecutor said. Local media identified the victim as Robert Kuzovkov, also known by his artistic pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky. Five shots were fired, including one to the head, in the attack on Monday, according to Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor in Lublin. Two Belarusians were detained but no one has been charged yet. Other Russian exiles suspect Kadyrov was responsible.
China Complains About UK Sanctions
The Chinese embassy in London said it complained to British authorities about sanctions on several entities, including four from China, for allegedly supplying key military equipment to Russia. "China has consistently promoted peace talks and strictly controlled exports of dual-use goods," an embassy spokesperson said. "Normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia should not be disrupted or affected." Britain's latest sanctions package, announced on Tuesday, includes cracking down on third-country suppliers of critical military equipment to Russia in China, Thailand, and Turkey.
US Extends Sanctions Waiver on Serbian Oil Firm
The US extended by 15 days until 1 July a sanctions waiver on Serbia's Russian-controlled oil company NIS, allowing it to continue importing and processing crude, the firm said. Washington has demanded since early 2025 that Russia's sanctioned Gazprom Neft sell its stake in NIS, which has been threatened by US financial sanctions that have been repeatedly postponed. Talks on the sale of the Russian-held stake to Hungary's MOL energy company have gone on for months, with the US Treasury's foreign assets control office extending the deadline until 16 June.
