Ukraine says it hits 2 major Russian oil refineries hours after Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian forces hit two of Russia's biggest oil refineries overnight in its latest long-range strikes, officials said Wednesday, as Kyiv deepened its economic, military and diplomatic pressure on Moscow.
Ukraine's almost daily long-range drone and missile strikes using domestically developed weapons have battered Russian oil facilities for months. The operation has brought a fuel crisis that is embarrassing the Kremlin more than four years after Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbor.
The overnight attacks started fires at a Lukoil refinery in Russia's Perm region, more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) from Ukraine, and a refinery in Ryazan, about 400 kilometers (180 miles) from the border, Ukraine's Security Service and General Staff said in separate statements.
The refineries have a combined annual production capacity of around 220 million barrels of oil, according to Ukraine, and make a vital contribution to Russia's military effort and its government revenue.
It was not immediately possible to independently verify the claims. Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov said only that six people were taken to a hospital after a drone attack. He said drone debris caused fires at unidentified "industrial sites."
Russian online retailer Wildberries, a major supplier likened to Amazon that Ukraine has targeted in recent days, said it evacuated employees from a facility in Ryazan but provided no further details.
Russia has sophisticated air defenses but its vast territory is hard to comprehensively cover.
The attacks came hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington on Tuesday for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump to push for more vital American help for Ukraine's fight against its much bigger enemy.
"Russia must feel that every day of this war will only come at a higher cost for it. We need to weaken the aggressor and keep up the pressure to bring an end to this war closer," Zelenskyy said on social media.
Ukraine's recent high-profile successes against Russia have impressed Washington and helped restore U.S. goodwill after Trump's reluctance at the start of his second term to keep supporting Kyiv. That stance had raised the specter of Ukraine and Europe having to stand up to Russian aggression alone.
Zelenskyy said he had a "good meeting" with the American president, and Trump described the meeting as a "Great Honor." The talks took place behind closed doors.
"Many things were discussed. The meeting went very well!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Zelenskyy said he also had a meeting in Washington with representatives of both parties in the U.S. Senate, with more than 60 senators in attendance, as Ukraine pushes for more sanctions on Russia. He also met with representatives of Lockheed Martin, days after he welcomed a delegation from Raytheon to Kyiv.
The U.S. weapons manufacturers are a crucial source of sophisticated weaponry, such as Patriot air defense systems, that Ukraine hopes to make itself. Trump said earlier this month he would grant Ukraine licenses to manufacture the Patriots it needs to counter Russia's ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine is discussing joint production and technology exchange with both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.