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Strikes, sanctions and a refused meeting in June
Summary
A look back at the days before 8 June 2026, when drone strikes, Russian air raids and a rejected summit shaped the war's security picture.
What did the days leading up to 8 June 2026 reveal about where the war was heading? Taken together, the reports from 2 to 5 June point to escalating strikes on both sides, a closed door on direct talks and a new push in Washington.
Strikes on cities and on Russian infrastructure
On 2 June, a series of Russian airstrikes across Ukraine, including Kyiv and Dnipro, killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100. The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, reported power outages and a fire in the Podil district, affecting a non-residential property and a nine-storey apartment building.
On 3 June, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukrainian drones had struck an oil terminal in Saint Petersburg while an economic forum was due to be held in the city, as well as military facilities at a naval base in Kronstadt. On 5 June, a Ukrainian drone attack on two commercial vessels in Taganrog Bay, in Russia's Rostov Oblast, killed five Azerbaijani crew members and injured three others. Also on 5 June, a Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessel exploded in the Port of Constanța, Romania.
Oil revenue and sanctions
The strikes on energy infrastructure came as Bloomberg reported on 2 June that Russia's crude oil exports in 2026 had reached their highest level since before the 2022 invasion. The reported driver was the general rise in oil prices amid the fuel crisis linked to the Iran war.
On 4 June, the United States House of Representatives passed legislation to provide a new batch of aid to Ukraine and to impose new sanctions on Russia. The United States has backed Ukraine throughout the war, though the second Trump administration, in office since 2025, has proposed a peace deal and increasingly sought to distance itself from financially supporting Ukrainian resistance.
No meeting
On 5 June, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, rejected Zelenskyy's proposal for a face-to-face meeting. He said he saw no point, and that the only point was for the Ukrainian side to halt the advance of Russian armed forces.
That stance sits close to the positions Moscow has long held in the negotiations, which include recognition of occupied land as Russian and the lifting of sanctions. Kyiv has sought a ceasefire and a full withdrawal of Russian troops. With the leaders' meeting refused, the week's picture was of continued long-range strikes, energy-linked revenue for Russia and a legislative move in Washington, rather than movement toward talks.
