Writing on X, Zelensky said Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo missiles hit the Titan-Barrikady industrial complex in Volgograd, describing it as a key defense manufacturing facility that produces artillery systems, specialized military equipment and components for missile launch systems.

Ukraine’s General Staff said the facility manufactures self-propelled launchers and transport-loading vehicles for the Iskander-M missile system, which Kyiv says Russia has repeatedly used to attack Ukrainian cities.

Volgograd regional Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed that an industrial site in the Krasnooktyabrsky district had been struck, saying 10 people were injured and production facilities sustained damage. He did not identify the affected enterprise.

Ukraine’s Security Service also said its forces carried out a second strike this month against an oil pumping facility in Russia’s Vladimir region that supplies fuel to Moscow, as Kyiv continues a campaign targeting Russia’s military-industrial and energy infrastructure.

Ukraine has expanded long-range aerial attacks in recent months, aiming to disrupt Russian fuel supplies, logistics and defense production. Ukrainian officials say the strategy is intended to weaken Moscow’s military capabilities and increase pressure for negotiations.

The latest strikes followed what appeared to be one of Ukraine’s largest drone offensives of the war. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Friday its air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones launched against a dozen Russian regions, Russian-controlled Crimea and surrounding waters.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said he had ordered a 40-day campaign to intensify pressure on Russia after diplomatic efforts led by the United States failed to produce a breakthrough toward ending the conflict.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone struck a private home in the Sumy region overnight, killing a 66-year-old man. Regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said the attack caused the fatality as Russian drone operations continued along Ukraine’s northeastern border.

Addressing EU leaders during a summit in Brussels, Zelensky said Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion was central to the continent’s future and that rapid integration into the European Union would provide the strongest long-term guarantee for European stability and security.

“The future of Europe — free, united and of course in peace — is being decided in our defense,” Zelensky said in excerpts of his remarks released on social media.

The Ukrainian leader acknowledged that support for an accelerated accession process was not unanimous among EU member states. Hungary, one of Kyiv’s most vocal critics within the bloc, opposed language endorsing a faster membership track and secured its removal from the European Council’s final statement.

“The most important such step — I know that not everyone loves this — could be a fast-track path for Ukraine to join the EU,” Zelensky said.

The European Council’s statement welcomed the launch of accession negotiations with Ukraine and said it looked forward to opening additional negotiating chapters under the bloc’s merit-based enlargement framework. However, it omitted any commitment to speeding up the process.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on X that Budapest had succeeded in deleting references to accelerated accession from the summit conclusions.

“It wasn’t easy,” Magyar wrote.

The debate over Ukraine’s EU ambitions unfolded as Kyiv intensified its long-range military campaign against Russia. Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian drones struck targets deep inside Russian territory, including an oil refinery in Moscow, in one of the latest attacks aimed at critical infrastructure.

Zelensky cited Ukraine’s ability to conduct long-range strikes as evidence of its military capabilities during meetings this week with U.S. President Donald Trump and other Group of Seven leaders in France.

In separate comments posted on Telegram, Zelensky reiterated Kyiv’s goal of ending the war before the end of 2026, while acknowledging the challenges of negotiating with Moscow.

“Of course, we want to end this war before winter — through diplomacy and by putting pressure on Russia. But we understand who we’re dealing with,” he said.

Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky said Ukraine needed continued military and energy support should the conflict continue through another winter. He called for additional air-defense missiles, fuel supplies, energy equipment and a package of at least 300 missiles.

The Ukrainian president also urged European partners to strengthen financial support for Kyiv’s armed forces and called for the release of 6 billion euros from the European Peace Facility, an EU mechanism designed to support international security and defense efforts.

EU ambassadors agreed last week to advance membership negotiations with both Ukraine and Moldova, opening discussions on the first of six policy and legal clusters that candidate countries must complete before joining the bloc.

Ukraine’s latest drone attacks came amid escalating exchanges between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian officials described the strike on Moscow’s refinery as retaliation for an attack that damaged a nearly 1,000-year-old monastery, an allegation Russia has denied.

Zelensky maintained that Ukraine remained open to direct talks with Putin but urged European governments to sustain sanctions pressure and financial assistance.

“Europe has to be engaged for us to have a strong position, to commit fully on sanctions without loopholes, on confiscation without exceptions and on funding Ukraine,” he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after Thursday’s attacks that Moscow would continue carrying out what he described as massive coordinated strikes against Ukrainian targets on a regular basis.

Meeting at their summit in Evian-les-Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva, the leaders issued a joint statement welcoming an interim accord reached between Washington and Tehran that is expected to launch negotiations toward a broader settlement to end the regional conflict.

“We underline the need for the negotiation to address the threats posed by Iran in the region and beyond and ensure that they never obtain a nuclear weapon,” the G7 leaders said.

The agreement, expected to be formally unveiled on Friday, extends a ceasefire first announced in April by a further 60 days to allow negotiations on a permanent settlement. The conflict has reportedly killed more than 7,000 people, with most casualties occurring in Iran and Lebanon.

The summit provided U.S. President Donald Trump an opportunity to brief fellow G7 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan on the framework reached with Tehran. While the group has consistently shared concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear activities, many members had previously expressed reservations about the military confrontation that preceded the negotiations.

G7 leaders said they were prepared to support implementation of the accord. A maritime security initiative led by Britain and France is expected to assist in safeguarding shipping routes as the Strait of Hormuz is anticipated to reopen following months of disruption.

Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, significant issues remain unresolved. Iran’s government remains in power, its stockpile of enriched uranium has not yet been transferred or dismantled, and Tehran has not committed to ending support for allied armed groups across the region.

Trump said the agreement guarantees that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon, while U.S. officials indicated future negotiations would address the fate of Tehran’s enriched uranium reserves.

One of the most contentious issues remains Lebanon, where hostilities continue despite progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations. Israel launched military operations in Lebanon earlier this year targeting Hezbollah positions, and Israeli forces continue to hold territory in the country’s south.

The G7 statement called for an “immediate robust ceasefire” in Lebanon and urged the disarmament of Hezbollah. Iran has maintained that any lasting regional settlement must include an end to hostilities in Lebanon and an Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas.

Israel has rejected such conditions and insists it retains the right to conduct military operations against security threats. The issue has contributed to visible tensions between Washington and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Speaking at the summit, Trump criticized Israel’s handling of the conflict, signaling a rare public divergence between the United States and its longtime ally.

A Hezbollah spokesperson told Reuters that the group believed Tehran would not support a permanent settlement if Israeli forces remained in Lebanese territory.

The proposed agreement also carries significant economic implications. According to officials familiar with the framework, it includes provisions for a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran, financed by neighboring Gulf states and contingent upon Iranian compliance with the accord’s terms.

A senior U.S. official said Washington would waive sanctions on Iranian oil exports under the arrangement, potentially increasing global crude supply. Energy analysts caution, however, that regional oil and gas production could require months to return to full capacity.

Reflecting concerns over disruptions to maritime trade, G7 leaders committed to accelerating efforts to diversify energy transportation routes and expand strategic reserves to reduce exposure to chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz.

Financial markets reacted positively to signs of de-escalation. Brent crude prices fell below $80 per barrel, reaching their lowest levels since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran conflict, as traders anticipated the restoration of shipping traffic and energy exports.

The G7 also reaffirmed collective support for Ukraine, including its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and agreed to intensify sanctions pressure on Russia.

The unified stance underscored Kyiv’s strengthened diplomatic position following a series of successful drone operations that have complicated Moscow’s military calculus and renewed international discussion about prospects for peace negotiations.

The statement followed what Trump described as a “very good” meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other G7 leaders on Tuesday. Zelensky indicated he could hold further discussions with the U.S. president during the summit as diplomatic efforts surrounding the war continue.

EU foreign ministers from the 27-member bloc will begin talks with Ukraine and neighboring Moldova on the first cluster of EU legislation, opening the next stage of their accession process.

Ukraine’s progress had been delayed for nearly two years after Hungary blocked further movement under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The path reopened after his rival Peter Magyar won elections in April.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said the move recognized the efforts and reforms undertaken by Ukraine and Moldova despite significant challenges.

The decision provides political support for Kyiv, which applied for EU membership after Russia’s invasion, but officials said major obstacles remain before accession can take place.

Ukraine must complete negotiations covering 35 chapters of EU law, including areas such as environment, agriculture, justice and security, organized into six major clusters.

A European diplomat said the process would be complicated by the ongoing war, institutional reforms and challenges including organized crime.

Hungary’s new leadership has suggested that even if negotiations are completed, membership could still take many years, while some EU officials have discussed alternative arrangements.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed the idea of Ukraine becoming an “associate member” without voting rights while it works toward full accession, a proposal that Kyiv has viewed with caution.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that Ukraine’s goal remains full EU membership with complete rights.

The broader debate comes as Ukraine, Moldova and other candidate countries seek closer ties with the bloc, raising questions about how the EU would function with more members.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said the EU should prepare itself to accept Ukraine by 2030 if Kyiv completes the required reforms and negotiations.

He stressed that the timeline would depend on Ukraine’s progress and the outcome of accession talks.

Trump’s call with Putin lasted nearly an hour, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who said the US president emphasized the need to end hostilities and was prepared to encourage European allies and Kyiv toward that goal.

Ushakov said Putin argued that Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure would not alter the battlefield situation and said that if Zelensky wanted to meet, he should travel to Moscow.

The discussions also included Iran, with Trump saying an agreement with Tehran was close and that details could soon be made public, Ushakov said.

Zelensky said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Trump and thanked him for supporting Ukraine. He said the two leaders discussed steps that could help move toward peace and agreed to continue discussions during the G7 summit.

The diplomatic contacts came as fighting continued. Ukrainian drone attacks killed two people in Russia’s Oryol and Bryansk regions, according to local authorities. A separate drone strike hit fuel storage facilities in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, causing fires.

Zelensky said the Yaroslavl strike targeted an oil facility important to Russia’s reserves. Ukraine has increased attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing that the sector supports Moscow’s war effort.

The calls took place as Trump prepared to travel to France for the G7 summit, where Ukraine is expected to be a major issue. Zelensky is scheduled to join discussions with world leaders.

The conflict has remained a challenge for Trump, who previously said he could end the war quickly but has since shifted focus toward broader diplomatic efforts.

Separately, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom detained a tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” vessels accused of helping evade sanctions linked to the war.

British forces boarded the tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel in cooperation with French authorities. Starmer said the operation was aimed at increasing pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The meeting followed a summit in London earlier this week attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Britain, France and Germany. During the gathering, the three European countries expressed support for Kyiv’s proposal for direct talks with Moscow aimed at ending more than four years of conflict.

French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere described the discussions at Russia’s Foreign Ministry as constructive and told reporters that a joint statement would be released later in the day.

Russia, however, characterized the talks differently, saying the ambassadors were informed of what Moscow described as the “destructive” Ukraine policies of their governments. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Britain, France and Germany of seeking to prolong the conflict at Europe’s expense.

The diplomatic contact comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a proposal by Zelensky this month for a face-to-face meeting intended to advance peace negotiations.

At the London summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz endorsed Zelensky’s initiative and said the current battlefield positions should serve as a starting point for future negotiations.

Western European diplomats have had limited direct engagement with Russian authorities since Moscow launched its full-scale offensive against Ukraine. Contacts have largely been confined to formal summonses and diplomatic exchanges through established channels.

The meeting also reflects growing discussion within parts of Europe about whether renewed dialogue with Moscow could help create conditions for ending the conflict, which remains Europe’s largest war since World War Two.

Efforts led by the United States to broker a settlement have so far failed to produce a breakthrough. Diplomatic attention has also been increasingly diverted by the conflict involving Iran, complicating international attempts to advance negotiations on Ukraine.

Russia has generally preferred discussing the war with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and has repeatedly signaled opposition to a larger European role in any future settlement process.

Britain, France and Germany remain among Ukraine’s principal military, financial and diplomatic supporters and have consistently backed Kyiv throughout the conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian newspaper Izvestia that the letter had been delivered to Putin overnight after first appearing in the media.

“Yes, overnight we already handed over the written version. What came from the media was passed on to the president, and he has reviewed it. The president has been briefed,” Peskov said.

Zelensky published the open letter on Thursday, calling for direct talks with Putin aimed at reaching an agreement to end the conflict. He said Ukraine remained prepared to continue fighting if no diplomatic breakthrough could be achieved.

The Ukrainian leader also sought to increase pressure on the Kremlin by arguing that Russians were growing weary of both the war and Putin’s leadership.

Peskov indicated that Putin could address the letter publicly later on Friday during a plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, one of Russia’s flagship annual economic gatherings.

The Kremlin has not yet provided a formal response to Zelensky’s proposal or indicated whether Putin would consider a direct meeting with the Ukrainian president.

The exchange comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remain stalled and fighting continues more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Under the proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would attend EU summits without voting rights, while Kyiv would also receive representation within the European Commission and non-voting seats in the European Parliament during the accession process.

The initiative, first discussed by Merz with European leaders last month, was outlined in a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
“It is obvious that we will not be able to complete the accession process shortly, given the countless hurdles as well as the political complexities of ratification processes,” Merz wrote.

“What I envisage is a political solution that brings Ukraine substantially closer to the European Union and its core institutions immediately,” he added.
The German proposal would also extend the EU’s mutual assistance clause to Ukraine and provide Kyiv access to selected areas of the bloc’s budget framework, deepening institutional ties as the country continues to battle Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine has accelerated its push for EU membership since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, framing accession as central to its long-term economic recovery, political stability and security architecture.
Kyiv’s membership drive had faced persistent resistance from Hungary under former nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose government repeatedly delayed progress on accession negotiations.

His replacement by political rival Peter Magyar has raised expectations among EU officials that talks could regain momentum.

Despite that shift, Merz acknowledged that full accession remained politically and procedurally distant because EU enlargement requires unanimous approval among member states and ratification through national processes.

The proposal may encounter reservations both inside the EU and in Kyiv, where officials have expressed concern that interim arrangements could dilute or indefinitely postpone full membership ambitions.
Merz sought to address those concerns directly, insisting the initiative was not intended to replace eventual accession.

“It would not be a membership light,” he wrote, while urging EU leaders to open “all negotiation clusters” with Ukraine immediately.

Ukraine’s pursuit of deeper European integration has intensified as prospects for NATO membership remain uncertain following continued opposition from the United States to Kyiv joining the military alliance in the near term.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said rescuers were still clearing debris and searching for survivors in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district after hours-long attacks overnight caused extensive destruction to apartment buildings and civilian infrastructure.

“Rescuers continue clearing the rubble and searching for people in the building in Darnytskyi district non-stop,” the emergency service said in a statement posted on Telegram, revising an earlier reported death toll of 16.

Images released by Ukrainian authorities showed burned vehicles, shattered residential buildings and emergency personnel working through debris in heavily damaged neighborhoods.

The latest strikes marked one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months as Russia continues intensified aerial bombardments targeting cities and infrastructure across Ukraine amid the prolonged conflict.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilian areas during large-scale missile and drone assaults, while Russia maintains that its strikes are directed at military and strategic infrastructure.

The attacks came as fighting along multiple front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine remained intense, with both sides continuing long-range strikes deep beyond battlefield positions.

Regional authorities said two people were killed in a drone strike on an apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while four others died in an aerial bomb attack elsewhere in the region.

Officials said four people were wounded in the Kryvyi Rih strike, including a nine-month-old child whose leg was severed in the blast, according to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha and military administration head Oleksandr Vilkul.Zelensky condemned the attacks in a statement posted on Telegram, describing them as “cynical and devoid of all military logic.”

“After the end of the partial three-day ceasefire, Russia continues to kill and maim Ukrainians,” Zelensky said, adding that international pressure on Moscow should not be reduced.

The truce, linked to commemorations marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, had been part of a broader U.S.-backed diplomatic effort promoted by President Donald Trump to encourage negotiations after more than four years of war.

Although both Moscow and Kyiv reported reduced large-scale aerial bombardments during the ceasefire period, each side accused the other of continued frontline shelling, drone strikes and artillery attacks.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv had proposed extending the ceasefire, but Russia instead intensified attacks targeting civilian infrastructure and energy facilities.

Ukraine’s air force said drones were intercepted across multiple regions overnight, though strikes still caused damage to apartment buildings, power infrastructure, a kindergarten and rail facilities.In Kyiv, falling debris from a downed drone sparked a fire on the roof of a 16-story residential building in the Obolon district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Authorities also reported injuries and infrastructure damage in the regions of Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and Kherson. In the southern Mykolaiv region, governor Vitaliy Kim said drone strikes on energy infrastructure caused localized blackouts.

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had meanwhile struck gas infrastructure in Russia’s Orenburg region, more than 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, indicating Kyiv’s continued use of long-range drone operations against Russian energy assets.

The renewed attacks underscore the fragility of ceasefire efforts as diplomatic initiatives backed by Washington and European allies struggle to halt the conflict, which has increasingly evolved into a war of attrition marked by long-range missile and drone warfare.