Have you missed the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Here is the gist of this Tuesday, June 16, 2026, on the 1,573rd day of the conflict.
Fact of the day
In unison. The leaders of the G7 countries showed their desire on Tuesday at a summit in Evian to intensify pressure on Russia via sanctions to stop the war in Ukraine. The most anticipated announcement came from American President Donald Trump, who said he wanted to reestablish certain sanctions weighing on Russian oil, suspended for a while to counter the surge in crude prices caused by the conflict against Iran. “We will soon be able” to reintroduce them, he assured. These exports constitute the main source of financing for the Russian war effort since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Donald Trump also promised to “do everything” to help end the war in Ukraine, while peace negotiations have been completely bogged down since the start of the conflict in the Middle East on February 28.
A sign of his good disposition, the American leader also met separately with Ukrainian President Donald Trump, congratulated him for the “performance” of the Ukrainian army on the ground and he recognized that the “dynamic” was Ukrainian, according to a participant.
The G7 leaders are “united”, “they note that there is a dynamic on the ground” in favor of Ukraine and agree to “increase the pressure” on Russia and deliver more anti-aircraft defense assets to kyiv, a diplomatic source had previously outlined French.
Today’s statement
« It’s great that everyone understands that Russia is not going to win and that we need to put pressure on Putin to end this war »
The words are signed Volodymyr Zelensky, relieved by the welcome received by the G7 leaders this Tuesday. Arriving around 9:30 a.m. in Evian, the Ukrainian leader was welcomed directly by Emmanuel Macron at the Royal Hotel. He was invited to stay until the end of the summit on Wednesday.
The number of the day
2 ans. This is the estimated duration of restoration work on the Dormition Cathedral in kyiv and the famous Orthodox monastery of the Lavra of the Caves surrounding it, damaged during a Russian attack on Monday. “According to our specialists’ estimates, under optimal conditions, the restoration and rehabilitation work could take around two years,” declared Maksym Ostapenko, director of this architectural ensemble classified as a UNESCO heritage site.
According to Maksym Ostapenko, the damage is estimated at around 500 million hryvnias (nearly 10 million euros at the current rate) and a more complete estimate should be finalized in the coming days. “We are studying the possibility of resuming visits to the sites of the Laure des Grottes […] because they must continue to live,” he added.
The trend
A large refinery in the Russian capital was hit in a large Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow, according to Russian authorities on Tuesday, with kyiv claiming a “just” response to Russian strikes on its territory.
“Enemy drone attacks on Moscow have continued over the past 24 hours. One of the drones damaged the site of a Moscow oil refinery. There were no victims,” the mayor of the Russian capital said on social networks.
According to him, Russian forces intercepted 60 drones targeting Moscow during the night from Monday to Tuesday. According to a tally by the state news agency Tass, based on data published by the Russian Defense Ministry, this is one of the largest attacks of the year on the capital.
/2026/06/16/6a3112b5d2c75225250508.jpg "Moscow refinery hit in Ukrainian drone strike, kyiv demands response \"just\" to the Russian strikes of the day before")
