Ukraine War: Drone Attacks on Moscow, Zelensky Visits Trump, and New US Sanctions Legislation

At the same time, Zelensky thanked the United States: „Ich bin den Vereinigten Staaten dankbar für ihre feste Unterstützung." And further: „Vielen Dank für alles, was wir gemeinsam tun, um das Leben der Ukrainer zu schützen und den Frieden voranzubringen." The Ukrainian president is on a one-day visit to Washington; in the evening (East Coast time), all 100 US senators had been invited to a meeting with him, according to the US portal The Hill.

Russia Reports Drone Attacks and Injuries

In parallel with the visit, the US reported overnight drone strikes on Russian territory. According to Russian reports, Ukraine launched a total of around 390 drones toward Moscow during the night. According to Russian figures, 24 people were injured in Ukrainian drone attacks on two buses. The drone strikes on Moscow also caused severe damage.

The Kremlin stated that Ukraine was expanding the geographic radius of its attacks. Due to the drone threat, Finland had to temporarily close its airspace. The US, by its own assessment, is lagging behind Ukraine in drone production. For the coming three winter months, Zelensky had already stated in mid-July a minimum need of 300 Patriot missiles.

US Senators Agree on Sanctions Legislation

Independent of the visit, a bipartisan group of senators announced on Tuesday an agreement on legislation that authorizes President Trump to impose further sanctions on major purchasers of Russian energy sources. The law is directed primarily against natural gas and oil exports, a central source of revenue for the Russian state and the financing of the war of aggression against Ukraine.

It targets the five largest buyers of Russian energy sources as well as the five countries that most strongly help Russia circumvent energy sanctions. As a result, the bill could place additional strain on US trade relations with China and India, as both are among the largest buyers of Russian oil.

The law is to bear the name of the recently deceased Senator Lindsey Graham, who had been pushing the initiative forward for months. The timing of the agreement coincided with the memorial events for Lindsey Graham. Graham was considered in the US Congress an important supporter of both Ukraine and Israel. Trump, Zelensky, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were expected at the memorial event for Graham.

Diplomatic Efforts and International Context

According to media reports, the bill could be passed by the Senate as early as this week. However, the House of Representatives is already in recess, so the law is not expected to enter into force before September. Meanwhile, Ireland is insisting on continuing production at a Russian aluminum plant.

Relations between the US and Russia also remain tense. Trump and Zelensky had already met earlier this month at the NATO summit in Ankara as well as in mid-June at the G7 summit in Évian. Trump had stressed in Ankara that he has a good relationship with his Ukrainian counterpart. At both summits, the US took joint positions on the Ukraine war; Trump also supported tougher G7 sanctions against Russia.

Poland rejected accusations by Vladimir Putin that Poland harbored territorial claims. The US sees itself as a mediator in the Ukraine war but has recently slipped into the background with its efforts to end the war – also because of its own conflict with Iran. Talks about reviving diplomatic initiatives to end the war were part of the visit to Washington.

Background: Break Between Trump and Zelensky in February 2025

In addition, the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham assured the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky of further support. The background is a public break between Trump and Zelensky at the White House that already occurred in February 2025, during which Trump had accused the Ukrainian of fighting a hopeless fight, risking a Third World War, and not holding the cards.

In the future, Ukraine is to be granted a license to produce Patriot air defense missiles on its own. However, setting up production will take months, and the quantities will hardly be able to meet the need against Russian missile attacks.