Shafaq News – Washington / Moscow / Kyiv

The Pentagon has restricted Ukraine from using US long-range ATACMS missiles against targets inside Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Citing officials familiar with the matter, the Journal noted that Kyiv requested at least once to deploy the missiles into Russian territory, but the request was denied. The decision reflects a Pentagon “review mechanism” that now evaluates Ukrainian requests for long-range weapons, including those supplied by European allies.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt highlighted that President Donald Trump has emphasized the importance of ending the war in Ukraine, noting that the military situation on the ground remains largely unchanged.

Trump also warned of additional sanctions on the Kremlin and tariffs on its major trading partners if Moscow did not agree to a ceasefire. However, the measures were postponed following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Last week, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders to explore ways to end the conflict, but no breakthrough emerged. While a trilateral US-Russia-Ukraine meeting has been discussed, the situation on the ground remains complex.

Overnight, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted multiple Russian energy and power facilities, including the Kursk nuclear plant, damaging an auxiliary transformer and forcing a 50% reduction in its capacity. The attacks also sparked a fire at a fuel export terminal in Ust-Luga, which processes gas condensate into naphtha, jet fuel, fuel oil, and gasoil for international shipment since opening in 2013.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Moscow claimed control of the settlements Seredne and Kleban-Byk along the 1,000 km front line in Donetsk. Russian forces also launched 448 attacks on 17 settlements in Zaporizhia, according to Ivan Fedorov, Head of the Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration.