Trump hints at end of sanctions waiver on Russian oil; G7 discusses Ukraine

US President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that the sanctions waiver on Russian oil shipments could soon be reinstated. The waiver was partly granted by the US due to the Iran war to help lower oil prices. Trump stated that as more oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the US is now in a position to end the waiver.

At the G7 summit in France, leaders moved to put the war in Ukraine at the top of their agenda. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described Trump as cooperative and attentive, expressing optimism about joint efforts to end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters that G7 leaders agreed Russia is not winning the war and discussed additional sanctions targeting Russia's oil exports, banking sector, and military production. However, two European diplomats said Trump was noncommittal on imposing further US sanctions. A French diplomat noted that G7 leaders committed to providing Kyiv with more air defense capabilities.

A Ukrainian Su-24M bomber crashed during a mission in the Khmelnitskyi region, killing both crew members. Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least eight people on Tuesday. A drone attack in Nikopol killed an 87-year-old woman and her 51-year-old son, plus a third person. Shelling in Sloviansk killed three, drone strikes in Kherson killed two and wounded 16, and five attacks on Zaporizhzhia left one dead, three injured, and set a home and shopping center on fire.

Repairs to the nearly 1,000-year-old Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery could take about two years after a Russian attack damaged the Dormition Cathedral's roof. Over 80% of the roof was damaged, but firefighters prevented the fire from spreading inside.

A Russian artist critical of Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov was shot and killed in Biała Podlaska, Poland. Five shots were fired, including one to the head. Two Belarusians have been detained but not charged. Other Russian exiles suspect Kadyrov's involvement.

China's embassy in London complained about UK sanctions on four Chinese entities for allegedly supplying military equipment to Russia, calling for normal exchanges not to be disrupted. The US extended a sanctions waiver on Serbia's Russian-controlled oil company NIS until July 1. Washington demands Gazprom Neft sell its stake, with talks ongoing with Hungary's MOL.