Ukraine exploded a strategic Russian oil refinery supplying Vladimir Putin’s war machine in an overnight strike. Footage showed the Saratov region facility ablaze in the pinpoint drone strike amid frenzied moves to prevent Ukraine from becoming the loser from Donald Trump’s summit this week with the Kremlin dictator.

This came as a new video allegedly showed Putin moving military reinforcements towards the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions amid concerns over “massive assault actions by the Russians there soon”, according to Ukrainian sources. The White House said it was “absolutely possible” that Volodymyr Zelensky could be invited to the Alaska talks after acute concerns were expressed that Kyiv’s fate could be sealed without Ukraine in the room.

“It’s being discussed,” a source told NBC News concerning Zelensky and Putin meeting, while another voiced the opinion that it was “absolutely” possible.

“Everyone is very hopeful that it will happen,” said the US official, yet no formal invitation had been issued so far to Zelensky.The president remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders. Right now, the White House is focused on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin.”

It remains unclear whether Putin, who fired 100 drones at Ukraine overnight, would agree to meet Zelensky, nor whether he is ready to end the war, amid clear signs he is ready to keep fighting.

One scenario is that they could both be present but not in the same room. Meanwhile, US sources said there had been “significant progress” at a meeting at Chevening in Kent involving US vice-president JD Vance and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Britain and Europe, along with Ukraine, insisted that a ceasefire should be a prerequisite for negotiations to end the war. Putin is demanding territorial concessions of Ukrainian land in the Donetsk region before any ceasefire.

Russia is making gains in Donetsk but has failed since its original invasion in 2014 to take the whole territory. Ukraine still controls some 3,360 square miles, amounting to almost one-third of the region.

Zelensky said today: “The end of the war must be honest, and I am grateful to everyone who is now with Ukraine, with our people for the sake of peace in Ukraine, which defends the vital security interests of our European peoples.”

He name-checked multiple European leaders, including Britain’s Sir Keir Starmer, for standing with Ukraine amid the confusion over Trump’s upcoming session with Putin.

The Ukrainian strike on an oil refinery hit a key facility supplying Russian military operations as 15 explosions thundered over the Saratov region.

Reports said the refinery was located near the Engels airbase, home of Putin’s Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bombers regularly used for missile strikes on Ukraine but also a key part of his nuclear arsenal.

Giant flames were seen at the refinery and regional governor Roman Busargin admitted: “There is damage at one of the industrial enterprises.”

One person was killed when debris from a downed Lyutyi drone in Saratov hit a residential building.

Ukraine said it had downed 70 drones sent by Russia overnight.

However, it admitted that 30 enemy drones had hit targets in the frontline regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv.

There was intense Russian shelling of the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk region, with residential buildings ablaze.

A man, 46, and a woman, 44, were hospitalised. The Russians also bombed the railway station in Synelnykove, Dnipropetrovsk region, with drones.