Ukraine's drone gains give it rare leverage at the G7, but Trump has no Zelensky bilateral booked

Battlefield gains and a wave of European drone deals hand Kyiv rare bargaining power going into the G7, but Trump arrives focused on Iran and with no bilateral on the books.

Ukraine reaches the G7 summit gaining ground for the first time in years, its drones cutting Russian supply lines and straining Russia's military and economy, Politico reported on Saturday. Kyiv has retaken more territory than it lost for the first time since 2023, the outlet said, a turnaround its backers hope to convert into pressure on President Donald Trump to keep US support flowing.

Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii said Ukraine netted roughly 100 square kilometers in May and about 600 over the first five months of 2026, figures relayed by Al Jazeera. Strikes more than 50 kilometers behind the line doubled from April to May, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said. A senior US official, briefing reporters before the summit, said Russian gains have "more or less stopped."

The industrial side is moving with it. Ukraine has signed close to 20 joint-production deals with five European partners, putting annual capacity near $55 billion, the Ukrainian Armor Council's Ihor Fedirko told Ukrinform on June 12. Britain will deliver 120,000 drones this year, Canada signed a build-and-ship deal in May, and Rheinmetall has entered Ukrainian missile and vehicle programs, Politico said. The cheap-drone edge that stalled Russia's offensive is turning into an export line, with Europe as the buyer.

The diplomacy is lagging the battlefield. Trump will join a two-hour working session with Zelensky at Évian-les-Bains but has no bilateral scheduled with Ukraine, the Guardian reported; his sideline meetings are booked with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, India and France. Washington is consumed by Iran, the same Witkoff-Kushner team runs both files, and Trump still does not want to be seen handing Zelensky a win, European officials told Politico.

Kyiv cannot make everything it needs. Zelensky uses 60 to 70 interceptor missiles a month, more than US manufacturer Raytheon produces, and is seeking US authorization to build Patriot interceptors at home, Politico said. Europe is now covering close to all of Ukraine's aid. Whether the United States stays in that effort at all is the question Évian, the recovery conference in Gdansk and the July NATO summit in Ankara will answer over the coming weeks.