UK among European nations responding to Putin’s hypersonic missile threat

WorldPolitics
8 Jun 2026 • 3:26 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

UK among European nations responding to Putin’s hypersonic missile threat

  • Leaders from the UK, Ukraine, France, and Germany held a late-night summit in Downing Street, stressing the urgent need to ramp up defensive weapon production against Russia's hypersonic Oreshnik missiles.
  • The leaders called for an immediate and complete ceasefire from Vladimir Putin, proposing the current line of contact as the starting point for any negotiations.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned his country could maintain its recent attacks deep into Russia if the war continues, following a large-scale drone attack on St Petersburg.
  • The talks occurred hours after a drone strike damaged a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel near the Chernobyl power plant, though officials confirmed radiation levels remained safe.
  • The leaders also outlined five conditions for a peace deal, including robust guarantees for Ukraine's safety and the continued freezing of Russian assets until compensation is paid.

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