Cuts to US aid for Ukraine in the Trump administration’s forthcoming defence budget will lead to more casualties for Kyiv, a top Kyiv MP is warning.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said military aid to Ukraine would be reduced – the latest sign of Washington’s waning support for Kyiv’s war effort.
But Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said cuts would play into Russia’s hands.
"Such a reduction will lead to more casualties on the Ukrainian side, including casualties among [the] civilian population," he told Newsweek.
And he warned: "Anyone in the US who is acting in support of the reduction of the military aid to Ukraine becomes morally responsible for the increased casualties among civilians."
A massive Russian overnight drone strike killed three people and injured more than 60 others in the eastern city of Kharkiv.
Mr Hegseth said the Trump administration would push for a “negotiated peaceful settlement” to the conflict despite Russia’s having launched some of its largest aerial attacks of the war so far in the past week.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says the US has diverted 20,000 anti-drone missiles meant for his country to US forces in the Middle East.
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Key Points
- US aid cuts will cause more civilian casualties, top Kyiv politician warns
- Three killed in overnight drone attacks on Kharkiv
- US-Russian talks to take place in Moscow, Putin envoy says
- Bodies of more than 1,000 soldiers returned to Ukraine
- Poland charges citizen with spying for Russia
Serbian leader offers help to Kyiv
20:30
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Jane Dalton
Serbia's populist president Aleksandar Vucic has visited the Ukrainian city of Odesa for a summit, the first time the Moscow-friendly leader has visited the country during his 12 years in power.
Mr Vucic took part in the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which this week faced a major Russian attack.
Senior politicians from 12 Southeastern European nations also took part in the summit, hosted by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Vucic said Serbia could help Kyiv in the renewal of Ukraine's war-torn regions.
Serbia wants to join the European Union, but Russia remains its biggest gas supplier.
Belgrade recognises Ukraine in its entirety, and has refused to join Western sanctions on Russia.
In pictures: Kharkiv under attack
19:40
,
Jane Dalton
Russian court jails Navalny ally in absentia for 18 years
18:50
,
Jane Dalton
A close associate of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been jailed in his absence for on 40 counts including justifying terrorism, organising and financing an extremist group and rehabilitating Nazism, Russian news agencies reported.
Ukraine hits Russian gunpowder plant
18:00
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Reuters | Jane Dalton
The Ukrainian military says it struck Russia's Tambov gunpowder plant overnight, causing a fire.
"It produces gunpowder for various types of small arms, artillery and rocket systems," the army said on Telegram, describing the plant as one of the main facilities in the Russian military industrial complex.
The Ukrainian military also said it recorded explosions at an ammunition depot in Kursk region and an airfield depot in Voronezh region.
Residents reported hearing numerous explosions amid a Ukrainian drone attack on the region. Videos purportedly show a large fire near the plant.
Regional governor Maxim Egorov said the fire was extinguished by emergency services — without specifying the location of the blaze, The Kyiv Independent reports. Mr Egorov claimed that there were no casualties.
Reuters was not able to independently confirm the incidents.
Nine children among the wounded, says Zelensky
17:15
,
Jane Dalton
Nine children were among 64 people injured in devastating Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Kharkiv, president Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Applying more pressure to Russia to engage in genuine diplomacy depended largely on the US, he added.
Recovery efforts are currently underway in Kharkiv following last night’s Russian Shahed drone strike. The attack hit ordinary residential buildings. As of now, 64 people have been reported injured, including 9 children. Tragically, three people were killed. My condolences to… pic.twitter.com/uOVJ4f1UKK
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 11, 2025
Russian attack on energy plants causes power cuts in southern region
16:30
,
Jane Dalton
Two southern Ukrainian regions, Mykolaiv and Kherson, were left without electricity on Wednesday after Russian forces attacked an energy facility, the governors said.
Oleksandr Prokudin, of Kherson, wrote on Telegram: "It is currently impossible to predict the duration of the work. Residents of the region, I ask you to show understanding and prepare for a prolonged power outage."
The governor of the neighbouring Mykolaiv region, Vitaliy Kim, said his region was also experiencing emergency shutdowns but that power would soon be restored.
Kherson region, which directly borders a war zone, is under daily drone, missile and artillery attack.
The Mykolaiv region faces mainly missile and drone attacks.
Recap: Russia hits Kharkiv with deadly night-time barrage
15:46
,
Jane Dalton
A concentrated, nine-minute-long Russian drone attack on Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv in the middle of the night killed three people and injured 64, including nine children, Ukrainian officials say.
The overnight attack followed Russia's two biggest air assaults of the war on Ukraine this week, part of intensified bombardments that Moscow says are retaliatory measures for Kyiv's recent attacks in Russia.
The intense strikes by 17 drones on Kharkiv sparked fires in 15 units of a five-storey apartment building and caused other damage in the city close to the Russian border, mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
US aid cuts will cause more civilian casualties, Kyiv politician warns
14:55
,
Jane Dalton
Cuts to US aid for Ukraine in the Trump administration’s forthcoming budget will lead to more casualties for Kyiv, a top Kyiv MP is warning.
Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said any cuts to military aid to Kyiv would slash Ukraine's ability to defend itself and play into Russia's hands.
"Such a reduction will lead to more casualties on the Ukrainian side, including casualties among [the] civilian population," he told Newsweek.
"Anyone in the US who is acting in support of the reduction of the military aid to Ukraine becomes morally responsible for the increased casualties among civilians."
Russia returns 1,212 soldiers' bodies and gets back 27, Kremlin says
14:15
,
Jane Dalton
Russia has handed over the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine, which in turn returned 27 Russian soldiers’ bodies, a Kremlin aide has said.
Russia and Ukraine will begin exchanging seriously wounded prisoners of war on Thursday, Vladimir Medinsky said.
Russian opposition politician faces jail for war comments
13:39
,
Jane Dalton
A Russian opposition politician will be placed under house arrest for two months, a court has ruled – after his party said he described the war in Ukraine as a game of "bloody chess".
Lev Shlosberg will also face unspecified restrictions on his activities at the request of state prosecutors, the court in Pskov said.
Shlosberg was detained on Tuesday and charged with discrediting the Russian army.
The 61-year-old made the comment in a video debate in January in which he urged an end to the war.
The liberal Yabloko party, of which Shlosberg is a senior member, said his arrest was linked to those remarks. He denies the charge, it said.
The court service of the Pskov region, which borders Estonia, said the authorities had already designated Shlosberg "a foreign agent", a label which carries negative Soviet-era connotations and complicates designees' lives.
Shlosberg, one of relatively few opposition politicians remaining in the country, faces up to five years in jail if convicted.
Finland summons Russian diplomat over airspace violation
13:10
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Daniel Keane
Finland’s foreign ministry has summoned a Russian diplomat over a suspected violation of Finnish airspace.
Finland, a NATO member, believes that a Russian military aircraft entered its airspace off the coast of Porvoo on June 10.
"The foreign ministry has invited Russia's acting head of mission to speak on the issue today," the Finnish ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
It is the second such event in under three weeks, as Finland summoned Russia’s ambassador over an incident in the same area on May 26.
Ukraine returns bodies of 27 Russian soldiers
12:52
,
Daniel Keane
Ukraine has returned the bodies of 27 dead Russian soldiers, Moscow’s top peace negotiator has said.
Vladimir Medinsky said on Telegram that the return of the bodies took place as part of an agreement made between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul last week.
Pictures published earlier on Wednesday showed that Russia returned the bodies of more than 1,200 soldiers at an undisclosed location.
Watch: Boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk challenges Trump over Ukraine-Russia war
12:30
,
Daniel Keane
Ukrainian boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has challenged Donald Trump to see the true reality of Russia’s invasion by inviting him to live in his house for a week.
The unified heavyweight champion issued his challenge to the US president during an interview with BBC Sport on Monday (9 June).
Usyk said: “I advise the US president Donald Trump to go to Ukraine and live in my house for one week, only a week.
“What is going on every night, every night, bombs above my house.”
You can watch the full clip below.
Pictured: Bodies of more than 1,000 soldiers returned to Ukraine
11:52
,
Daniel Keane
Russia has returned the bodies of more than 1,212 Ukrainian soldiers as part of a deal struck with Kyiv earlier this month.
The two sides agreed to repatriate the bodies of soldiers killed in the conflict during talks in Istanbul on June 2, which also resulted in an agreement to exchange prisoners of war, a process which got under way on Monday.
In a post on Telegram, the prison exchange coordination body said the exchange happened in an undisclosed location.
Photos of the scene show workers from the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) walking past several refrigerated trucks.
Poland charges citizen with spying for Russia
11:40
,
Daniel Keane
Poland has arrested and charged a citizen with spying for Russian intelligence services, the country’s prosecutor said on Wednesday.
Warsaw says its role as a hub for supplies to Ukraine has made it a target for spies and sabotage from Russia, which Moscow denies.
"The prosecutor charged the detained Polish citizen Wiktor Z. with declaring readiness to act for the intelligence of the Russian Federation and conducting activities for its benefit," the State Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.
These included collecting and transmitting information concerning, among other things, the functioning of facilities key to Poland's defence, according to the statement, which did not elaborate.
"The suspect, Wiktor Z., is 28 years old and has higher education. According to the findings, he acted out of ideological motives and pro-Russian beliefs," it added.
Kremlin says talks with US over improving ties 'won't yield quick results'
11:16
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Daniel Keane
Talks with the US aimed at improving ties are not expected to yield quick results, Kremlin spokesman Dmistry Peskov has said.
“There are many obstacles in bilateral relations, and it is unlikely that we can hope for any quick results,” he told reporters.
Relations between Washington and Moscow have deteriorated after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The Biden administration provided Ukraine with consistent military and diplomatic support, though President Donald Trump has drawn criticism for attempting to improve relations with Moscow and suggesting Ukraine bears equal blame for the invasion.
However, Mr Trump recently voiced frustration about Russia’s war actions in Ukraine and the lack of progress towards a peace deal.
Zelensky condemns 'vile' Russian attack on Kharkiv
10:46
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Daniel Keane
President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned Russia’s overnight drone strike on Kharkiv as “vile”.
In a post on social media, the Ukrainian president said recovery efforts were underway in the eastern city after a drone strike killed three people.
"Every new day now brings new vile Russian attacks, and almost every strike is telling," he wrote.
"Russia deserves increased pressure, and it proves with every hit on ordinary life that the current pressure is not enough.
"We must not be afraid or postpone new decisions that could make things more difficult for Russia. Without this, they will not engage in genuine diplomacy."
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic makes first-ever visit to Ukraine
10:24
,
Tom Watling
Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic travelled to the Ukrainian city of Odesa for a regional summit on Wednesday, the first time the Moscow-friendly leader has visited the country during his 12 years in power.
In a statement, Vucic's office said he would travel to Ukraine for one day to take part in the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which this week faced a major Russian drone and missile attack.
Senior politicians from 12 Southeastern European nations were expected to take part in the summit.
Serbia wants to join the European Union, but Russia, a traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally, remains its biggest gas supplier, and the country's sole oil refinery is majority-owned by Gazprom and Gazprom Neft.
Although Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, it has condemned Moscow's policies in the United Nations and expressed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Tulsi Gabbard releases ‘unhinged’ video claiming ‘warmongers’ want a nuclear conflict they know they’ll survive
10:01
,
Tom Watling
President Donald Trump’s intelligence director posted a video warning of global “elites” she claimed were pushing major superpowers towards a “nuclear holocaust” on Tuesday.
The purpose of Tulsi Gabbard’s video and its grim theme was unclear, but appeared aimed at driving fears among her more than 3.7 million followers on X concerning a supposed cabal of powerful people whom Gabbard and the president have long argued continue to pull the strings behind the scenes — even with Trump once again in the White House.
Here are some of the latest photos from Kharkiv
09:47
,
Tom Watling
We have some more photos from Kharkiv this morning as the city recovers from a vicious Russian drone attack overnight.
At least three people were killed in the attacks and dozens more wounded, including children.
Germany's imports from Russia fall by 95% since start of Ukraine war
09:21
,
Tom Watling
Germany's imports of goods from Russia fell by 95 per cent in the 2021-2024 period while its exports of goods to Russia were cut by 72 per cent, the country's statistics office Destatis reported on Wednesday.
The European Union as a whole cut its imports from Russia by 78 per cent and exports by 65 per cent over the same time frame, leading to a trade deficit of 4.5 billion euros ($5.1 billion) in 2024 compared with 147.5 billion euros in 2022, Destatis added.
Slovakia cannot support new EU sanctions against Russia without energy solutions, PM Fico says
09:01
,
Tom Watling
Slovakia will not back the EU's 18th package of sanctions against Russia unless the European Commission provides a solution to the situation the country faces if the bloc phases out Russian energy as planned, Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
The Commission proposed on Tuesday a new round of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, targeting Moscow's energy revenues, its banks and its military industry.
Fico has criticised separate European Union plans to phase out Russian gas and other energy imports in the coming years, which the EU executive announced last month, calling them "economic suicide".
Hungary, which like Slovakia, continues to rely on Russian gas and oil supplies, and like Slovakia has maintained warm ties with Moscow, has also rejected the plans.
EU countries will start debating the sanctions proposals this week, which require unanimity in the bloc for approval.
“Slovakia will not support the upcoming 18th sanctions package against Russia unless the European Commission provides it with a real solution to the crisis situation that Slovakia will find itself in after the complete cessation of gas, oil and nuclear fuel supplies from Russia,” Fico wrote in a Facebook post late on Tuesday.
Slovakia has not blocked any previous sanctions packages.
In pictures: Russia attacks southern Ukrainian region of Odesa
08:46
,
Tom Watling
Russia says scale of damage from Ukrainian attacks on airfields has been exaggerated
08:33
,
Tom Watling
Russia's nuclear capability has not suffered significant damage due to Ukraine's attacks on military airfields, and the scale of the damage has been exaggerated, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA on Wednesday
Donald Trump was wrong – Ukraine still holds some cards
08:12
,
Tom Watling
Donald Trump has been shown to be wrong, wrong and wrong again about Vladimir Putin. He was wrong again when he was asked if Ukraine’s “Spiderweb” drone strikes against Russian bombers had changed his view of the cards the Ukrainians have: “They gave Putin a reason to go and bomb the hell out of them,” he said.
This is the same logic to which President Trump has cleaved from the start: that the Ukrainian people provoked the full-scale invasion of their country by wanting to be an independent nation facing to the west.
UPD: Kharkiv death toll rises to 3
07:53
,
Tom Watling
We have just received news from Ukraine’s state emergency services that the death toll in Kharkiv has been revised from two to three, with 60 wounded.
Russia killed three people in Kharkiv and injured 60 others, including nine children.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 11, 2025
Russian drones struck residential buildings, playgrounds, enterprises and public transport in two city districts.
State Emergency Service pic.twitter.com/nHn95qJgzh
In pictures: Russia fires drones at Kharkiv
07:47
,
Tom Watling
Below we have some more of the latest pictures from the northeast Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Russia fired multiple drones at the city, home to around 1.3 million people, overnight.
At least two people were killed and 57 more wounded, according to local officials.
The intense strikes with 17 drones sparked fires in 15 units of a five-storey apartment building and caused other damage in the city close to the Russian border, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
“There are direct hits on multi-storey buildings, private homes, playgrounds, enterprises and public transport,” Terekhov said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia fires 86 drones and missiles at Ukraine, says air force
07:35
,
Tom Watling
Russia has fired 86 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, Kyiv’s air force has claimed.
Ukraine said it shot down 40 of the drones and used electronic warfare to bring down an additional nine.
The strikes hit 14 locations, mainly in the northeast Kharkiv region, the eastern Donetsk region and the southern area of Odesa.
A concentrated, nine-minute-long attack on Kharkiv overnight left two people dead and wounded an additional 57, according to local officials.
Russia has ramped up its aerial strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks, with some residents in the capital of Kyiv on Monday night into Tuesday morning describing that round of assaults as the most intense of the more than three-year war.
Vladimir Putin reportedly told Donald Trump they would ramp up attacks on Ukraine following Kyiv’s cross-border drone attacks on Russian military bases last month.
Kharkiv attack: In Pictures
07:30
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
US-Russian talks to take place in Moscow, Putin envoy says
07:28
,
Tom Watling
Talks between the United States and Russia on resolving issues in their bilateral relations will move to Moscow from Istanbul, Russia's new ambassador to Washington told the state Tass news agency.
"The recovery of Russian-American relations is still a long way off," Ambassador Alexander Darchiev told TASS, adding that the so-called US “deep state”, including anti-Russia hawks, was slowing the rapprochement with Moscow.
“I can confirm that the next negotiations of the delegations will take place in the very near future in Moscow,” Darchiev was quoted as saying.
The Donald Trump administration has not commented on these claims but the president’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has held multiple rounds of talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Seven children among 57 injured in Kharkiv attack
07:00
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
A nine-minute Russian drone strike on Kharkiv killed at least two people and injured 57, among them seven children, overnight, regional officials reported on Wednesday.
The barrage of 17 drones ignited fires in 15 units of a five-storey apartment building and caused widespread damage across the city, which lies near the Russian border.
Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said the strikes directly hit apartment blocks, private homes, playgrounds, businesses, and public transport.
“Apartments are burning, roofs are destroyed, cars are burnt, windows are broken,” he wrote on Telegram.
Emergency crews were seen rescuing residents, providing medical aid, and battling fires in the dark, according to a Reuters witness.
Nine of the injured, including a two-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, were hospitalised, regional governor Oleh Sinehubov said.
The attack also damaged a city trolley bus depot and multiple residential buildings.
Russia has not commented on the strikes.
Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, repelled a Russian ground advance early in the war but continues to face regular drone, missile, and aerial bomb attacks.
US to cut military aid to Ukraine, Hegseth says
06:30
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed that the upcoming defence budget will reduce military aid to Ukraine, reflecting a major shift in US policy under president Donald Trump.
Mr Hegseth said the administration now favours a negotiated settlement to the conflict over continued military support for Ukraine.
The aid cuts come as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukrainian cities and advances towards new regions.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the US has provided over $66bn in aid to Ukraine.
“It is a reduction in this budget,” Mr Hegseth told lawmakers. “This administration takes a very different view of that conflict. We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation’s interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe.”
Cathedral described as ‘the soul of all Ukraine’ damaged in Russian attack
06:00
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
A Russian attack has damaged Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO world heritage site and one of Ukraine's most significant monuments, according to Ukraine's culture minister.
Mykola Tochytskyi announced on Facebook that the overnight attack struck "at the very heart of our identity again". He called the 11th-century cathedral "the soul of all Ukraine" and a shrine that "survived for centuries".
"Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a shrine which survived for centuries and symbolises the birth of our statehood, was damaged," he said.
He added that the blast wave damaged the cornice on the main apse of the landmark. Video from the scene showed pieces of white plaster crumbled to the ground.
This is the first time since the start of the war that the cathedral has been damaged, first deputy director general of the site Vadym Kyrylenko told reporters.
Read more here:
2 killed in overnight drone attacks on Kharkiv
05:18
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
A Russian drone attack on Kharkiv overnight killed at least two people and injured 54.
Mayor Igor Terekhov reported 17 strikes across two districts, causing fires in a five-storey building with over 15 apartments affected.
Several houses were also hit, and there are fears people may be trapped under the rubble.
Russia has been ready to return dead Ukrainian soldiers 'for several days' - Kremlin
05:00
,
Alex Croft
Russia has been ready to return the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war “for several days”, the Kremlin has claimed.
Moscow and Kyiv are still in talks on the subject, the Kremlin said
On Saturday Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said the Russian side had shown up at the agreed exchange point with the bodies of 1,212 Ukrainian dead soldiers only to find nobody from Ukraine to take them.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of "trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game" around the issue of the exchanges.
The exchange was agreed during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2. The Kremlin said it did not yet know exactly how many bodies of Russian soldiers Ukraine was ready to hand over.
Zelensky calls on Western allies to cut price cap on Russian oil
04:30
,
Maroosha Muzaffar
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is urging Western allies to cut the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $30 per barrel to increase pressure on Moscow to seek peace.
This comes amid a sharp escalation in Russian attacks on Ukraine, including a major aerial assau
