The Russia-Ukraine war looms over the French Open – and tennis has no answers
I have spent twenty-six years studying Vladimir Putin – this is why I think he’s about to crack
Vladimir Putin warned by his own officials that mounting cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
Key Points
- Russia could be at war for 'a couple of decades' says former spy at 'Putin's Davos'
- Russian envoy to the UK admits war has 'cost us a lot' and claims Moscow cannot afford to lose
- Ukraine embarrasses Putin with strikes across St Petersburg at start of 'Russian Davos'
- US secretary of state Rubio promises news on Ukraine aid funds soon as $400m held with Hegseth's department
- Germany, France and UK draw up plan to engage Putin in Ukraine talks as Europe seeks to end war
- Russia to make contact with Trump negotiators this week, reports RIA
Zelensky offers to meet Putin for peace talks
20:05 , Daniel KeaneUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in which he proposed the two leaders meet to agree an end to the war.
In his letter, Zelensky said the majority of Russians had grown tired of Ukrainian missile and drones attacks, inflation and fuel shortages, and were ready for peace.
"If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence," Zelensky said, warning that this could threaten Putin's personal position.
"It is a fact of Russian history that you know well: when Russia grows tired, change comes."
The surprise US guests at Putin's version of Davos
21:00 , James ReynoldsRussia’s version of the international economic forum comes after Moscow’s top finance officials reportedly urged the Kremlin to rein in defence spending.
Alex Croft reports on some of the more unexpected attendees:
The weird and wacky US guests attending Putin’s ‘Russian Davos’
Recap: Zelensky warns Russian forces could again launch a massive attack on Ukraine
20:00 , James ReynoldsPutin refuses to rule out signing peace deal with Zelensky
19:44 , Jane DaltonSpeaking to reporters in St Petersburg, Putin said he did not rule out signing a peace deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, if an agreement could be reached.
Putin has previously said that Zelensky is not a legitimate leader because he has remained in office beyond the end of his elected term.
Ukrainian law forbids the holding of new elections under martial law, which was imposed after Russia's 2022 invasion.
Putin told foreign journalists in St Petersburg that if it came to a peace deal, Russia would sign an agreement with legitimate Ukrainian representatives, perhaps "even with Zelensky".
Putin says Russia is ready to make some compromises for Ukraine peace deal
19:31 , Jane DaltonRussian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is willing to make some compromises to end the war in Ukraine and strike a peace deal, following a request by President Donald Trump.
Putin told reporters in St Petersburg that Russia had all the resources to achieve its military goals and its troops were advancing in Ukraine, but it was prepared to make a deal with Ukraine peacefully.
Recent analysis suggests that Ukraine is succeeding in minimising Russian gains amid growing domestic pressure on Putin.
There are also signs that the war is beginning to impact Russia’s economy following years of western sanctions.
French jets intercepted Russian aircraft 11 times over a week in Baltics
19:00 , ReutersFrench warplanes were scrambled 11 times over the last week as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission, France's armed forces spokesperson said on Thursday, describing the incursions as a higher-than-usual number of "provocations".
The mission protects the airspace of the three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - through rotating deployments of NATO fighter jets, filling gaps in their own capabilities. Aircraft are scrambled to intercept unidentified or non-compliant aircraft.
Guillaume Vernet told a weekly news briefing that the unusually high number of interceptions could signal that Moscow was seeking to flex its muscles in the same week it hosted its annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"The French detachment deployed on the Baltic Air Policing mission carried out multiple interceptions of Russian military aircraft flying without flight plans or radio contact," Vernet said, adding that the intercepted aircraft included armed fighter jets, intelligence and transport planes.
Baltic states on edge as stray Ukrainian drones cause airspace chaos and political turmoil
18:00 , James ReynoldsConcerns are escalating that the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO's northern borders, as military drones increasingly violate the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
These incursions are directly linked to Ukraine's intensified long-range attacks targeting Russian Baltic Sea oil shipping ports.
Reports indicate that some of these unmanned aerial vehicles have missed their intended targets, prompting urgent security warnings across the neighbouring nations.
Baltic states on edge as drones spark chaos and political tensions
Top AfD official meets with Putin advisor and calls for reopening of Nord Stream
17:00 , James ReynoldsA senior member of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) met one of Vladimir Putin's top advisers and the head of Gazprom and called for a reopening of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
Markus Frohnmaier, the AfD's parliamentary foreign policy spokesperson, is attending Putin's showpiece economic conference in St Petersburg, against warnings from Germany's foreign ministry, which "explicitly advised the AfD against these trips".
Frohnmaier said on social media he had met Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, on Wednesday. Dmitriev, Miller and Gazprom are all subject to Western sanctions imposed over Russia's war in Ukraine.
Frohnmaier, who has called repeatedly for Germany to engage with Russia to resume energy supplies, said the meeting with Miller focused on the pipeline and a full resumption of Russian gas deliveries to Germany.
“Germany is caught in a severe economic downward spiral, and a key driver of this is the high cost of energy,” Frohnmaier said.
“That is why all options must be put back on the table, including the recommissioning of Nord Stream and the resumption of trade relations with Russia.”
'Biden's war' has become 'Trump's war', says Russia's Lavrov after Rubio comments
16:56 , James ReynoldsUS secretary of state Marco Rubio's remarks in support of Ukraine demonstrate that what Russia used to call "Biden's war" had now become "Trump's war," Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday, the RIA state news agency reported.
Lavrov was cited as saying that the fighting in Ukraine would have already been over if the US had been genuinely seeking a peace deal.
Rubio told a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday that there would be news “pretty soon” on $400 million that Congress had approved for Ukraine-related needs but which had been delayed at the Department of Defense.
Rubio’s comments in support of Ukraine demonstrated that there are no fundamental differences between the US and European approaches, Lavrov was quoted as saying.
Ukraine's military hits Russian gunpowder factory in Ryazan region
16:32 , James ReynoldsUkraine's military has struck a Russian gunpowder factory in the Ryazan region, the General Staff of Ukraine's military said on Thursday.
As a result of the strike, a fire covering an area of over 400 sq m (4300 sq ft) has broken out, it said on Telegram.
They said Ukrainian forces struck “a number of important objects” on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday.
These were said to include a equipment near Novoyehorivka in the Kharkiv region and an enemy command post in Donetsk.
An ammo depot in Hrintal area and fuel and lubricants deports in Crimea and Melitopol were also hit.
“Based on additional analysis of the results, it was established that on June 3, 2026, one tank was destroyed and six tanks and two technical overpasses were damaged in the area of the Saint Petersburg oil terminal,” they said.
Trilateral talks with Ukraine possible 'when time is right', says Dmitriev
16:20 , James ReynoldsRussian envoy Dmitriev says that negotiations between Russia and the US are not on pause, and that talks with Ukraine are still possible “when the time is right”.
He says that he spoke to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Wednesday, and that not everything in their talks has been related to Ukraine.
He adds that Russia will, for now, continue on a bilateral track with the US on energy and the economy.
Russia cooperating with Armenia - but wants to know where it's heading, says foreign ministry
16:00 , James ReynoldsRussia is engaged in constructive dialogue and cooperation with Armenia, but has questions about the country's strategic plans, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
Relations between the two countries, formally allies, have soured amid pro-Western Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's bid for re-election in polls due on Sunday.
Zakharova told reporters it was normal for Moscow to seek to understand the direction in which Armenia's leadership was trying to steer the country.
In pictures: Parents of late Russian opposition leader Navalny visit his grave to mark his 50th birthday
15:28 , James Reynolds
Ukraine claims strike on Russian patrol boat in Crimea
15:27 , James ReynoldsUkrainian forces struck a Russian patrol ship in Crimea overnight into Thursday, the commander of the unmanned systems forces said.
Robert Brovdi said the Project 10410 Svetlyachok border patrol ship was near Yurkine in Russian-occupied Crimea when it was struck.
Russia and US to sign agreement on tunnel across Bering Strait, says Dmitriev
15:17 , James ReynoldsRussia and the US will sign an agreement tomorrow on the construction of a tunnel across the Bering Strait, Russian president's envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday, as quoted by the Zvezda TV channel.
"Tomorrow we are signing an agreement to continue the design of the tunnel, the tunnel will be built," said Dmitriev.
Putin warned by own officials that mounting cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
15:00 , James ReynoldsVladimir Putin has been warned that he cannot afford to sustain his war in Ukraine at the current pace, as Kyiv continues to tally frontline wins and devastate energy infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Top finance officials and Russia’s central bank are said to have urged the Kremlin to rein in spiralling defence spending, as both sides ramp up costly aerial attacks on vital infrastructure.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that Moscow is “losing on the battlefield” and “has no cards except terror”, despite a major blitz of cities across Ukraine overnight that killed at least 22 people.
As Kyiv continues to pile on the pressure with strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, defence officials in Moscow reportedly told Putin that they will need billions of extra dollars this year to fund the conflict, according to Bloomberg News.
Putin warned by his own officials that cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
Comment: I have spent twenty-six years studying Vladimir Putin – this is why I think he’s about to crack
14:31 , James ReynoldsThis isn’t the time to push Ukraine towards a half-baked peace deal – I have never known Russia’s ruler look so frightened, says Bill Browder:
I have spent twenty-six years studying Putin – and I think he’s about to crack
Putin won't meet with US reps at 'Russian Davos' forum: TASS
14:27 , James ReynoldsVladimir Putin does not plan to meet with representatives of the US at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, state news agency TASS reported on Thursday.
Poland and Lithuania confirm exploring a bigger role in nuclear deterrence
14:00 , James ReynoldsPoland and Lithuania confirm they are participating in discussions about their potential role in Nato’s nuclear deterrence efforts, which are built around U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe.
While talks are in early stages, expanding U.S. nuclear deterrence in Europe could reassure continental allies of continued U.S. military support at a time when President Donald Trump has led an effort to reduce his country's conventional defense involvement in Europe.
“We are talking, in order to create better conditions for nuclear deterrence and for Poland to play an important role in that,” Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski told Polish Radio on Wednesday.
Poland and Lithuania confirm exploring a bigger role in nuclear deterrence
Trump’s ballroom chief among US guests at Russia’s own ‘Davos’
13:30 , James ReynoldsRussia’s answer to the Davos economic summit kicked off on Wednesday, days after Vladimir Putin was warned that he can no longer afford to fight his war with Ukraine at the current pace.
Formally known as the St Petersburg Economic Forum, the meeting has attracted an eclectic crowd, including famous Americans attracted to Moscow’s claims of “anti-wokery” and support for “traditional values”.
Moscow will be looking to strengthen its economic footing after top finance officials and Russia’s central bank are said to have urged the Kremlin to rein in spiralling defence spending, with Russia and Ukraine ramping up costly aerial attacks on vital infrastructure.
Alex Croft reports:
The weird and wacky US guests attending Putin’s ‘Russian Davos’
Russia and the US discussing joint projects in the Arctic, says Dmitriev
13:13 , James ReynoldsRussia’s RIA news agency now reports that Moscow and Washington are discussing joint projects in the Russian Arctic, citing envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Earlier, Dmitriev said he had held a call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner this week, according to TASS.
Russia accuses Nato of squeezing Serbia 'like a boa constrictor'
13:00 , James ReynoldsRussia accused Nato on Thursday of squeezing Serbia "like a boa constrictor", citing a joint military exercise taking place there as evidence of an attempt to subjugate the country.
Serbia says the annual ‘Platinum Wolf’ exercise, which began on June 1 with the support of the US European command, is aimed at exchanging best practices and to “enhance the competence and mutual understanding” of countries taking part, which include eight Nato members.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said NATO wanted to take over the Balkans and tear Serbia away from Russia.
“They are wrapping Serbia in the coils of their love like a boa constrictor,” Zakharova told reporters.
Russia has traditionally strong relations with Serbia, which was subjected to a NATO bombing campaign during the 1999 Kosovo war.
Russian envoy says he spoke with US negotiators yesterday
12:56 , James ReynoldsRussian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday that he held a call on Wednesday with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Ukraine's military hits Russian gunpowder factory in Ryazan region
12:40 , James ReynoldsUkraine's military has struck a Russian gunpowder factory in the Ryazan region, the General Staff of Ukraine's military said on Thursday.
As a result of the strike, a fire covering an area of over 400 sq m (4300 sq ft) has broken out, it said on Telegram.
They said Ukrainian forces struck “a number of important objects” on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday.
These were said to include a equipment near Novoyehorivka in the Kharkiv region and an enemy command post in Donetsk.
An ammo depot in Hrintal area and fuel and lubricants deports in Crimea and Melitopol were also hit.
“Based on additional analysis of the results, it was established that on June 3, 2026, one tank was destroyed and six tanks and two technical overpasses were damaged in the area of the Saint Petersburg oil terminal,” they said.
Overnight: All EU members greenlight first step for Ukrainian accession talks
12:30 , James ReynoldsAll members of the European Union gave a green light to open Cluster 1 in accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on X.
"Fantastic news," she wrote. "We are one step closer to the EU membership: steadily moving towards our goal."
Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said on X it had starting preparing to formally open negotiation on the first group of negotiating chapters, which cover rule-of-law and democratic standards, with both countries.
Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said his country and Ukraine had reached an agreement on the rights of the 100,000-strong Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
Magyar had previously said that agreement on the long-running dispute was essential if Budapest were to agree to Ukraine joining the EU.
Both Ukraine and Moldova are pressing for membership of the 27-member EU after more than four years of war pitting Kyiv against Moscow.
Russia to make contact with Trump negotiators this week, reports RIA
12:07 , James ReynoldsRussia’s RIA news agency is reporting that Russia will make contact with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner again this week.
The pair have led mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine since Trump’s return to office.
Fears Russia could threaten Arctic and put London within range of hypersonic missiles
12:00 , James ReynoldsRussia is threatening a strategic chokepoint in the Arctic, control of which would place it within missile range of London, Norway’s defence minister has warned.
Tore Sandvik told The Times that he was concerned Moscow could try to exert itself in the Bear Gap, a roughly 400-mile-wide stretch of water between mainland Norway and the archipelago of Svalbard, in order to gain access to the Atlantic.
Russia’s powerful Northern Fleet accounts for around two-thirds of their navy’s nuclear strike capabilities and has benefitted from large investment as it expands operations around Nato waters in the north.
“It’s homeland defence for the UK,” warned Mr Sandvik. “If Putin gets control of the northern part of Scandinavia, if he can control the Bear Gap, this is a direct threat against the UK.”
Fears Russia could threaten Arctic and put London within range of hypersonic missiles
Russia could be at war for 'a couple of decades' says former spy at 'Putin's Davos'
11:55 , James ReynoldsA former Russian spy has urged Russia to confront the possibility the country could be at war “for a couple of decades” amid mounting questions over the state of the economy.
"We have to admit that we will be at war in the next few years, maybe for a couple of decades," said Andrey Bezrukov at the glitzy St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Wednesday.
Bezrukov, a former spy arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2010 while living under a false identity in the United States, spoke on the first day of the summit during a session called ‘Russia’s Main Threats in the Second Quarter of the 21st Century’.
"It may be a very hot war, it may be a creeping war. Even if it goes to other regions, we will have two generations that can be considered basically to be at war. And we need to learn how to live with this war," Bezrukov said to applause in a packed hall.
He argued that modern wars are no longer aimed at taking territory but wearing down the opponent, saying the West was trying to avoid a nuclear confrontation and was instead “slowly boiling the frog”.
Bezrukov pointed to the Ukrainian drone attacks on St Petersburg that morning, cautioning that “a drone using Starlink can fly into any region and hit a specific target.”
“This is a serious problem for us - we were not prepared for it.”
Russia and Ukraine locked in drone arms race as both sides rush to improve kit
11:35 , James ReynoldsThe head of Ukraine’s armed forces says that Ukraine’s small air defence destroyed more than 3,500 Russian drones in May - but warns Moscow is quickly improving its own drone capabilities.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine, said that Kyiv’s Unmanned Systems Forces have shot down more than 1,200 Russian drones over the last month, while the Ukrainian Army Aviation has destroyed more than 440 UAVs.
Helicopters are being kitted out with new detection systems, targeting systems and missile weaponry to defend against aerial threats, he said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Still, he cautioned, “the enemy is constantly changing its tactics for using UAVs, increasing their numbers and improving their quality”, adding that Russia “plans to raise the share of jet-powered strike drones to 50 per cent”.
Preview: 'Russian Davos' carries on despite Ukrainian attacks
11:30 , James ReynoldsUkraine kicked off Russia’s largest economic forum with a bang on Wednesday, claiming attacks on an oil terminal in St Petersburg and a naval base nearby.
The glitzy annual economic forum is designed to attract foreign investment, with growth in focus amid reports of disarray in Moscow’s budgeting as the four-year war starts to pinch.
On Thursday, speakers including Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Aleksandr Pankin, and former Italian deputy minister of economic development, Michele Geraci, will ask whether there is “any room for diplomacy in contemporary international relations”.
Saudi Arabia’s industry and mineral resource minister, Russia’s minister of natural resources and the environment, and first deputy prime minister of Russia Denis Manturov will discuss international cooperation on rare earth elements and critical minerals.
Steven Seagal is expected to join a talk on Russo-American ties, discussing the value of cross-cultural ties in a “shifting international landscape and ever-changing format of cooperation”, including opportunities for “joint humanitarian initiatives” and “new areas of common interest”.
There are separate talks to come on Russia and India, Russia and the UAE, ‘how to avoid losing billions in a cyberattack’ and dealing with fake news and information attacks in the modern age.
Recap: Vladimir Putin warned by his own officials that mounting cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
11:01 , James ReynoldsVladimir Putin has been warned that he cannot afford to sustain his war in Ukraine at the current pace, as Kyiv continues to tally frontline wins and devastate energy infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Top finance officials and Russia’s central bank are said to have urged the Kremlin to rein in spiralling defence spending, as both sides ramp up costly aerial attacks on vital infrastructure.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that Moscow is “losing on the battlefield” and “has no cards except terror”, despite a major blitz of cities across Ukraine overnight that killed at least 22 people.
As Kyiv continues to pile on the pressure with strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, defence officials in Moscow reportedly told Putin that they will need billions of extra dollars this year to fund the conflict, according to Bloomberg News.
Putin warned by his own officials that cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
Ukraine strikes centres in Russian-annexed Crimea
10:30 , James ReynoldsUkraine launched attacks on the two main centres in the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula, Kremlin-installed officials in the region said early on Thursday, a day after Moscow and Kyiv traded strikes on each other's cities.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, writing on Telegram, said Ukrainian forces had hit a non-residential part of Simferopol, the peninsula's main administrative town. The strike killed three people and injured seven, he said.
In the Crimean port of Sevastopol, the local Russia-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said air defence units had intercepted more than 20 Ukrainian drones.
Razvozhayev made no mention of casualties, but said drone debris had damaged some buildings. The air raid alert remained in effect in the city for nearly five hours.
In the Boryspil area outside Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, firefighters were extinguishing a blaze after an industrial facility was hit in a drone attack overnight, with one person injured, Ukraine's emergency service said on Telegram.
In Kramatorsk, one of Ukraine's critical "fortress cities" along the 1,200-km (775-mile) front line, Russian shelling killed at least three civilians, according to Vadym Filashkin, governor of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
In the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region, local governor Oleksandr Hanzha said Russian forces had injured eight people near the main regional centre of Dnipro.
In Russia's border region of Bryansk, Acting Regional Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said a Ukrainian drone had killed a crane operator working for the local utility.
Watch: Putin’s UK envoy admits war has ‘cost a lot’
10:00 , James ReynoldsRecap: Rubio promises news on Ukraine aid soon
09:30 , James ReynoldsUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday there will be news "pretty soon" on $400 million Congress approved for its war in Ukraine but delayed at the Department of Defense.
He added that the current risk of escalation in the conflict is “real” - more so than it was two years ago.
Rubio also revealed that president Trump will attend the Nato meeting of heads of state in Turkey in July.
"I think the next meeting of NATO and Turkey in July is probably the most important meeting in NATO's history, because there are some things here that need to be cleared up and fixed," Rubio told lawmakers adding that "The president himself will be attending."
Preview: 'Russian Davos' carries on despite Ukrainian attacks
09:24 , James ReynoldsUkraine kicked off Russia’s largest economic forum with a bang on Wednesday, claiming attacks on an oil terminal in St Petersburg and a naval base nearby.
The glitzy annual economic forum is designed to attract foreign investment, with growth in focus amid reports of disarray in Moscow’s budgeting as the four-year war starts to pinch.
On Thursday, speakers including Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Aleksandr Pankin, and former Italian deputy minister of economic development, Michele Geraci, will ask whether there is “any room for diplomacy in contemporary international relations”.
Saudi Arabia’s industry and mineral resource minister, Russia’s minister of natural resources and the environment, and first deputy prime minister of Russia Denis Manturov will discuss international cooperation on rare earth elements and critical minerals.
Steven Seagal is expected to join a talk on Russo-American ties, discussing the value of cross-cultural ties in a “shifting international landscape and ever-changing format of cooperation”, including opportunities for “joint humanitarian initiatives” and “new areas of common interest”.
There are separate talks to come on Russia and India, Russia and the UAE, ‘how to avoid losing billions in a cyberattack’ and dealing with fake news and information attacks in the modern age.
Russia continues attacks on Ukraine's logistics, deputy PM says
09:00 , James ReynoldsRussia is continuing its “systemic” attacks on Ukrainian logistics infrastructure and carried out more than 500 drone attacks in April alone, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Thursday.
Writing on Telegram, Kuleba said that Ukrainian ports came under the attacks practically every other day.
“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 935 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged or partially destroyed, 191 civilian vessels have been damaged, and 255 people have been injured,” he said.
Despite the attacks, Ukrainian maritime export corridor continued working and Ukrainian sea ports handled close to 35 million tons of cargo so far in 2026, he said.
One killed, three injured in Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea train, governor says
08:30 , James ReynoldsOne person was killed and three injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a commuter train in Crimea, the peninsula's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said on Thursday.
Zelensky thanks Starmer for work on holding negotiations to end war
08:06 , Arpan RaiUkraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with prime minister Keir Starmer yesterday to discuss the negotiations to end the war.
“I spoke with @Keir_Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We are preparing for negotiations and meetings, and this includes both weapons for our defence and our diplomacy – our joint diplomacy with Europe – to bring the war closer to an end,” he said on X.
“Europe definitely needs its own voice, its own position, and its own contribution to all diplomatic efforts that can help end the war. We coordinated on how to get there,” Zelensky said.
He also thanked Sir Keir for the latest UK sanctions on Russian cryptocurrency schemes.
“It is absolutely essential that all forms of pressure on the aggressor be further strengthened. I am grateful to the United Kingdom for its support!,” he said.
I spoke with @Keir_Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We are preparing for negotiations and meetings, and this includes both weapons for our defense and our diplomacy – our joint diplomacy with Europe – to bring the war closer to an end. Europe definitely needs… pic.twitter.com/Er8FhEjMsy
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 3, 2026
Ukraine strikes kill three in Russia-annexed Crimea
07:38 , Arpan RaiAt least three people have been killed in drone attacks after Ukraine launched strikes on the two main centres in the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula, Kremlin-installed officials in the region said early on Thursday.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, said Ukrainian forces had hit a non-residential part of Simferopol, the peninsula's main administrative town.
The strike killed three people and injured seven, he said.
In the Crimean port of Sevastopol, the local Russia-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said air defence units had intercepted more than 20 Ukrainian drones.
Razvozhayev made no mention of casualties, but said drone debris had damaged some buildings. The air raid alert remained in effect in the city for nearly five hours.
One killed, three injured in Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea train
07:19 , Arpan RaiAt least one person was killed and three injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a commuter train in Crimea, the peninsula's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said this morning.
Just hours earlier, Ukraine launched drone attacks on the two main centres in the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula, killing three people and injuring seven.
UK summons Russian ambassador after drone strike hit Nato ally Romania
06:48 , Arpan RaiBritain's foreign ministry summoned Russia's ambassador yesterday after a Russian drone last week struck a residential building in Nato member Romania.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned the incident, which occurred during a Russian attack on Ukraine and injured two people in the Romanian city of Galati, and said Britain stood united with allies to defend Nato territory.
“Russia’s later brutal bombardment of civilians in Ukraine comes afters its violation of Nato airspace last week, hitting a residential building in Romania," Britain's foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Injuring innocent civilians on Nato territory is unacceptable and a stark reminder of the threat that Ukrainian civilians are having to endure on a daily basis,” it added.
Watch: Putin’s UK envoy admits war has ‘cost a lot’
06:39 , Arpan RaiOne injured in Russian attack on Ukraine
06:38 , Arpan RaiAt least one person has been injured in the Boryspil area outside Ukraine's capital of Kyiv after a Russian drone hit an industrial facility, officials said.
Ukraine’s emergency service said firefighters were extinguishing a blaze at the facility overnight.
The post did not name the facility on fire. Boryspil, in Kyiv's eastern suburb, hosts the capital's main airport. It remains closed for civilian flights following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelensky admits Iran is Trump's priority in 'queue of wars'
06:26 , Arpan RaiUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a status update on US-led peace talks to end the war, and said Kyiv is stuck in a “queue of wars”.
“We are in constant contact with the American side. We are waiting for the negotiating team to arrive, but it is taking a very long time. Iran is currently the number one issue for the United States. Unfortunately, we [are] in this queue of wars,” he said last night.
He added that the US is the “strongest actor” to push Russian president Vladimir Putin into ending the war, alongside Europe.
“Because without Europe at the negotiating table, we cannot be sure that Europe will be heard. Ukraine is a future member of the EU. It is important for us that Europe is there. And this is absolutely fair: the war is here, on the European continent,” he said.
We are in constant contact with the American side. We are waiting for the negotiating team to arrive, but it is taking a very long time. Iran is currently the number one issue for the United States. Unfortunately, we in this queue of wars.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 3, 2026
I truly believe that the United States…
Ukraine embarasses Putin with strikes across St Petersburg
05:57 , Arpan RaiUkrainian drones hit an oil terminal in St Petersburg and a warship in dry-dock at anearby naval base, hours before Vladimir Putin's showcase economic forum got under way in the city, in a clear attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief.
The attack on Putin's home city, location of his own 'Davos' comes as both sides dial up strikes against each other in their more than four-year-old war with no imminent end in sight. Russia unleashed a huge wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his drones had struck a fuel terminal in St Petersburg on Wednesday and said they had also targeted a military facility in Kronstadt on an island near the city where elements of Russia's Baltic Fleet and major shipbuilding and repair facilities are located.
Ukraine released a video which showed a drone striking a Russian warship, the corvette Boiky, in what it said was a dry dock at Kronstadt.
A plume of grey smoke was visible from St Petersburg's historic city centre and witnesses heard loud explosions on Wednesday morning.
Germany, France, UK draw up plan to engage Putin in Ukraine talks – report
05:16 , Arpan RaiA group of Ukraine’s key European allies are working on plans with Kyiv to engage Russia in negotiations to end the war, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Officials from Germany, France and the UK, Europe's three biggest economies, have been discussing the possibility of holding talks and have discussed the matter with their Ukrainian counterparts, the report added.
Trump’s ballroom chief, conspiracy theorists and Steven Seagal: The surprise US guests attending Putin’s own ‘Davos’
05:08 , Arpan RaiRussia’s answer to the Davos economic summit kicked off on Wednesday, days after Vladimir Putin was warned that he can no longer afford to fight his war with Ukraine at the current pace.
Formally known as the St Petersburg Economic Forum, the meeting has attracted an eclectic crowd, including famous Americans attracted to Moscow’s claims of “anti-wokery” and support for “traditional values”.
Moscow will be looking to strengthen its economic footing after top finance officials and Russia’s central bank are said to have urged the Kremlin to rein in spiralling defence spending, with Russia and Ukraine ramping up costly aerial attacks on vital infrastructure.
Trump’s ballroom chief and Steven Seagal: The surprise US guests at Russia’s ‘Davos’
Nato chief tells Russian men ‘very high chance you’ll die’ if they fight Ukraine war
04:48 , Arpan RaiNato secretary general Mark Rutte has issued words of caution for Russian nationals being asked to fight in the war in Ukraine, warning them that they are likely to be killed in action.
Speaking to reporters after holding talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Rutte directly addressed young Russians who could be asked to join the war.
“You are being sold a raw deal," he said. "Men like you who join the fight - you won't be trained. Equipment they'll provide you with is substandard,” Rutte said.
“There is a very high chance you'll die or be wounded while you're out there. And odds are, that if you are wounded, you will be left to suffer in the mud and die,” the top Nato official said.
He added that Russian forces are suffering “absolutely staggering” losses of more than 30,000 of its soldiers dying every month.
Ukraine war cost us a lot, says Russian envoy to the UK
04:41 , Arpan RaiThe Russian ambassador to the UK has said the war in Ukraine is taking a toll on Moscow and the stakes are now too high for Russian forces to “lose this war”.
“We cannot lose this war,” Andrey Kelin told Sky News. “We simply have to win it. That is the way we still continue to do it,” he said.
"I cannot deny that the war cost a lot. And this year we have a certain very low percentage of growth. Yes, Ukraine has struck our refineries quite a lot, [including] on our exportation facilities in St Petersburg. But we learned how to re-establish it,” he said, discussing the toll the war has taken on Russia’s economy.
Kelin did admit Ukraine’s gain of “some square kilometres” on the battlefield but claimed that the threat from Ukrainian forces is now being repelled back.
