Key Points
- US House backs critical aid for Ukraine worth $8bn and rolls out sanctions on Russia
- Trump says would be great if Zelensky and Putin meet after Ukrainian president's letter
- Sweden says EU considers limiting protection for Ukrainian men of fighting age
- Putin's forces could be at war for 'decades' says ex-KGB spy, warning that West was trying to avoid a nuclear confrontation
- Putin refuses to rule out signing peace deal with Zelensky if an agreement is reached to end war
US House backs Russia sanctions and Ukraine aid
03:58 , Arpan Rai
The US House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday to provide aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia, the latest sign that some Republicans are willing to defy party leaders and push back against president Donald Trump.
The House voted 226 to 195 for the Ukraine Support Act, which reached the floor after languishing for months. A handful of Republicans joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition to force the vote.
On Thursday, 18 Republicans and one independent who normally votes with them joined Democrats to pass the bill. It was the latest sign of a crack in what had been virtually unanimous support among members of Trump's party for his policies.
Passage came a day after a smaller group of House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a resolution that would force the withdrawal of troops from hostilities with Iran unless Congress declares war or orders the use of military force.
One dead in Russian attack in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region
06:46 , Arpan Rai
A Russian attack killed a woman in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday, the regional governor said.
Ivan Fedorov, writing on Telegram, said 11 people had been injured in the incident involving glide bombs in the region and air alerts were intermittently imposed throughout the evening.
Earlier in the day, a Russian attack on the town of Yampil, in Sumy Region near the border with Russia, killed two people, regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Telegram.
Putin dismisses sabotage accusations of attacks on Europe
06:19 , Arpan Rai
Asked about an AP investigation tracking 191 incidents across Europe, including sabotage, cyberattacks, attempted assassination and other activity that Western officials say are part of a Russian-masterminded campaign, Vladimir Putin said there was no detailed proof of Moscow’s involvement.
“What are the specific facts? What has been proven?” he said, adding that the accusations showed that Europe was not ready to talk to Russia as an equal partner.
“This only shows that certain political figures in the West are trying to carry out aggressive plans against the Russian Federation,” he said.
Asked whether Russia could contribute to a settlement of the war in Iran, Putin responded that Moscow’s proposal to take enriched uranium from Iran for storage remains on the table. He noted Russia did so as part of the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, “and we are ready to do it now.”
Putin says Russia will bolster its air defenses in response to Ukrainian drone attacks
06:02 , Arpan Rai
President Vladimir Putin has vowed that Russia will strengthen its air defences to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over his showcase economic forum in his hometown of St Petersburg.
Speaking in response to a question from The Associated Press during a meeting with heads of international news agencies, Putin acknowledged the damage from Ukrainian drone attacks.
“To our regret, some of them break through,” Putin said of the drone strikes. “Russia has an air defense system, we need to improve it, strengthen it, and we will do that.”
Putin says Russia used Oreshnik missile to attack Ukraine to 'observe' results for future use
05:42 , Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin said that his forces fired the medium-range Oreshnik ballistic missile on Kyiv last month as a test to observe the impact of the deadly missile.
"I'll reveal a major military state secret. We simply struck where it was convenient to observe the results," Putin told reporters yesterday in a press briefing.
"We haven't had a single combat use of the Oreshnik missile in the true sense of the word on Ukrainian territory," he added.
“It was important for making a decision on the future on the full-format use of the Oreshnik on designated targets, including those in populated areas,” Putin said.
Watch: Ukraine strikes Russian patrol boat in Crimea
05:15 , Arpan Rai
Republican leaders tried to stop the bill for Ukraine aid
04:52 , Arpan Rai
Republican leaders urged their members to oppose the legislation. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said there are good-faith negotiations between members of Congress and the White House to boost Ukraine.
He described the negotiations as complicated.
“I think they are going to yield positive results, but you set that back if you pass legislation that doesn't go as far as the negotiations are going,” Scalise said.
US-led peace efforts have fizzled out as the sides made no progress on key differences and after the war in Iran grabbed Washington’s attention.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by Trump, but Vladimir Putin has refused.
Trump says would be great if Zelensky and Putin meet
04:44 , Arpan Rai
President Donald Trump has welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky’s initiative to call for a direct meeting with Vladimir Putin.
The US president said it would be great if the leaders of Ukraine and Russia met to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
EU considers limiting protection for Ukrainian men of fighting age
04:25 , Arpan Rai
EU ministers have broadly supported a proposal to limit access to temporary protection for Ukrainian men of military age, Sweden's migration minister said.
The European Union activated the Temporary Protection Directive after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to manage large-scale arrivals of displaced people.
The scheme, which has been extended three times and is due to expire in March 2027, grants beneficiaries residence permits, access to the labour market and social welfare.
Swedish migration minister Johan Forssell said his country was in favour of the proposal which was discussed at a Justice and Home Affairs meeting in Luxembourg. Any restrictions should apply only to new arrivals seeking temporary protection status, not to those already covered by the scheme, he added.
“It is essential for us to provide Ukrainians with protection, but at the same time the war needs to be fought and won. For that to happen, it is essential that more men stay in Ukraine and fight," Forssell said ahead of the meeting.
The European Commission would need to propose any extension or modification of the scheme, which must then be approved by EU countries.
More than 4.33 million people who have fled Ukraine currently benefit from the directive, according to Eurostat data. Germany hosts the largest share of Ukrainians under the scheme, about 29 per cent of the EU total, followed by Poland and Czechia, Eurostat data showed.
Putin sticks to hardline stance on war in Ukraine, says will end war if Kyiv compromises
04:17 , Arpan Rai
President Vladimir Putin stuck to his hardline stance on the war in Ukraine and said his troops were advancing on the battlefield every day, but added that US president Donald Trump's proposals for peace could end the fighting if Kyiv was ready to compromise.
He made his comments to foreign media editors, including Reuters, on the sidelines of Russia's showcase annual economic forum
Putin's spokesperson said the Kremlin chief was aware of the message, but had not yet had a chance to familiarise himself with its contents in detail. Trump said it would be great if the two leaders met.
Speaking in what is the fifth year of Europe's deadliest land war since the Second World War, Putin said that manpower, industrial resources and will power were on Russia's side.
His army had "recently" pushed Ukrainian forces out of nearly 2,500km (1,553 miles) of territory, he said, though he conceded that Moscow had to and would improve its air defences to contend with a growing threat from Ukrainian drones.
Some Western and Ukrainian military analysts say Russia's advance has slowed significantly, however, and argue that Russia is still a long way from achieving its own stated military goals.
Striking a bullish note, Putin said: "The offensive is ongoing on a daily basis. At present, the Russian Federation has taken full control of the Luhansk People’s Republic – 100 per cent. And Russia has brought over 85 per cent of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic under its control. (And) 80 per cent of the territory of the Zaporizhzhia region," he said, referring to three of the four regions in Ukraine which Moscow claimed as its own in 2022 in a move Kyiv and most Western countries rejected as an illegal land grab.
"Naturally, under these circumstances, the Ukrainian side would like us to halt the advance. But rather than stopping that, it would be better to bring the war to an end altogether by agreeing to the compromises that were discussed in Anchorage," he said, referring to a summit he held in Alaska with Trump in August last year.
'Biden's war' has become 'Trump's war', says Russia's Lavrov after Rubio comments
04:00 , James Reynolds
US 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.
Occupied Crimea tightens fuel rationing following Ukrainian strikes
03:00 , James Reynolds
Russian-controlled Crimea tightened its rationing of fuel supplies on Thursday, suspending all cash sales of gasoline and the issuance of new coupons to buy it as the peninsula grapples with a shortage linked to Ukrainian drone strikes.
Drivers in the region, annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, have faced long lines at filling stations in recent days after attacks by Kyiv constricted supplies from adjoining Russian-controlled territory in southeast Ukraine.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed head of Crimea, announced the new measures in a statement, tightening restrictions on petrol sales that were first imposed on May 31.
"Starting today, for several days, the sale of gasoline for cash will be completely suspended," he said, adding that no new coupons would be issued for the purchase of fuel either. Transactions with existing coupons will be capped at 20 litre. He blamed "difficult circumstances" for the rationing, without providing further details.
Ukraine has for months been attacking fuel infrastructure close to Crimea, and elsewhere in an effort to limit Moscow's ability to finance its more than four-year war in Ukraine at a time of high global oil prices.
Recap: All EU members greenlight first step for Ukrainian accession talks
02:00 , James Reynolds
All 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.
Recap: Putin's forces could be at war for 'decades' says ex-KGB spy
01:00 , James Reynolds
A former 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.”
Germany and France float wider benefits for aspiring EU members: report
Friday 5 June 2026 00:00 , Reuters
Germany and France have proposed giving aspiring European Union members more opportunities to join EU programmes and access the single market before joining the bloc, according to a discussion paper seen by Reuters on Thursday.
The paper says it is intended to inject new momentum into discussions on enlarging the 27-member bloc ahead of a summit between EU and Western Balkan leaders on Friday and another summit with Moldova later this month.
Enlargement has risen up the EU agenda due to Russia's war against Ukraine, with Kyiv keen to join the bloc to anchor itself in Europe's political mainstream.
But the process for joining the bloc is usually long and bureaucratic, involving years of negotiations and legal reforms, which has prompted EU officials to look for ways to offer more tangible benefits to candidate countries before that journey is complete.
"We must provide additional incentives as part of a merit-based, gradual integration process and streamline the current process to make it more efficient and to allow for faster and deeper integration," the Franco-German paper says.
The paper proposes possible participation in EU student exchange and research programmes, as well as potential integration in areas such as energy, industry and the bloc’s Emissions Trading System – if the candidate country meets specific standards.
It also raises the possibility of allowing representatives of Western Balkan countries and Moldova to participate in parts of EU ministerial meetings and summits, although without the right to vote in them.
Sweden's Gripen faces moment of truth in Ukraine's air war with Russia
Thursday 4 June 2026 23:00 , Reuters
After Ukraine said it will make the Gripen the backbone of its air force, the Swedish fighter jet is finally set to be tested in the role it was designed for: confronting Russia.
Ukraine has allocated €2.5 billion of a €90 billion European Union loan to buy 20 new Gripen E fighters and is also set to receive 16 older models donated by Sweden, a potent new asset to protect Ukrainian cities.
"We need these jets and for us this is really a new page for Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said as he signed the deal with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at Uppsala airbase last week.
The deal, which may rise to 150 new planes, could see the Gripen face Russian opponents within a year, offering a first real combat test for a jet long praised for its capabilities but never proven in high-intensity warfare.
The Gripen first flew in 1988 and has been sold to countries including Brazil and South Africa. It has carried out surveillance missions and air policing while Thai Gripens skirmished with Cambodian forces.
"This will be something completely different, it will be a test against the systems that this aircraft is actually designed to face: Russia," Lieutenant Colonel and Swedish Defence University lecturer Johan Huovinen said.
"It will be a test of Swedish technology in the end."
Putin faces rival visions of peace or war for decades during Russia’s answer to ‘Davos’
Thursday 4 June 2026 22:00 , James Reynolds
President Vladimir Putin hosted Russia's premier annual investment conference in St Petersburg, where two rival visions for the nation's future clashed amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine.
At the glitzy St Petersburg International Economic Forum, some participants advocated for Russia to continue its fight and prepare for global confrontation with the West.
In contrast, others highlighted the economic benefits of ending a conflict that recently saw Ukrainian drones strike a St Petersburg oil terminal and naval base, sending smoke billowing over parts of the city and bringing the war almost to the forum's doorstep.
Read the full story:
Putin faces rival visions of peace or war for decades at Russia’s answer to ‘Davos’
The surprise US guests at Putin's version of Davos
Thursday 4 June 2026 21:00 , James Reynolds
Russia’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’
Zelensky offers to meet Putin for peace talks
Thursday 4 June 2026 20:05 , Daniel Keane
Ukrainian 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."
Recap: Zelensky warns Russian forces could again launch a massive attack on Ukraine
Thursday 4 June 2026 20:00 , James Reynolds
Putin refuses to rule out signing peace deal with Zelensky
Thursday 4 June 2026 19:44 , Jane Dalton
Speaking 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
Thursday 4 June 2026 19:31 , Jane Dalton
Russian 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
Thursday 4 June 2026 19:00 , Reuters
French 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
Thursday 4 June 2026 18:00 , James Reynolds
Concerns 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
Thursday 4 June 2026 17:00 , James Reynolds
A 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
Thursday 4 June 2026 16:56 , James Reynolds
US 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.
