Donald Trump has said a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could be “next” after he held talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky separately.
Trump was speaking immediately after announcing that he had signed a memorandum to bring an end to the Iran war.
Trump said he had “good conversations” with Putin and Zelensky on Sunday and that both leaders are open to “do something” about bringing an end to the war.
He made the remarks alongside French president Emmanuel Macron as he arrived in Evian-les-Bains in France for talks with G7 leaders.
The summit comes as Russian advances in Ukraine have slowed and Ukraine seeks more military funding from its allies, amid a barrage of attacks on Kyiv.
Meanwhile, a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber plane crashed in Siberia's Irkutsk region during a training flight, the Russian defence ministry said.
The nuclear-capable Tu-22 is a Soviet-era supersonic bomber that Russia has since used for combat missions in Syria and Ukraine.
Key Points
- Zelensky says he is ready to meet Putin in the US
- Russian bank chief who threatened to quit over Ukraine war ‘vanishes’
- Starmer to unveil fresh sanctions on Russian shadow fleet vessels
- UK announces more nuclear fuel for Ukraine at G7 talks
- The 1,000-year-old Ukraine monastery damaged in Russia’s latest strike
Ending Ukraine war on agenda as G7 leaders open summit talks
06:59 , Arpan Rai
Leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialised nations face a packed agenda on their first full day today, including challenging discussions on ending Russia's war in Ukraine and addressing the Middle East crisis.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will be in attendance at the invitation of host France.
The Ukraine talks come on the heels of US president Donald Trump's announcement of an agreement to end the US war against Iran.
Trump said he had good conversations on Sunday with both Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.
“Now that this (Iran) is finished, we’re going to be focusing on that,” he said, speaking during a bilateral meeting Monday with French president Emmanuel Macron.
The exchange suggests Washington hasn’t given up on its diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting that followed Moscow’s all-out invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
“The right negotiation is one in which Ukraine and Russia are at the table, but with Europeans and Americans present as well,” Macron said on French television.
Macron said he’ll seek to persuade Trump to continue supporting Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to help reach a peace agreement.
Hours before the start of the G7 summit, Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine’s biggest cities in a barrage that killed 11 people and set fire to a religious landmark.
Belarus's Lukashenko says battlefield victory unrealistic for both Russia and Ukraine
06:26 , Arpan Rai
Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has said it was clear that victory on the battlefield was unrealistic for both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war but claimed that Russian forces were still advancing.
Speaking to Al Arabiya newspaper, one of Vladimir Putin's closest allies said that both sides – Russia and Ukraine – must compromise to end the war that has raged for more than four years with no end in sight.
“Today, we need to use any steps to reach a peaceful agreement through compromises. For the long term," he said in the interview, which was republished by Belarus' Belta news agency.
“If they realise on both sides... you can't go further, otherwise there will be escalation and an even worse situation... If this sinks into the minds of the fighters and their supporters, it means a compromise can be reached," he said.
Belarus allowed Russia to use its territory for the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has allowed Moscow to deploy nuclear weapons on its soil.
Lukashenko said that while Russian forces were "advancing step-by-step" in the face of stout Ukrainian defence, both sides faced a shortage of troops.
“Russians are experiencing this shortage. Maybe not like in Ukraine, but it's there. But that's the main issue of this conflict – they are running out of people," Lukashenko said.
Animals killed as Russian drone hits zoo in Ukraine's Kharkiv
05:53 , Arpan Rai
A Russian drone struck enclosures at the zoo in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing rabbits and inflicting stress on other animals, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors in Kharkiv region in Ukraine's northeast said the drone hit an area described as a vivarium in which hundreds of rabbits, Guinea pigs, rats and mice were housed.
A statement on Telegram said 10 rabbits were killed and 15 injured.
The statement said an elephant was suffering from stress after the strike damaged the outside of its adjacent enclosure. There were no casualties among staff or visitors.
An "eco park" outside Kharkiv came under a Russian attack earlier this year and staff said at the time that several birds had been killed. Kharkiv, about 30km (18 miles) from the Russian border, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks in the more than four-year-long war.
Drone debris causes fire at oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar region near Crimea
05:17 , Arpan Rai
Drone debris caused a fire at an oil depot in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, authorities said this morning, as they closed a local road connecting the damaged area to the Crimean peninsula.
The bridge is one of the supply routes to the Black Sea peninsula in addition to a few other roads from the nearby Russia-held areas of Ukraine.
There were no casualties following the fire at the oil depot, located in the Poltavskaya area of the region of Krasnodar, just across from Crimea, regional officials said.
Authorities said they closed a local road connecting the area with a regional route leading to the bridge across the Kerch Strait linking Crimea to the Krasnodar region, built by Moscow after illegally annexing the peninsula.
The attack could deal a serious blow to the population in Crimea which is already facing a massive fuel shortage amid rising drone attacks on fuel and oil facilities.
Starmer to unveil fresh sanctions on Russian shadow fleet vessels
04:55 , Arpan Rai
Sir Keir Starmer is set to unveil a fresh package of sanctions on Russian shadow fleet vessels as part of an attempt to choke Vladimir Putin’s war effort, whilst bolstering Ukraine’s nuclear power infrastructure with a £210m export finance package.
The prime minister, who set out the plans as he arrived in France for the G7 summit, warned that Putin’s “aggression threatens not just Ukraine, but the security of all Europe”.
It comes after the British armed forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet vessel in the Channel early on Sunday during a six-hour operation – the first UK-led operation of its kind.
Speaking on Tuesday, Sir Keir said: “The UK is stepping up – choking off the revenues that fuel Putin's war and powering Ukraine through the winters ahead.
Starmer to unveil new sanctions on Russian vessels and support for Ukrainian energy
UK announces more nuclear fuel for Ukraine at G7 talks
04:45 , Arpan Rai
Britain is set to supply more nuclear fuel to Ukraine in renewed support for the war-hit nation and also ramp up sanctions against Russia, prime minister Keir Starmer will announce at a meeting with G7 leaders in France today.
As part of an effort to show support for Ukraine remains steadfast, the UK will now provide £210 million of UK Export Finance to power Ukraine's nuclear plants for the next two years as part of a package which will enable UK-based Urenco to supply enriched uranium to Ukraine's nuclear power producer, Energoatom – which provides more than half of the country's electricity.
It was agreed last week at a meeting in Downing Street between Sir Keir and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The agreement also supports UK jobs and exports, the government said, with more than a third of the uranium content originating from Urenco's processing plant in the North-West of England.
Zelensky says he is ready to meet Putin in the US
04:42 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has offered to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after he met with Donald Trump and European leaders at the G7 gathering in France yesterday.
“Yesterday (Sunday), we discussed with President Trump that such a meeting could be organised in the US, in a format where Putin would find it much harder to refuse,” Zelensky said in a video address posted on X.
“We will see what comes of it. If Russia refuses this chance as well, additional pressure will be needed.”
A Ukrainian official familiar with the matter said the Kremlin has not replied to Zelensky’s proposal. The Kremlin has said repeatedly that if Zelensky wants to meet Putin, he can come to Moscow.
Earlier, Zelensky said he offered to meet Putin during the G7, but that Moscow had “once again demonstrated that it is not ready to speak about this.”
Putin is wanted by the ICC on a warrant dating to March 2023 for alleged involvement in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the conflict. France would be obliged as an ICC member to arrest him. The United States and Russia both oppose the court.
Russian bank chief who threatened to quit over Ukraine war ‘vanishes’
04:37 , Arpan Rai
The head of Russia’s central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, who warned president Vladimir Putin that she would exit the top role if he continues to escalate the war in Ukraine, has not been seen in public for almost three weeks.
Nabiullina had been tasked with protecting the Russian economy at a time when it has invaded Ukraine and poured much of its resources into the war.
The former Russian economy minister and a close adviser to the Kremlin has been in her position since 2013.
She was last seen in public at the end of May, and reportedly missed the key economic forum in St Petersburg where Putin attempted to project financial stability and strength in his bid to shore up investments.
Nabiullina also did not appear at a meeting chaired by Putin on inflation and interest rates.
However, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rubbished reports of her being "missing" and said it is not a cause for “conspiracy theories”. “People get sick sometimes,” he added.
This was backed up by the central bank, which announced Nabiullina was on sick leave but will make an appearance at a press conference on 19 June following a Board of Directors meeting on Russia’s monetary policy.
UK charges captain of Russian shadow fleet tanker with sanctions breach
04:33 , Arpan Rai
The captain of a Russian shadow fleet vessel intercepted by British commandos was charged with contravening sanctions, Britain's National Crime Agency announced.
Ajay Pant, an Indian national, was charged with "directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil/oil products from Russia to a third country...," the agency said.
Pant is set to appear at the Southampton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, the agency added.
British commandos on Sunday boarded and intercepted Smyrtos, a sanctioned Russian oil tanker sailing under a Cameroonian flag, in the English Channel. The tanker has been detained.
The UK has sanctioned almost 600 Russian shadow fleet vessels. Russia's oil revenue helps fund its war in Ukraine.
‘Like bombing Notre-Dame’: The 1,000-year-old Ukraine monastery damaged in Russia’s latest strike
04:00 , Alex Croft
A 1,000-year-old monastery that symbolises Ukraine’s spiritual and cultural heritage was badly damaged in the heaviest Russian aerial attack on Kyiv in two weeks, authorities said on Monday, while 10 people were killed nationwide in the overnight strikes.
France’s foreign minister said the attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a Unesco world heritage site founded in 1051, was akin to bombing Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
The Russian strikes came after Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had discussed with US president Donald Trump efforts to secure an end to the conflict, ahead of a G7 meeting in France this week.
“A Russian strike on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra set the Dormition Cathedral on fire – a church whose history dates back to the 11th century. And this is one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date,” Mr Zelensky said on X.
Read more here:
‘Like bombing Notre Dame’: The Ukraine monastery damaged in Russia’s latest strike
Trump's former Ukraine envoy says Putin's attack on monastery 'makes no sense'
03:00 , Alex Croft
The former US special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has condemned the Russian attack on Kyiv’s monastery and said it is like the bombing of St Paul's Cathedral in 1940 by Nazi Germany.
“This attack tonight on the Monastery by the Russians in Kyiv makes no sense. It has a parallel with the bombing of London’s St. Paul’s in 1940 by the Germans. It won’t work,” Kellogg said on X.
He added: “Someone tell me the military necessity of the Russian attack. There is none.”
Metropolitan Epifaniy calls out 'anti-Christ' Putin after attack on Kyiv monastery
02:00 , Alex Croft
The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has condemned Russia's attack on a major cathedral in Kyiv, calling Vladimir Putin the "Kremlin Antichrist".
“Due to the Russian shelling that is currently taking place, on the night of 15 June, the roof of one of the holiest places in the Christian world – the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra – is burning,” Metropolitan Epifaniy said on X, calling the attack “another Russian crime against humanity, against history and against Christianity”.
“What more must the Kremlin Antichrist do for the world to realize that decisive action must be taken so that the Russian terror against Ukraine and the very principles of peace comes to an end?” he asked.
Bridges connecting Russia-occupied Kherson region with Crimea hit by attack
01:01 , Alex Croft
At least two bridges connecting the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Kherson region with Crimea were damaged and traffic suspended by an overnight drone attack by Ukraine, the Russian-installed governor Vladimir Saldo said on Telegram this morning.
The bridge was one of the few connectivity options for Russian forces to supply their troops with manpower and ammunition. It is not yet clear how badly Russia's military operations in Ukraine's east will be impacted due to the attack.
The illegally-annexed Crimea peninsula has faced a fuel supply crisis after intensifying attacks.
Zelensky accuses Russia of 'deliberately' hitting historic cathedral - ICYMI
Tuesday 16 June 2026 00:01 , Alex Croft
President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “deliberately” targeting a historic cathedral, which is also a Unesco world heritage site.
“It has been confirmed that two Russian drones deliberately targeted the part of the city where the Lavra and the Mystetskyi Arsenal are located,” he wrote in a post on X on Monday.
“As of now, 35 people are reported injured in Kyiv. Across the country, 53 people have been wounded, and 11 people are known to have been killed in this massive Russian attack.”
EU imposes fresh sanctions on individuals and entities related to Russia
Monday 15 June 2026 23:00 , Alex Croft
The EU has approved a series of new sanctions against individuals and entities that support the Russian war effort.
The EU added a total of 34 individuals and 47 entities related to Russia's military and industrial complex, the shadow fleet of oil and gas tankers as well as others that are related to Russia's political interference activities, the EU council said on Monday.
The new restrictions were approved, while a 21st package of wider sanctions is being discussed by EU member states' ministers, EU's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said in a statement.
Watch: Historic Kyiv cathedral catches fire after Russian strike
Monday 15 June 2026 22:00 , Alex Croft
Merz: Iran deal could open up window for Ukraine peace
Monday 15 June 2026 21:01 , Alex Croft
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that a peace deal in Iran could open a window of diplomacy for the Ukraine war.
He added that he wanted to discuss this with US president Donald Trump.
Speaking ahead of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting hosted by France this week, Merz also said that the deal could stabilise the global economy, adding that the agreement must also count for Lebanon.
Downtown Geneva boards up as drastic security tightens ahead of anti-G7 protests
Monday 15 June 2026 20:01 , Maira Butt
Scores of shops and businesses in downtown Geneva boarded up their storefronts with wooden panels ahead of planned anti-G7 protests on Sunday.
French and Swiss authorities have imposed extensive security measures as U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders attend a G7 summit of leading industrialized nations starting on Monday. There are concerns the gathering could trigger violent unrest.
The June 15-17 summit of some of the world’s richest nations being held in the French town of Evian-les-Bains, on Lake Geneva, is meant to discuss the Middle East, Ukraine and global economic imbalances. Activist groups including environmentalists, feminists and foes of capitalism have called for a big demonstration later Sunday.
Downtown Geneva boards up as drastic security tightens ahead of anti-G7 protests
‘Like bombing Notre Dame’: The 1,000-year-old Ukraine monastery damaged in Russia’s latest strike
Monday 15 June 2026 19:00 , Maira Butt
A 1,000-year-old monastery that symbolises Ukraine's spiritual and cultural heritage was badly damaged in the heaviest Russian aerial attack on Kyiv in two weeks, authorities said on Monday, while 10 people were killed nationwide in the overnight strikes.
France's foreign minister said the attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1051, was akin to bombing Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.
The Russian strikes came after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump efforts to secure an end to the more than four-year conflict, ahead of a G7 meeting in France this week.
‘Like bombing Notre Dame’: The Ukraine monastery damaged in Russia’s latest strike
Ukrainian man found guilty of setting property linked to UK PM Starmer on fire
Monday 15 June 2026 18:00 , Maira Butt
A Ukrainian man was found guilty on Monday of carrying out arson attacks on property connected to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in May last year on behalf of a mystery figure he knew only as “El Money”.
Over five days last May, police were called to fires at a house in north London connected to Starmer, another at a property nearby where he had previously lived, and to a blaze involving a Toyota car that also once belonged to the British leader.
Roman Lavrynovych, 22, was found guilty at London's Old Bailey Court of two counts of committing arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He was acquitted of two counts of committing arson with intent to risk life.
Lavrynovych and Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, who was born in Ukraine, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson. Fellow Ukrainian Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted of the same charge.
They will be sentenced on Friday.
