The Ukraine war is experiencing one of its most escalated moments. Drones and missiles from both sides have multiplied in recent days, especially last weekend when Russia launched one of its worst aerial attacks since the invasion began, firing over 900 drones and 90 missiles in three days.
Kiev and Moscow held direct talks on May 16, in response to the persistent request of US President Donald Trump, but failed to reach an agreement on the ceasefire that Ukraine had requested. Now, Ukraine is "ready" to negotiate with Russia next Monday but wants a "constructive discussion," stated Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration.
On the front lines, the wave of massive Russian airstrikes has tested Ukraine's air defenses, raising concerns about its reliance on costly weapons supplied by the West. Experts doubt Kiev's ability to defend itself in the long term if Moscow maintains or intensifies its attacks, as Russian drone and missile attacks are becoming increasingly complex and difficult to counter, according to military experts.
Putin appoints Medinsky to attend a meeting in Turkey that Ukraine has not yet accepted
The Kremlin advisor Vladimir Medinsky will once again lead the Russian delegation in Istanbul on June 2 for what could be the second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian envoy will bring a memorandum and other ceasefire proposals, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday. Ukraine has not yet responded to Russia's proposals to hold talks in Istanbul next week.
Russia offers new negotiations, but Ukraine wants to see their peace proposal first
The Russian government has proposed holding the second round of direct contacts with Ukraine next Monday, June 2, in the Turkish city of Istanbul. This would be the second meeting after the first encounter between the parties took place in mid-May after more than three years.
Russian company rewards military personnel who shot down an F-16 in Ukraine with $190,000
A Russian company awarded a total of 15 million rubles (about $190,000) to twelve military personnel who participated in shooting down the F-16 fighter jet last April in Ukraine, local media reported today. According to the Kommersant newspaper, the prize was distributed by the company FORES, a manufacturer of stabilizers in the oil industry.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the downing of an F-16 in Ukraine last April. Ukraine, on the other hand, stated that Ukrainian pilot Pavlo Ivanov, 26, died while operating the fighter jet during a combat mission.
The first confirmed loss of an F-16 fighter jet occurred on August 26, 2024. Ukraine aims to replace its small and old fleet of outdated Soviet-era combat aircraft with more modern Western aircraft such as the F-16 (USA) and the Mirage-2000 (France) to reduce Russia's air superiority.
Belarus receives a shipment of Russian Mi-35M military transport helicopters
Belarus received a shipment of Mi-35M military transport helicopters as part of the technical-military cooperation with Russia, according to reports from the Ministry of Defense of the former Soviet republic.
The Mi-35M is a modernized version of the Mi-24 that can fly day and night, regardless of weather conditions.
Belarus, accused by Ukraine of being complicit in the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, accuses NATO of concentrating forces on its borders.
Albares assures his Lithuanian counterpart of Spain's support for Baltic security
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, met with his Lithuanian counterpart, Kestutis Budrys, to express Spain's commitment to supporting Ukraine and the security of the Baltic countries, neighbors of Russia, as reported by Efe.
For his part, Budrys thanked Spain for reinforcing the "front line" of NATO and called on allies to step up their defense investments.
Russia takes over a dozen Ukrainian localities in a week
Russian forces captured 13 Ukrainian localities in the last week, four of them in the northeastern Sumy region, where Russian forces intensified the offensive after the announcement of a security zone creation on the border with Ukraine, according to Efe.
Meanwhile, the Zapad (West) military group took the localities of Stroevka and Kondrashivka in Kharkiv. The capture of the latter, located five kilometers north of the city of Kupiansk, occupied by Russia at the beginning of the war and recaptured by Ukraine in September 2022, was announced today.
Russian forces capture Kindrashivka in eastern Ukraine
Russian troops captured the settlement of Kindrashivka in the eastern Kharkiv region, reported the state news agency RIA Novosti on Friday, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, as reported by Reuters.
Russian negotiators will travel to Istanbul even if Ukraine does not confirm its presence
The Kremlin announced today that a Russian delegation will travel to Istanbul to participate in the second round of peace negotiations on Monday, even though Ukraine has not yet confirmed its presence, according to Efe.
Turkey offers to host a Putin-Zelensky-Trump meeting
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, proposed on Friday during his visit to Kiev that Turkey organize a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and US President Donald Trump, as reported by Afp.
If Putin wants war, Russians want peace, according to a sociologist
Contrary to appearances, a large majority of Russians want President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, although they do not renounce the territorial gains made in the last three and a half years, sociologist Oleg Zhurabliov told EFE.
However, he admits that many Russians are unaware of what is at stake in the peace negotiations with Ukraine that began in mid-May in Istanbul.
Serbian President vows to prevent ammunition shipments to Ukraine
The Serbian President, nationalist populist Aleksandar Vucic, stated that he will prevent Serbian military material exports, such as ammunition and projectiles, from ending up in Ukraine, following complaints from Russia in that regard, as reported by Efe based on reports from Belgrade's press.
The Serbian President stated that he will give the order to prevent the execution of contracts on the export of ammunition if there are suspicions of abuses regarding the "end-user," and if the shipments end up in Ukraine.