Ukraine-Russia battle newest: Putin will take revenge for Kyiv’s drone assault, warns Trump after telephone name | EUROtoday

Russia’s deputy international minister has claimed the nation’s plane had been broken however not destroyed in a 1 June assault by Ukraine, and they are going to be restored.

“The equipment in question, as was also stated by representatives of the Ministry of Defence, was not destroyed but damaged. It will be restored,” the minister Sergei Ryabkov stated.

The United States assesses that Ukraine’s drone assault over the weekend hit as many as 20 Russian warplanes, destroying round 10 of them, two US officers informed Reuters, a determine that’s about half the quantity estimated by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

This comes simply hours after Russian president Vladimir Putin informed president Donald Trump in a phone dialog on Wednesday that Moscow must reply to the 1 June assault.

Russian forces superior additional into Ukraine’s northern area of Sumy, threatening the regional capital after taking greater than 150 sq. km (58 sq miles) in lower than two weeks, in accordance with Russian officers and Ukrainian open supply mapping.

President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to concentrate on making a “buffer zone” of Russian-controlled territory in Sumy after Ukraine’s lightning incursion into the neighbouring Kursk area final August.

Russia’s defence ministry stated its troops had taken the settlement of Kindrativka and had been simply 25-30km (15-20 miles) from the town of Sumy, which is now inside artillery and drone vary.

“The Russian Armed Forces continue their successful offensive north of Sumy,” stated Yuri Podolyaka, one of the vital influential pro-Russian army bloggers.

The Ukrainian Deep State map of the battlefield confirmed Russia with management over 154.4 sq. km (60 sq. miles) of Sumy area and attacking it from completely different instructions.

Andriy Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, stated that Russia was utilizing small assault teams – moderately than armoured automobiles – to penetrate into Sumy, Interfax Ukraine reported.

Kyiv stated a Russian artillery assault on the town of Sumy killed 4 folks and injured 28.

Military analysts say the Russian advance, with fierce frontline preventing and missile and drone strikes in Sumy, stretches Ukraine’s potential to concurrently defend its southern Donbas area, of which Moscow is looking for full management.

Despite the relaunch of peace talks, the battle has been heating up and Russian forces, which already management slightly below a fifth of Ukraine, superior in May at their quickest tempo for no less than six months, in accordance with Ukraine’s authoritative Deep State on-line map mission.

Russian president Vladimir Putin thanked Pope Leo for providing to assist settle the Ukraine battle and informed him Kyiv is intent on “escalating” the battle, the Kremlin stated yesterday.

Putin started the Ukraine battle by ordering the invasion of Russia’s European neighbour, and has since occupied round 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine holds little-to-no Russian territory, and has repeatedly stated Moscow might finish the battle instantly just by withdrawing its forces.

A Kremlin assertion stated they spoke by telephone however didn’t give a date.

US president Donald Trump has stated the Pope provided to host Russia-Ukraine negotiations on the Vatican.

“Gratitude was expressed to the Pontiff for his readiness to help settle the crisis, in particular the Vatican’s participation in resolving difficult humanitarian issues on a depoliticised basis,” the assertion stated.

It added the Kremlin highlighted “that the Kyiv regime is banking on escalating the conflict and is carrying out sabotage against civilian infrastructure sites on Russian territory,” the assertion stated, describing these acts as terrorism.

The eruption of 1.1 tons of explosive on the logistical artery dealt a bodily blow, but it surely’s the psychological impact that will likely be longer lasting.

Alongside Operation Spiderweb, just a few days earlier, which Ukraine claims destroyed 34 per cent of Moscow’s strategic bomber drive over 1000’s of miles contained in the Russian Federation, the assassination of Russian army leaders, and the relentless focusing on of Putin’s vitality infrastructure, Ukraine is signalling that it has not solely survived, however might win, this battle.

World affairs editor Sam Kiley experiences:

North Korean chief Kim Jong Un has pledged unconditional assist for Russia’s place on Ukraine and different worldwide points as he met with the Russian secretary of the safety council Sergei Shoigu yesterday.

“Kim Jong Un affirmed that the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will, in the future, too, unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies,” it stated, utilizing the North’s official identify.

North Korea will responsibly observe the articles of the treaty between the 2 nations, Mr Kim was quoted as saying.

The two males additionally mentioned strengthening the excellent strategic partnership and mutual cooperation in numerous fields.

The treaty was signed throughout Russian president Vladimir Putin’s go to to Pyongyang final yr and a summit with North Korea’s Mr Kim, and features a mutual defence pact for fast army help if both faces armed aggression.

President Donald Trump stated Russia’s Vladimir Putin has knowledgeable him that his forces will reply to Ukraine’s brazen and devastating assault on Russian airfields by a fleet of small suicide drones over the weekend.

In a Truth Social put up, Mr Trump stated he had spoken with the Russian chief for an hour and quarter-hour and described the decision as “a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.”

“We discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides… President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Mr Trump stated.

Andrew Feinberg experiences from Washington DC:

Vladimir Putin’s troops have seized giant swathes of Ukrainian territory within the quickest advance this yr, figures present.Blackbird Group evaluation confirmed Russia seized 538 sq. kilometres of Ukraine all through May, in contrast with 185 sq. kilometres in April.

This was the quickest charge of advance this yr and second highest since Russia illegally invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the group stated.

The highest charge of advance since then was November 2024, which Ukraine referred to as the “most powerful Russian offensive” because the battle started.

Russia captured 750 sq. kilometres all through this month, equal to 25 sq. kilometres a day, in accordance with the group.

Russia occupies round 115,432 sq. kilometres of Ukraine, or roughly 20 per cent of the nation.

New Ukrainian drone assaults have hit vitality infrastructure in Russian-held elements of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson areas in southern Ukraine, reducing energy to tens of 1000’s of residents, Russia-installed officers stated within the early hours in the present day.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russia-appointed governor of Kherson area, stated the assaults had left 97 settlements with some 68,000 residents with out energy.

Yevgeny Balitsky, the Russia-appointed head of adjoining Zaporizhzhia area, gave no figures however stated vitality websites had been beneath assault and 10 drones had been downed.

Ukrainian drone assaults on Russian-held elements of the 2 areas lower energy to some 700,000 folks earlier this week, however emergency crews restored electrical energy rapidly.

Ukraine and the US have mentioned tips on how to make a minerals fund operational by the top of the yr and the fund’s first assembly is predicted in July, Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated in Washington yesterday.

The settlement on growing Ukraine’s mineral assets, closely promoted by US president Donald Trump, was signed by Svyrydenko in Washington in April after weeks of robust negotiations made the phrases extra favorable to Kyiv.

Ukraine’s parliament then ratified the deal.

Yesterday, Ms Svyrydenko held conferences with US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and the Development Finance Corporation, which might be a accomplice of the minerals fund, “and we discussed very concrete steps how to make this fund operational during this year,” she informed reporters.

“So we plan to have the first board meeting of this fund in July and we will discuss what will be the seed capital to start operating this fund. And actually, too, we should adopt the investment strategy for this fund for the next few years,” the Ukrainian official said.

The negotiations leading to the clinching of the minerals fund deal followed a heated exchange at the White House between Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky over how to work towards ending Ukraine’s three-year-old war with Russia.

Video released by Ukraine’s security service showed multiple large aircraft, some of which appeared to be Tu-95 strategic bombers, alight after the strikes.

Ukraine said its forces hit 41 military aircraft using 117 drones in an attack on Russian airfields on Sunday.