"They just don’t see a ceasefire as such at the moment," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 2, commenting on Russia's proposal. "I think they’re idiots, because, fundamentally, a ceasefire is meant so that there are no dead."
Ukraine and its partners are still waiting to see what, if anything, Russia plans to present at the upcoming peace talks in Turkey scheduled for June 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Russia-aligned actors are amplifying anti-Ukrainian sentiment through coordinated campaigns across platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky, Facebook, and Telegram, according to a new investigation by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
Former U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo acknowledged frustrations over the current front lines but cautioned against ceding Ukrainian land to Russia.
OPEC+ will boost oil production by 411,000 barrels per day in July, marking the third consecutive monthly increase and reinforcing a major strategic shift that has driven crude prices to a four-year low.
From July 2024, nearly 150 civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in drone strikes on Kherson city and 16 surrounding localities, according to the United Nation's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 28 that he has not yet imposed new sanctions on Russia because he believes a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine may be within reach.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on May 28 that Kyiv is still awaiting the Russian side’s proposed ceasefire memorandum, which was expected following peace talks in Turkey earlier this month.
Volodymyr Zelensky said the government is fully mobilizing "entrepreneurial capacity for weapons production" and plans to sign new agreements with European partners to attract investment.
During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, Trump was told that a "memorandum of peace" outlining conditions for a ceasefire would be delivered shortly. As of May 27, no such document has been received.
U.S. experts believe President Vladimir Putin remains convinced that a military victory is still possible, although continued sanctions and battlefield losses have strained Russia's capabilities, according to the Washington Post.
Since the last update in early May, the confirmed death toll of Russian soldiers has risen by at least 2,009 people.
"Ukraine continues to coordinate its sanction decisions with the sanction regimes of the European Union and other key global jurisdictions," Zelensky said.
NATO is expected to ask Berlin to at least quadruple its air defense systems, ranging from long-range platforms such as the Patriot to short-range interceptors, according to Reuters.
"I’ve always gotten along with him," Trump said of Putin to reporters at an airport in New Jersey on May 25. "But he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all."
As part of a broader policy realignment, this office would be merged into the Pentagon's Europe and NATO office, reducing its prominence despite its critical role since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
A document seen by Reuters reveals that firms such as Rusal and Gazpromneft intend to reduce the volumes they plan to move by rail in 2025, prompting Russian Railways to slash spending by an additional 32.5 billion rubles ($408 million).
Multiple people were injured as multiple waves of explosions rocked Kyiv overnight on May 24 during a massive Russian drone and missile attack.
Ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, European leaders also discussed the potential for additional sanctions should Russia fail to engage constructively in ceasefire negotiations.
Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski narrowly led Poland’s presidential election on May 18, but failed to secure an outright victory.
"I have never received more stupid tasks than in the current direction," Oleksandr Shyrshyn wrote in a blunt Facebook post announcing his decision on May 16. "Someday I will tell you the details, but the stupid loss of people, trembling in front of a stupid generals, leads to nothing but failures."
Asked whether the Vatican could act as a peace broker, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he "wouldn’t call it broker, but it’s certainly — I think it’s a place that both sides would be comfortable going."
"Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war — a war that should have never happened — will end. God bless us all!!!" U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Honestly, I will (impose sanctions), if we're not gonna make a deal," Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview published on May 16. "This would be crushing for Russia because they're having a hard time now with the economy."
European officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they remain unsure of U.S. President Donald Trump's next move and fear that his unpredictable stance could undercut momentum toward a unified Western response.
"It’s more than 30 years of U.S. desire (to reduce troops in Europe), President Trump just said, enough, this is going to happen and it’s going to happen now," U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
"Contrary to Kremlin narratives, time is not on Russia’s side," reads a new report from the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE).
"The Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on May 7, according to Politico.
EU ambassadors began talks this week on a 17th sanctions package that targets Russia’s military-industrial complex, Moscow’s shadow shipping fleet, and related support networks.
In recent weeks, North Korea's leader has overseen the launch of a new naval destroyer and observed tests of new drone systems.
The French-made precision bombs are being transferred to Kyiv as part of ongoing defense support, and their use by Ukrainian fighter jets has grown significantly since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
