Ammunition depot in Belgorod, Russia catches fire.

5:41 PM

All NATO members to hit 2% defense spending in 2025, Rutte says.

"This is really great news," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.

4:58 PM

Ukraine preparing to evacuate citizens from Israel, Iran as Middle East conflict escalates.

As of the morning of June 18, 293 Ukrainians in Israel and 85 in Iran have requested evacuation, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.

3:58 PM  (Updated:  June 18, 2025 4:22 pm)

4 months after striking Chornobyl, Russia warns Israeli attacks on Iran risk nuclear 'catastrophe'

3:38 PM

Slovak police tried to detain ex-defense minister over Ukraine aid deal, media reports.

The Slovak police reportedly also seek to detain a former Defense Ministry official and have detained an ex-head of the Konstrukta Defense state company in a move denounced by Nad's opposition Democrats party as politically motivated.

10:12 PM  (Updated:  June 18, 2025 3:23 pm)

Business

‘A blueprint’ — foreign investors, Ukrainian hotel chain create jobs for war displaced

3:20 PM

For the first time, Australia sanctions Russian shadow fleet oil tankers.

"Russia uses these vessels to circumvent international sanctions and sustain its illegal and immoral war against Ukraine," Australia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

2:13 PM

Ukraine won't receive NATO invitation at The Hague summit, Lithuanian FM says.

"This issue is certainly not on the NATO agenda and nobody has formulated an expectation that there will be an invitation in The Hague, nor have we heard that from the Ukrainians themselves," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said in comments quoted by the LRT broadcaster.

1:41 PM

Zelensky may reportedly skip NATO summit over uncertainty about Trump's attendance.

According to the Guardian, some in Kyiv are unsure if President Volodymyr Zelensky's presence at the summit would be worthwhile without a confirmed meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

10:33 AM  (Updated:  June 18, 2025 1:24 pm)

North Korea sending 6,000 military builders, sappers to Russia, Shoigu says after meeting Kim.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit.

1:17 PM

Ukraine dismisses Russia's 'absurd' ceasefire condition for dismantling Western arms.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on June 18 brushed off Moscow's demands for Kyiv to destroy or dismantle Western-supplied weapons as a condition for a ceasefire, saying it shows disregard for U.S. peace efforts.

12:39 PM

Ukraine's parliament passes state asset agency reform crucial for EU funding.

The legislation passed with the support of 253 lawmakers "after months of obstructions... unblocking 600 million euros ($690 million) in EU funds," lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.

12:31 PM

Ruslan Kravchenko approved as Ukraine's new Prosecutor General.

Kravchenko, a former military prosecutor and most recently head of Ukraine's tax service, replaces Andrii Kostin, who stepped down in October 2024 following a scandal involving fraudulent disability claims by dozens of prosecutors in Khmelnytskyi Oblast.

11:51 AM

Clashes erupt in southwestern Ukraine over church control amid shift away from Moscow-affiliated clergy.

According to public broadcaster Suspilne, a crowd gathered to assert control over the church, which had recently voted to switch allegiance from the UOC-MP to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) — an autocephalous (autonomous) Ukrainian church not affiliated with Moscow.

11:11 AM

Ukraine's parliament passes bill allowing multiple citizenship.

Ukraine's parliament on June 18 supported a bill allowing Ukrainian citizens to hold passports of foreign countries, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said.

10:37 AM

As Trump stays silent, US Embassy makes late denunciation of Russia’s attack on Kyiv.

"We extend deepest condolences to the victims' families. This senseless attack runs counter to President Trump's call to stop the killing and end the war," the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said in a statement.

10:05 AM

6 killed, 49 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over past day.

Russian forces launched 58 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys against Ukraine overnight, targeting mainly the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the Air Force said. Ukrainian defenses shot down 12 drones, while 18 disappeared from radars or were intercepted by electronic warfare systems, according to the statement.

10:11 PM  (Updated:  June 18, 2025 9:33 am)

Ukraine war latest: Massive Russian attack kills 24, injures 134 in Kyiv

9:24 AM

Putin 'cannot be trusted' as mediator, Kallas says, urges EU to tighten Russian oil cap after deadly Kyiv strike.

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas urged the European Union to press forward with lowering the oil price cap on Russian crude, even without U.S. support, warning that Middle East tensions could otherwise drive prices up and boost Russia's revenues.

8:20 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,007,160 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,040 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

1:35 AM  (Updated:  June 18, 2025 7:41 am)

'A brutal strike' — Massive Russian missile and drone attack hits Kyiv, killing 23, injuring at least 134.

At least 23 people have been killed and 134 others injured after a mass Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on June 17.

6:44 AM

Kellogg to meet Lukashenko in highest-ranking US visit to Belarus in years, Reuters reports.

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg will meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the coming days, Reuters reported on June 17, citing four sources familiar with the matter.

5:38 AM

Zelensky welcomes G7 support as summit delivers no strong breakthrough for Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 17 that the G7 summit had produced concrete results for Ukraine, including increased military support, new tranches of aid using frozen Russian assets, and additional sanctions targeting the sources of Russia’s war effort.

5:15 AM

'We are determined to increase pressure on Russia' — Macron says as EU ready to toughen sanctions.

The European Union and its allies are ready to toughen sanctions on Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit on June 17.

2:00 AM  (Updated:  June 18, 2025 4:57 am)

Zelensky leaves G7 early without meeting Trump as Canada drops Ukraine statement amid US pushback.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is cutting his visit to Canada short and will return to Kyiv on June 17, while G7 talks are still ongoing, a source told a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.

12:46 AM

G7 allies push for stronger Russia sanctions as Trump resists, Bloomberg reports.

The debate over sanctions comes as intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least 14 people and injured 117 in Kyiv overnight on June 17.