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Top German official Thorsten Frei said in an interview with German media on May 31 that the EU should reconsider using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, urging a tougher stance against the Kremlin.
At least seven people are dead and another 35 injured after a train derailed in Russia's Bryansk Oblast overnight on May 31, following the collapse of an overhead road bridge, Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz said.
The EU condemned Georgia's foreign agents law, which officially came into effect, and called on authorities to reverse the country's democratic backsliding in a statement published on May 31.
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.
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.
According to the Telegraph, senior European diplomats meeting in The Hague agreed to shift their focus from deploying troops to enforce a ceasefire to preparing long-term strategies for supporting Ukraine without American backing.
While Russia's main efforts remain concentrated on the Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Lyman fronts in Donetsk Oblast, as well as in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast bordering Russia, Zaporizhzhia has seen an uptick in escalation, Syrskyi noted.
According to NATO sources cited by Radio Liberty, the written pledge Moscow demands is unrealistic. "It’s not something they (Russia) can just get," one diplomat said.
Alongside Russia, the review identifies China as a "sophisticated and persistent challenge," noting Beijing's growing ties with Moscow and its role in supplying critical components for Russian weapons systems.
"(Russia) continues its terror of the borderlands, and our shared task is to save every life," Governor Oleh Hryhorov said in a statement. "I urge residents not to delay the decision to evacuate. Staying in a zone of constant danger is a direct threat to your life and health."
Ukrainian defenses shot down 69 drones and three Kh-59/69 guided missiles using aviation units, air defense systems, electronic warfare, and mobile fire teams.
In a prisoner exchange from May 23 to 25, Russia sent Ukraine 65 prisoners who were set to be deported to Ukraine regardless of the swap, Suspilne reported on May 30.
Claims of Russian President Vladimir Putin's helicopter being "at the epicenter" of a Ukrainian drone attack in Kursk Oblast were reportedly fabricated by the Kremlin, the Moscow Times reported on May 30, citing four Russian government sources.
"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office. "All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way."
"We both agree that such a meeting cannot and should not be empty," Zelensky said on social media following the call. "There must be a ceasefire to move further toward peace. The killings must stop."
U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to appoint the next Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), reaffirming a key American role in NATO's military structure, Reuters reported.