Putin’s Victory Day and White House chaos | Ukraine This Week

6:51 PM

North Korea considers sending 25,000 workers to Russia to help produce Shahed drones, media reports.

In return, Pyongyang is reportedly seeking drone operation training.

5:55 PM

Ukraine Reforms Tracker Weekly — Issue 30

2:46 PM  (Updated:  June 19, 2025 5:55 pm)

Ukraine, Russia carry out another POW exchange under Istanbul deal.

"These are warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Most of them had been held captive since 2022," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, without revealing their numbers.

5:51 PM

Spain rejects NATO 5% defense spending push, calls proposal 'unreasonable'.

"Committing to a 5% target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive," said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

5:42 PM

War analysis

Trump's peace push falters in both Ukraine and the Middle East — for similar reasons

5:05 PM

Russia says South Africa invited Putin to G20 summit despite ICC arrest warrant.

South Africa is a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a signatory to the Rome Statute, meaning it is obliged to arrest Vladimir Putin if he enters the country.

4:13 PM

Putin-Trump meeting currently not on the table, Kremlin says.

"Until the necessary 'homework' is done to remove the irritants in our relations with the United States, it makes no sense to organize a meeting," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

1:26 PM  (Updated:  June 19, 2025 2:44 pm)

Russian losses

Russia just accidentally admitted to its staggering troop losses in Ukraine

2:26 PM

EU reportedly eyes riskier investments for frozen Russian assets to boost Ukraine aid.

According to Politico, the proposed plan would redirect the frozen Russian assets into a special investment fund under EU control, allowing for higher returns without confiscating the principal.

2:03 PM

Putin, Xi to agree to meet in China as they sneer at G7 summit fractures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed their upcoming meeting and noted the supposed "rough edges" that emerged among G7 leaders during the recent summit, said Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, on June 19.

1:14 PM

Finland votes to withdraw from landmine treaty, citing Russian threat.

The vote aligns Finland with its Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, whose parliaments have already approved similar exits from the treaty.

12:39 PM

Trump & Ukraine

Diplomacy in crisis: G7 letdowns reveal limits to Western solidarity on Ukraine

12:33 PM

Ukraine must accept Moscow's demands or 'surrender,' Russia’s ambassador to UK says.

Russia's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, said Russia is continuing its offensive and sees no need to stop hostilities, publicly acknowledging Moscow's disregard for U.S.-backed ceasefire efforts.

12:32 PM

Russia 'on the verge' of recession, Kremlin economy minister warns.

"According to current business perceptions, we are already, it seems, on the verge of a transition to a recession," Russian Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

11:40 AM

Argentina says it uncovered Russian spy network linked to late Prigozhin's group.

The La Compania network, which is allegedly linked to the Russian government and the Kremlin's Project Lakhta, was led by Russian nationals Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili and his wife Irina Yakovenko, who are both residents of Argentina, according to Argentine authorities.

10:58 AM

'100 days of Russian manipulations' — Ukraine blasts Moscow over disregarding US ceasefire effort.

A hundred days since the U.S. and Ukraine agreed on a ceasefire, "Russia continues to choose war," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on June 19, urging international pressure to push Moscow toward peace.

10:39 AM

'If we don't help Ukraine further, we should start learning Russian,' EU diplomacy chief says.

Top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas cited a sharp increase in Russia's military spending, noting that Moscow is now allocating more money to defense than the EU combined, and more than its own health care, education, and social policies put together.

9:03 AM  (Updated:  June 19, 2025 9:56 am)

Russia kills 1, injures at least 27 across Ukraine over past day.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 40 drones, while 48 disappeared from radars or were intercepted by electronic warfare.

8:23 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,008,240 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022.

The number includes 1,080 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

3:13 AM

9 people injured in Russian strikes on Kherson Oblast.

Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast injured nine people and damaged residential infrastructure on June 18-19, according to local authorities. The strikes targeted 34 settlements with artillery and drones.

1:22 AM

Putin says he's ready to meet Zelensky if West 'stops pushing' Ukraine to fight.

Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine "as soon as possible," preferably through peaceful means, and is ready to continue negotiations — provided that Kyiv and its Western allies are willing to engage, Vladimir Putin said.

12:35 AM

Senate reportedly delays Russia sanctions as Middle East crisis, Trump’s tax bill take priority.

The U.S. Senate is postponing action on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill until at least July, as other legislative and foreign policy priorities dominate the agenda, Semafor reported on June 18.

10:46 PM

Opinion

Russia turns sound into weapon

10:09 PM

War update

Ukraine war latest: 'Do me a favor Vladimir, mediate Russia first' — Trump roasts Putin over Israel, Iran offer

9:55 PM

Video

Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv this year shatters homes and lives