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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
'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.
'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Kremlin hardliners 'in shock' after Operation Spiderweb, tell Putin to declare all-out war in Ukraine, Telegraph reports
Russia’s hardline nationalist elite reportedly argues that only a formal war declaration would permit true escalation—full-scale mobilisation, regular missile strikes, and potentially the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
After speaking out against Trump, former US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink launches congressional bid
"My next mission: fighting for what's right here at home," Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink wrote.
Ukraine kills collaborator tied to POW torture in occupied Berdiansk, intelligence source claims
Mykhailo Hrytsai, a senior collaborator with the Russian occupation authorities, was shot dead in the city with a silenced PM pistol, according to a source.
'Do me a favor Vladimir, mediate Russia first' — Trump roasts Putin over Israel, Iran offer
"I said, Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
All NATO members to hit 2% defense spending in 2025, Rutte says
"This is really great news," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
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.
4 months after striking Chornobyl, Russia warns Israeli attacks on Iran risk nuclear 'catastrophe'
Russia on June 18 warned the world is "millimetres away from catastrophe" due to Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure, just four months after one of its own drones struck the Chornobyl nuclear site in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Israel of escalating the risk of a
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
(Updated: )
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