"I can confirm that the next round of negotiations between the delegations will take place very soon in Moscow," Russian Ambassador to the United States Alexander Darchiev said.
The U.S. will reduce funding allocated for military assistance to Ukraine in its upcoming defense budget, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a congressional hearing on June 10.
The denial contrasts with statements made by Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky, who said in a recent interview that Israel had agreed to transfer retired Patriot missile systems — originally supplied by the U.S. in the 1990s — to Ukraine.
U.S. prosecutors have charged cryptocurrency entrepreneur Iurii Gugnin with laundering over $500 million and helping sanctioned Russian entities bypass export controls.
Key developments on June 7-8: * US expects Russia's retaliation for Operation Spiderweb to continue soon * Ukraine denies Russian troop presence in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast amid offensive, describes situation as 'tense' * Trump administration redirects 20,000 anti-drone missiles meant for Ukraine, Zelensky confirms * Ukraine downs fighter jet in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Air
"We counted on this project — 20,000 missiles. Anti-Shahed missiles. It was not expensive, but it's a special technology," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
One official told Reuters that while the timing remains unclear, a retaliatory strike could be expected in the coming days and is likely to be "asymmetrical."
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on June 7 criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for reportedly pressuring the Senate to weaken a Russian sanctions bill.
The White House reportedly asked Sen. Graham to insert waivers into the bill allowing Trump to choose which entities get sanctioned and changing the word "shall" to "may."
When asked whether Trump would impose additional sanctions on Russia, the president dodged the question by boasting that he "ended Nord Stream 2" and hinting at future energy deals with Germany in a press conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"I think Musk is playing a completely different game," Dmitry Novikov, deputy chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said.
"It might be the explosions and gunfire in the dead of night, but I get the strange feeling the Russians don't want peace," Meaghan Mobbs, daughter of U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, wrote on X.
U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich as the next Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) on June 5, reaffirming a key American role in NATO's military structure.
U.S. President Donald Trump sidestepped questions on June 5 as to when he can be expected to impose additional sanctions on Russia, as the Kremlin continues to reject a ceasefire in Ukraine.
While Trump has remained silent in public about the attack, he reportedly expressed enthusiasm behind closed doors.
"We discussed very concrete steps how to make this fund operational during this year," Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said during a visit to Washington.
Two U.S. officials told Reuters on June 4 that Ukraine struck as many as 20 Russian military aircraft during Operation Spiderweb, destroying around 10 of them. The claims stands in contrast with estimates made by Ukraine's security service (SBU) which claimed more than 40 aircraft were hit in the June 1 attack.
According to the Wall Street Journal, special fuzes used in ground-to-air rocket systems that protect against drone attacks will be redirected towards units in the Middle East, as the U.S. braces for conflict with Iran as well as Houthi militants in Yemen.
U.S. President Donald Trump has asked the Senate to delay voting on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, Republican Senator Roger Wicker said on June 4.
Trump said he spoke to Putin over the phone for an hour and 15 minutes on June 4 and that it was "a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace."
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker stressed that Washington counts on European leadership in providing Ukraine with the resources needed to achieve a lasting peace, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
The legislation, supported by 309 members of parliament, enshrines financial provisions critical to executing the U.S.-Ukraine deal signed on April 30 and ratified by Kyiv on May 8.
"Just in the skill and audacity of these attacks, it will rank with the United States raid on Osama bin Laden and the Israeli pager operation as one of the great military achievements in recent years," U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal told Politico.
Steel production is one of Ukraine's core industrial sectors and its second-largest source of foreign currency after agriculture.
"I'm telling you the risk levels are going way up," U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not arrive in Brussels until the conference is over and will not participate in the event online either, the AP reported.
During a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked whether Trump was informed by Ukraine about Operation Spiderweb in advance of the attack. "He was not," she said.
The Kremlin's statement comes a day after the White House said that Trump would not rule out participating in this format of talks.
Russian ex-President Dmitry Medvedev's statement that Russia seeks only a "swift victory" and the "complete destruction" of the Ukrainian government at the Istanbul peace talks is a "rare moment of honesty," U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on June 3.
"We were invited to the NATO summit. I think this is important," President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a June 2 online press conference attended by the Kyiv Independent.
"There's many members of Congress that want us to sanction Russia as strongly as we can," U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said. "And I'm an advocate of that."
Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, is traveling to the U.S., a source close to the Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent on June 3.
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