Zelensky said on social media that Russia launched nearly 27,700 aerial bombs, 11,200 Shahed drones, approximately 9,000 other types of attack drones, and over 700 missiles at Ukraine in 2025.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a briefing on June 4 that he may consider allowing the creation of private armies in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 4 accused Ukraine of being governed by a terrorist regime that deliberately targets civilians and claimed it is continuing to lose the war. He rejected the possibility of holding talks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that roughly half of the 41 Russian planes targeted in the attack on June 1 will be impossible to repair.
"I received a task from the president. I am staying in the ranks, on the front line. Where I have to be, where I can do the most," Mykhailo Drapatyi 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.
"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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that during the June 2 negotiations in Istanbul, Russian representatives dismissed Ukraine's efforts to raise the issue of abducted Ukrainian children as a "show for childless European old ladies."
"We agreed that we will look for opportunities to close any deficit, which may arise if everything is not restored (Ukrainian gas production infrastructure affected by Russian attacks), if we cannot fully provide our population with gas," Zelensky said.
"I told (Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan) that I support a meeting at the level of leaders, because I have the impression that there will be no ceasefire without our meeting," Zelensky said on June 2.
"They just don’t see a ceasefire as such at the moment," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 2, commenting on Russia's proposal. "I think they’re idiots, because, fundamentally, a ceasefire is meant so that there are no dead."
"I scheduled a meeting ... to sort it all out," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Vilnius on June 2 to participate in a summit of the Bucharest Nine (B9) member states and the Nordic countries, Zelensky's spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov confirmed for Ukrinform.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 1 an updated 14-member Ukrainian delegation for upcoming peace talks with Russia in Istanbul, expanding the original group of 12.
As Ukraine and Russia prepare for peace talks scheduled for June 2 in Istanbul, few observers expect a breakthrough. While the U.S. and Ukraine have pushed for an unconditional ceasefire, the Kremlin has rejected it. Instead, Moscow has regularly voiced maximalist demands that are unlikely to be accepted by
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.
Key developments on May 28: * Ukraine attacks elite Russian unit base nearly 7,000km away in Vladivostok, source claims * Ukraine ready for 2nd round of Istanbul talks but seeks Russian draft memo in advance, Yermak says * Senate to 'start moving' Russia sanctions bill next week, Graham says * Russia may 'consider'
"The Russians have been unable to present the so-called 'memorandum' for over a week, which they promised to prepare immediately after the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange," Zelensky wrote on Telegram. "Ukraine has not received any documents from them."
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that a high-level summit would require concrete outcomes from the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
* Russia reports 2nd consecutive day of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow, building damaged on the outskirts * Rubio, Lavrov discuss next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul * 'No one has seen it yet' — Zelensky slams Russia for stalling on ceasefire memorandum ahead of Istanbul talks * Russia amassed enough troops to
"The so-called memorandum they promised and claimed to be preparing for more than a week — no one has seen it," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Despite grand plans, the European Union’s hoped-for rearmament remains fully dependent on member nations stepping up their own defenses. In March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an 800-million-euro "Rearm Europe" plan to build out a defense architecture that has depended on the U.S. since the
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on May 28 that Kyiv is still awaiting the Russian side’s proposed ceasefire memorandum, which was expected following peace talks in Turkey earlier this month.
The agreement includes direct German investments in Ukraine's defense industry and a broader treaty between Kyiv and German arms manufacturers.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Zelensky in March to attend the summit, shortly after he took office.
Germany and Ukraine will sign a memorandum on the joint purchase of "long-range fires" manufactured by Ukraine, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on May 28.
"Our position on the fundamental possibility of such a meeting has not changed," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 27 that he does not believe the U.S. would support a full Ukrainian withdrawal from four of its partially occupied regions, a demand repeatedly raised by Russia, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.
The two leaders are expected to discuss Germany's military assistance and ceasefire efforts, a German government spokesperson said.
"When the U.S. sends signals that it wants to do something positive with Russia, then Russia ramps up its mobilization," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We are ready for the 'Trump, Putin, and me' format, and we are ready for the Trump-Putin, Trump-Zelensky format, and then the three of us," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Russian forces are accumulating 50,000 troops near Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, seeking to create a 10-kilometer buffer zone in the area, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a press briefing on May 27.
Volodymyr Zelensky has been president of Ukraine since 2019. Born in Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city in central Ukraine, Zelensky was known as a media personality and actor before becoming Ukraine’s sixth president.
The 46-year-old’s transformation into a wartime leader saw his approval ratings rise from 37% before the full-scale invasion, to 90% in May 2022. His approval rating fell to 62% by the end of 2023.
Zelensky's five-year term officially ended in May 2024 but he remains president while martial law, enacted after the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, is in place. A February 2024 poll indicated that almost 70% of Ukrainians agree that Zelensky should remain in office and elections should be postponed until martial law is lifted.
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