Ukraine

G7 leaders hailed on Wednesday, June 17, a newfound unity on increasing pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine, sensing a shift by US President Donald Trump to take a tougher line against Moscow. 

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has verified that at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured last month – a 93 per cent increase compared with May 2025 and a 23 per cent increase over April 2026. 

[…] The leaders “supported the proposal for a direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia — with active US and European participation — to bring about a ceasefire and support further negotiations,” they said in a joint statement with Zelensky.

The war in Ukraine is deadlier today than at any point since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in 2022, top UN officials warned the Security Council today, as Council members repeatedly stressed “enough is enough” and pleaded for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ruled out meeting his Ukrainian counterpart any time soon, a day after Volodymyr Zelensky called for a sit-down between the leaders to end the four-year war.

[…] The news was announced by Cyprus, which is currently chairing the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the EU: “Today the Cyprus Presidency initiated the preparation for the formal opening of cluster one in the accession negotiations of Ukraine and Moldova.”

Ukrainian drones attacked energy and military sites in St. Petersburg ahead of a major economic forum in the city and a day after Moscow killed 23 people across Ukraine in devastating air attacks. … The attack comes as Ukraine has stepped up strikes on energy and military targets deep inside Russia, hampering the country's ability to profit from sharp increases in oil prices resulting from the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Overnight attacks in three key cities in Ukraine have left several civilians dead, scores more injured, and homes, hospitals and shops destroyed or damaged, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country said on Tuesday. Matthias Schmale condemned the large-scale Russian assault on the capital Kyiv, as well as Dnipro and Kharkiv, which marked the third time they have been struck in as many weeks.

[…] A ceasefire that is rushed or poorly defined could provide Russian forces with an opportunity to regroup and rearm, while enabling the Kremlin to continue exerting pressure through other means – including cyberattacks, sabotage and election interference. This paper outlines how Ukraine and its partners can best mitigate risks associated with a ceasefire and strengthen long-term European security.

Almost 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since it launched its fullscale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to the UK's largest spy agency.