Key Points
- Russian envoy to the UK admits war has 'cost us a lot' and claims Moscow cannot afford to lose
- Ukraine embarrasses Putin with strikes across St Petersburg at start of 'Russian Davos'
- Nato chief tells Russian men ‘very high chance you’ll die’ if they fight Ukraine war as Moscow loses more than 30,000 troops every month
- US secretary of state Rubio promises news on Ukraine aid funds soon as $400m held with Hegseth's department
- Germany, France and UK draw up plan to engage Putin in Ukraine talks as Europe seeks to end war
- EU members greenlight first step in accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova
Ukraine war cost us a lot, says Russian envoy to the UK
04:41 , Arpan Rai
The Russian ambassador to the UK has said the war in Ukraine is taking a toll on Moscow and the stakes are now too high for Russian forces to “lose this war”.
“We cannot lose this war,” Andrey Kelin told Sky News. “We simply have to win it. That is the way we still continue to do it,” he said.
"I cannot deny that the war cost a lot. And this year we have a certain very low percentage of growth. Yes, Ukraine has struck our refineries quite a lot, [including] on our exportation facilities in St Petersburg. But we learned how to re-establish it,” he said, discussing the toll the war has taken on Russia’s economy.
Kelin did admit Ukraine’s gain of “some square kilometres” on the battlefield but claimed that the threat from Ukrainian forces is now being repelled back.
Recap: Vladimir Putin warned by his own officials that mounting cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
11:01 , James Reynolds
Vladimir Putin has been warned that he cannot afford to sustain his war in Ukraine at the current pace, as Kyiv continues to tally frontline wins and devastate energy infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Top finance officials and Russia’s central bank are said to have urged the Kremlin to rein in spiralling defence spending, as both sides ramp up costly aerial attacks on vital infrastructure.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that Moscow is “losing on the battlefield” and “has no cards except terror”, despite a major blitz of cities across Ukraine overnight that killed at least 22 people.
As Kyiv continues to pile on the pressure with strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, defence officials in Moscow reportedly told Putin that they will need billions of extra dollars this year to fund the conflict, according to Bloomberg News.
Putin warned by his own officials that cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
Ukraine strikes centres in Russian-annexed Crimea
10:30 , James Reynolds
Ukraine launched attacks on the two main centres in the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula, Kremlin-installed officials in the region said early on Thursday, a day after Moscow and Kyiv traded strikes on each other's cities.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, writing on Telegram, said Ukrainian forces had hit a non-residential part of Simferopol, the peninsula's main administrative town. The strike killed three people and injured seven, he said.
In the Crimean port of Sevastopol, the local Russia-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said air defence units had intercepted more than 20 Ukrainian drones.
Razvozhayev made no mention of casualties, but said drone debris had damaged some buildings. The air raid alert remained in effect in the city for nearly five hours.
In the Boryspil area outside Ukraine's capital of Kyiv, firefighters were extinguishing a blaze after an industrial facility was hit in a drone attack overnight, with one person injured, Ukraine's emergency service said on Telegram.
In Kramatorsk, one of Ukraine's critical "fortress cities" along the 1,200-km (775-mile) front line, Russian shelling killed at least three civilians, according to Vadym Filashkin, governor of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
In the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region, local governor Oleksandr Hanzha said Russian forces had injured eight people near the main regional centre of Dnipro.
In Russia's border region of Bryansk, Acting Regional Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said a Ukrainian drone had killed a crane operator working for the local utility.
Watch: Putin’s UK envoy admits war has ‘cost a lot’
10:00 , James Reynolds
Recap: Rubio promises news on Ukraine aid soon
09:30 , James Reynolds
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday there will be news "pretty soon" on $400 million Congress approved for its war in Ukraine but delayed at the Department of Defense.
He added that the current risk of escalation in the conflict is “real” - more so than it was two years ago.
Rubio also revealed that president Trump will attend the Nato meeting of heads of state in Turkey in July.
"I think the next meeting of NATO and Turkey in July is probably the most important meeting in NATO's history, because there are some things here that need to be cleared up and fixed," Rubio told lawmakers adding that "The president himself will be attending."
Preview: 'Russian Davos' carries on despite Ukrainian attacks
09:24 , James Reynolds
Ukraine kicked off Russia’s largest economic forum with a bang on Wednesday, claiming attacks on an oil terminal in St Petersburg and a naval base nearby.
The glitzy annual economic forum is designed to attract foreign investment, with growth in focus amid reports of disarray in Moscow’s budgeting as the four-year war starts to pinch.
On Thursday, speakers including Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Aleksandr Pankin, and former Italian deputy minister of economic development, Michele Geraci, will ask whether there is “any room for diplomacy in contemporary international relations”.
Saudi Arabia’s industry and mineral resource minister, Russia’s minister of natural resources and the environment, and first deputy prime minister of Russia Denis Manturov will discuss international cooperation on rare earth elements and critical minerals.
Steven Seagal is expected to join a talk on Russo-American ties, discussing the value of cross-cultural ties in a “shifting international landscape and ever-changing format of cooperation”, including opportunities for “joint humanitarian initiatives” and “new areas of common interest”.
There are separate talks to come on Russia and India, Russia and the UAE, ‘how to avoid losing billions in a cyberattack’ and dealing with fake news and information attacks in the modern age.
Russia continues attacks on Ukraine's logistics, deputy PM says
09:00 , James Reynolds
Russia is continuing its “systemic” attacks on Ukrainian logistics infrastructure and carried out more than 500 drone attacks in April alone, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Thursday.
Writing on Telegram, Kuleba said that Ukrainian ports came under the attacks practically every other day.
“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 935 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged or partially destroyed, 191 civilian vessels have been damaged, and 255 people have been injured,” he said.
Despite the attacks, Ukrainian maritime export corridor continued working and Ukrainian sea ports handled close to 35 million tons of cargo so far in 2026, he said.
One killed, three injured in Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea train, governor says
08:30 , James Reynolds
One person was killed and three injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a commuter train in Crimea, the peninsula's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said on Thursday.
Zelensky thanks Starmer for work on holding negotiations to end war
08:06 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke with prime minister Keir Starmer yesterday to discuss the negotiations to end the war.
“I spoke with @Keir_Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We are preparing for negotiations and meetings, and this includes both weapons for our defence and our diplomacy – our joint diplomacy with Europe – to bring the war closer to an end,” he said on X.
“Europe definitely needs its own voice, its own position, and its own contribution to all diplomatic efforts that can help end the war. We coordinated on how to get there,” Zelensky said.
He also thanked Sir Keir for the latest UK sanctions on Russian cryptocurrency schemes.
“It is absolutely essential that all forms of pressure on the aggressor be further strengthened. I am grateful to the United Kingdom for its support!,” he said.
I spoke with @Keir_Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We are preparing for negotiations and meetings, and this includes both weapons for our defense and our diplomacy – our joint diplomacy with Europe – to bring the war closer to an end. Europe definitely needs… pic.twitter.com/Er8FhEjMsy
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 3, 2026
Ukraine strikes kill three in Russia-annexed Crimea
07:38 , Arpan Rai
At least three people have been killed in drone attacks after Ukraine launched strikes on the two main centres in the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula, Kremlin-installed officials in the region said early on Thursday.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, said Ukrainian forces had hit a non-residential part of Simferopol, the peninsula's main administrative town.
The strike killed three people and injured seven, he said.
In the Crimean port of Sevastopol, the local Russia-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said air defence units had intercepted more than 20 Ukrainian drones.
Razvozhayev made no mention of casualties, but said drone debris had damaged some buildings. The air raid alert remained in effect in the city for nearly five hours.
One killed, three injured in Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea train
07:19 , Arpan Rai
At least one person was killed and three injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a commuter train in Crimea, the peninsula's Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said this morning.
Just hours earlier, Ukraine launched drone attacks on the two main centres in the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula, killing three people and injuring seven.
UK summons Russian ambassador after drone strike hit Nato ally Romania
06:48 , Arpan Rai
Britain's foreign ministry summoned Russia's ambassador yesterday after a Russian drone last week struck a residential building in Nato member Romania.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has condemned the incident, which occurred during a Russian attack on Ukraine and injured two people in the Romanian city of Galati, and said Britain stood united with allies to defend Nato territory.
“Russia’s later brutal bombardment of civilians in Ukraine comes afters its violation of Nato airspace last week, hitting a residential building in Romania," Britain's foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Injuring innocent civilians on Nato territory is unacceptable and a stark reminder of the threat that Ukrainian civilians are having to endure on a daily basis,” it added.
Watch: Putin’s UK envoy admits war has ‘cost a lot’
06:39 , Arpan Rai
One injured in Russian attack on Ukraine
06:38 , Arpan Rai
At least one person has been injured in the Boryspil area outside Ukraine's capital of Kyiv after a Russian drone hit an industrial facility, officials said.
Ukraine’s emergency service said firefighters were extinguishing a blaze at the facility overnight.
The post did not name the facility on fire. Boryspil, in Kyiv's eastern suburb, hosts the capital's main airport. It remains closed for civilian flights following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelensky admits Iran is Trump's priority in 'queue of wars'
06:26 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a status update on US-led peace talks to end the war, and said Kyiv is stuck in a “queue of wars”.
“We are in constant contact with the American side. We are waiting for the negotiating team to arrive, but it is taking a very long time. Iran is currently the number one issue for the United States. Unfortunately, we [are] in this queue of wars,” he said last night.
He added that the US is the “strongest actor” to push Russian president Vladimir Putin into ending the war, alongside Europe.
“Because without Europe at the negotiating table, we cannot be sure that Europe will be heard. Ukraine is a future member of the EU. It is important for us that Europe is there. And this is absolutely fair: the war is here, on the European continent,” he said.
We are in constant contact with the American side. We are waiting for the negotiating team to arrive, but it is taking a very long time. Iran is currently the number one issue for the United States. Unfortunately, we in this queue of wars.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 3, 2026
I truly believe that the United States…
Ukraine embarasses Putin with strikes across St Petersburg
05:57 , Arpan Rai
Ukrainian drones hit an oil terminal in St Petersburg and a warship in dry-dock at anearby naval base, hours before Vladimir Putin's showcase economic forum got under way in the city, in a clear attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief.
The attack on Putin's home city, location of his own 'Davos' comes as both sides dial up strikes against each other in their more than four-year-old war with no imminent end in sight. Russia unleashed a huge wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine on Tuesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his drones had struck a fuel terminal in St Petersburg on Wednesday and said they had also targeted a military facility in Kronstadt on an island near the city where elements of Russia's Baltic Fleet and major shipbuilding and repair facilities are located.
Ukraine released a video which showed a drone striking a Russian warship, the corvette Boiky, in what it said was a dry dock at Kronstadt.
A plume of grey smoke was visible from St Petersburg's historic city centre and witnesses heard loud explosions on Wednesday morning.
Germany, France, UK draw up plan to engage Putin in Ukraine talks – report
05:16 , Arpan Rai
A group of Ukraine’s key European allies are working on plans with Kyiv to engage Russia in negotiations to end the war, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Officials from Germany, France and the UK, Europe's three biggest economies, have been discussing the possibility of holding talks and have discussed the matter with their Ukrainian counterparts, the report added.
Trump’s ballroom chief, conspiracy theorists and Steven Seagal: The surprise US guests attending Putin’s own ‘Davos’
05:08 , Arpan Rai
Russia’s answer to the Davos economic summit kicked off on Wednesday, days after Vladimir Putin was warned that he can no longer afford to fight his war with Ukraine at the current pace.
Formally known as the St Petersburg Economic Forum, the meeting has attracted an eclectic crowd, including famous Americans attracted to Moscow’s claims of “anti-wokery” and support for “traditional values”.
Moscow will be looking to strengthen its economic footing after top finance officials and Russia’s central bank are said to have urged the Kremlin to rein in spiralling defence spending, with Russia and Ukraine ramping up costly aerial attacks on vital infrastructure.
Trump’s ballroom chief and Steven Seagal: The surprise US guests at Russia’s ‘Davos’
Nato chief tells Russian men ‘very high chance you’ll die’ if they fight Ukraine war
04:48 , Arpan Rai
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has issued words of caution for Russian nationals being asked to fight in the war in Ukraine, warning them that they are likely to be killed in action.
Speaking to reporters after holding talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Rutte directly addressed young Russians who could be asked to join the war.
“You are being sold a raw deal," he said. "Men like you who join the fight - you won't be trained. Equipment they'll provide you with is substandard,” Rutte said.
“There is a very high chance you'll die or be wounded while you're out there. And odds are, that if you are wounded, you will be left to suffer in the mud and die,” the top Nato official said.
He added that Russian forces are suffering “absolutely staggering” losses of more than 30,000 of its soldiers dying every month.
US secretary of state Rubio promises news on Ukraine aid funds soon
04:23 , Arpan Rai
US secretary of state Marco Rubio told a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday there will be news "pretty soon" on $400m (£297.9m) Congress approved for its war in Ukraine but delayed at the Department of Defence.
A bipartisan group of senators has pushed back on delays by the Department of Defence in sending $600m (£446m) in security aid to Ukraine and other allies in eastern Europe, asking the defence secretary Pete Hegseth for the funding to be disbursed.
The tranche includes $400m in Ukraine aid and $200m (£148.9m) more for defence programs in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
EU members greenlight first step in accession talks, Ukraine PM says
04:02 , Arpan Rai
All members of the European Union have agreed to open talks with Ukraine and Moldova on the first cluster of issues in their accession talks, Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced today.
Both Ukraine and Moldova are pressing for membership of the 27-member EU after more than four years of war pitting Kyiv against Moscow.
“Fantastic news,” she wrote on X. "We are one step closer to the EU membership: steadily moving towards our goal."
Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU, said on X it had starting preparing to formally open talks on the first group of negotiating chapters, which cover rule-of-law and democratic standards, with both countries.
“This marks a significant milestone in their European integration path, and sends a strong message of EU unity and determination," it said.
The presidency said it would work "towards finalising the discussions" for the formal opening.
Earlier, Hungarian prime minister Peter Magyar said his country and Ukraine had reached an agreement on the rights of the 100,000-strong Hungarian minority in Ukraine.
Magyar had previously said that agreement on the long-running dispute was essential if Budapest were to agree to Ukraine joining the EU.
Ukraine strikes kill three in Russia-annexed Crimea
03:59 , Arpan Rai
At least three people have been killed in drone attacks after Ukraine launched strikes on the two main centres in the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula, Kremlin-installed officials in the region said early on Thursday.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, said Ukrainian forces had hit a non-residential part of Simferopol, the peninsula's main administrative town.
The strike killed three people and injured seven, he said.
In the Crimean port of Sevastopol, the local Russia-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said air defence units had intercepted more than 20 Ukrainian drones.
Razvozhayev made no mention of casualties, but said drone debris had damaged some buildings. The air raid alert remained in effect in the city for nearly five hours.
Germany says Russia stirred up opposition to UN Security Council bid
03:00 , Daniel Keane
Germany's leading role in rallying support for Ukraine and its close relations with Israel may have cost Berlin the chance of a seat on the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.
The Council vote, which elected Austria and Portugal to a two-year term along with Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago, was another blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's struggling government.
"We have always taken a clear stance on certain issues, and these are positions that not all member states share," Wadephul told reporters, calling it "no secret" that Russia had stirred up sentiment against Germany.
"There is our firm support for Ukraine; the fact that Russia does not want such a voice at the Security Council," he said.
Putin warned by his own officials that mounting cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
02:00 , Daniel Keane
Vladimir Putin has been warned that he cannot afford to sustain his war in Ukraine at the current pace, as Kyiv continues to tally frontline wins and devastate energy infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Top finance officials and Russia’s central bank are said to have urged the Kremlin to rein in spiralling defence spending, as both sides ramp up costly aerial attacks on vital infrastructure.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that Moscow is “losing on the battlefield” and “has no cards except terror”, despite a major blitz of cities across Ukraine overnight that killed at least 22 people.
Read our full story below.
Putin warned by his own officials that cost of Ukraine war is ‘unsustainable’
The surprise US guests attending Putin’s own ‘Davos’
01:00 , Daniel Keane
Russia’s version of the international economic forum comes after Moscow’s top finance officials reportedly urged the Kremlin to rein in defence spending. Alex Croft reports on some of the more unexpected attendees.
Trump’s ballroom chief and Steven Seagal: The surprise US guests at Russia’s ‘Davos’
Russian attack kills at least three in Ukraine's Kramatorsk, governor says
Thursday 4 June 2026 00:01 , Daniel Keane
Russian shelling killed at least three civilians in Ukraine's frontline city of Kramatorsk in the east, officials said on Wednesday.
Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk region, said on the Telegram app that 11 people had been injured in the daytime Russian attack on residential buildings in Kramatorsk.
European leaders 'draw up plan to engage Putin in Ukraine talks'
Wednesday 3 June 2026 23:00 , Daniel Keane
A group of Ukraine’s key European allies are working on plans with Kyiv to engage Russia in negotiations to end the war, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Officials from Germany, France and the UK, Europe's three biggest economies, have been discussing the possibility of holding talks and have discussed the matter with their Ukrainian counterparts, the report added.
Hungary and Ukraine reach crucial agreement on minority rights
Wednesday 3 June 2026 22:00 , Daniel Keane
Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Wednesday that Hungary and Ukraine reached a key agreement on the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, which could open the way to approving the opening of the first chapter in Ukraine's EU accession talks.
Magyar also said in a Facebook post his government does not support accelerated European Union accession talks for Ukraine.
Nato chief warns young Russians they would die in Ukraine war
Wednesday 3 June 2026 21:00 , Daniel Keane
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte warned young Russians that they would probably die if they sign up to join Russia's war in Ukraine.
"You are being sold a raw deal," Rutte said during a press conference in Kyiv, in remarks he directly addressed to "young Russians and their families".
"Men like you who join the fight - you won't be trained. Equipment they'll provide you with is substandard. There is a very high chance you'll die or be wounded while you're out there," he said.
"And odds are, that if you are wounded, you will be left to suffer in the mud and die." Rutte said Russia was incurring "absolutely staggering" losses in Ukraine, where he said more than 30,000 Russian soldiers died every month - matching figures he has cited before.
Watch: Zelensky warns Russian forces could again launch a massive attack on Ukraine
Wednesday 3 June 2026 20:00 , Daniel Keane
Trump will attend Nato summit, says Rubio
Wednesday 3 June 2026 19:00 , Jane Dalton
President Donald Trump will attend the Nato meeting of heads of state that is taking place in Turkey in July, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said .
"I think the next meeting of NATO and Turkey in July is probably the most important meeting in NATO's history, because there are some things here that need to be cleared up and fixed," Rubio told lawmakers adding that "The president himself will be attending."
The surprise US guests attending Putin’s own ‘Davos’
Wednesday 3 June 2026 18:30 , Daniel Keane
Russia’s version of the international economic forum comes after Moscow’s top finance officials reportedly urged the Kremlin to rein in defence spending. Alex Croft reports on some of the more unexpected attendees.
Trump’s ballroom chief and Steven Segal: The surprise US guests at Russia’s ‘Davos’
The surprise US guests attending Putin’s own ‘Davos’
Wednesday 3 June 2026 18:30 , Daniel Keane
Russia’s version of the international economic forum comes after Moscow’s top finance officials reportedly urged the Kremlin to rein in defence spending. Alex Croft reports on some of the more unexpected attendees.
Trump’s ballroom chief and Steven Segal: The surprise US guests at Russia’s ‘Davos’
Kremlin says former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is visiting Russia
Wednesday 3 June 2026 18:00 , Daniel Keane
The Kremlin has confirmed that former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is visiting Russia, state-run news agencies reported.
State media had previously reported that Schroeder had been spotted in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia welcomed his visit. It was not clear if Schroeder was still in Russia.
President Vladimir Putin has previously named Schroeder as someone who could represent Europe in possible future talks with Moscow on the continent's security, an idea that European governments rejected.
