Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

MAGA sycophant complained that Trump was not informed ahead of Ukraine’s attack on Russian bombers and called for Graham’s arrest. But Senate and House sanctions bills may pass with veto-proof votes.

Former chief strategist to US President Donald Trump and MAGA commentator, Steve Bannon, has lashed out at US Senator Linsey Graham for his support for Ukraine and calling for further sanctions on Russia.

Sen. Graham (R–SC) was in Kyiv last week with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D–CT) to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and argue for further sanctions on Russia and countries that buy sanctioned Russian exports. The senators said that the “Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025” bill should be introduced in the House of Representatives this week. 

Moscow submitted its memorandum to Ukraine following a meeting in Turkey, including a complete withdrawal from occupied territories, limits on troop strength, weapons, and a ban on NATO membership.

Moscow presented its memorandum to Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul on Monday following the second round of negotiations. The memorandum demands that Russia will only negotiate a ceasefire if Ukraine fully withdraws from the four partly occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

“From the moment the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces begins, a 30-day ceasefire regime is established. At the same time, the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces units from the territory of the Russian Federation and the full implementation of the “package agreement” must be carried out within these 30 days,” the document says.

After the success of Ukraine’s June 1 large-scale drone attack on Russia’s strategic bombers the internet was lit up with humorous images that gave a variety of takes on the operation – please enjoy!

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) carried out an extraordinary operation where almost 120 first-person view (FPV) kamikazed drones were smuggled into Russia in trucks from where they attacked five airfields where strategic bombers, surveillance and transportation aircraft were positioned. The operation was personally approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky and directly supervised on the day by the head of the SBU Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk.

The attack on the Belaya, Diaghilev, Olenya and Ivanovo airfields is thought to have destroyed or damaged around 40 key aircraft which, if confirmed, represent around a third of Russia’s Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 strategic bomber fleet at a cost of more than $2 billion (some say as much as $7 billion). 

Delegations agreed to swap wounded young prisoners, return 6,000 fallen soldiers each, and Turkey has offered to host the leaders again in June – but Moscow still resisted a full ceasefire.

Kyiv and Moscow have agreed to swap all prisoners of war who are badly wounded and under the age of 25, according to Ukrainian officials. 

The news comes after peace talks concluded in Turkey on Monday, where Ukrainian and Russian delegations met for the second time. Discussions between the delegations focused on POW exchanges, deported children, and a ceasefire framework.

On June 1st, 2025, Ukraine launched one of the most daring intelligence operations of the war – a precision drone strike on four of Russia’s most critical air bases, deep inside its territory.

At the forefront of combat drone technology and production, Ukraine’s UAVs account for 80% of battlefield engagements – and total number will soon grow significantly, says Kyiv.

Ukraine has made significant progress in the development of its drone industry and now has the capacity to produce up to 10 million drones annually.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Kozenko stated that Ukrainian drones are considerably cheaper than other combat UAVs and have already been battle-tested.

At the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott reflected on how the US appears to be withdrawing from its leadership role.

The infamous Oval Office stand-off between Presidents Zelensky and Trump was quite possibly a seismic moment in history. Here was the leader of the free world berating the greatest freedom fighter of recent times for having the temerity to stand up for his country.

While the Trump administration likes to keep everyone guessing and is constantly sending mixed signals, it’s quite likely that the long Pax Americana, that’s been so good for the wider world, is finally over. Even if President Trump’s successor has a stronger sense of what American leaders used to see as their duty, almost as America’s “manifest destiny,” to defend other countries’ freedom, it’s highly unlikely that future presidents will be as ready as previous ones to have Americans make sacrifices for others’ benefit.

Ukraine’s massive “Spiderweb” drone strike hit 41 Russian aircraft and shook pro-Kremlin media, triggering a wave of panic, rage, and calls to “eliminate the SBU.”

On Sunday, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) executed one of its most ambitious and coordinated attacks to date – a covert drone operation codenamed “Spiderweb,” which struck four strategic Russian airfields: Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo.

The results were devastating for Moscow’s air power. According to the SBU, 41 aircraft were hit, including rare and high-value assets like the Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and even the A-50 airborne early warning plane.

The former senior Republican official spoke with Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksii Goncharenko on May 31 at the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa.

Ukraine’s SBU hit four Russian airbases across three time zones, damaging or destroying 41 strategic aircraft using hidden drones – including Tu-95s and Tu-160s.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has revealed details of its “historic” special operation, codenamed “Spiderweb,” which targeted four Russian military airfields across three time zones in a coordinated drone strike.

According to SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk, the operation successfully hit 41 strategic aircraft, including Tu-95, Tu-160, Tu-22M3, and A-50 models. He emphasized that this complex operation was a direct response to continued Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul for a second round of peace talks, with Turkey mediating. Discussions focused on POW exchanges, deported children, and a ceasefire framework.

A second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have ended, according to a Turkish foreign ministry spokesman.

“The meeting is over. It didn’t end negatively,” ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said of the talks at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace, which lasted just over an hour. 

The Russian army took 507 square kilometres in May 2025, against 379 square kilometres in April and 240 square kilometres in March.

Russia’s military advance in Ukraine picked up speed in the spring after slowing down over the winter, according to AFP’s analysis of data from US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The Russian army took 507 square kilometres in May 2025, against 379 square kilometres in April and 240 square kilometres in March.

Zelensky landed in Vilnius to attend the Bucharest Nine and Nordic summit, aimed at unifying regional support for Ukraine ahead of NATO’s upcoming meeting in The Hague.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in the Lithuanian Vilnius on Monday, June 2, to participate in the Bucharest Nine and Nordic summit.

According to Lithuanian broadcaster LRT, Zelensky’s state plane landed at Vilnius Airport at approximately 10:38 a.m.

One advantage Ukraine has in its war against Russia’s invasion is having access to the same weapons systems its enemy uses, which helped in its preparations for attacks on Moscow’s strategic bombers.

Ukraine’s ability to smuggle almost 120 first-person view (FPV) drones into the heart of Russia and wreak havoc on Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet – which has continually launched its missiles against civilian targets in Ukraine and is also one leg of the Kremlin’s nuclear triad – has undoubtedly made President Vladimir Putin, along with the rest of the world, sit up and take notice.

On Sunday, June 1, an audacious long-distance operation mounted by Ukraine’s intelligence services attacked at least five airfields, in Russia’s Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ryazan, and Amur regions, where strategic bombers and surveillance aircraft were located. While the numbers of aircraft destroyed and damaged is still being debated – Kyiv has said it could be as many as 40 – this success has more than bloodied the Russian aerospace forces’ nose.

HUR warns Kremlin agents are recruiting Ukrainians in Europe - especially those from occupied areas – for illegal missions targeting infrastructure and aiding Russia’s war effort.

Russia‘s intelligence services have intensified efforts to recruit Ukrainian citizens for illegal activities across European Union countries, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).

In a statement shared on Telegram, the agency said: “Potential perpetrators are offered monetary rewards for participating in illegal activities, monitoring critical infrastructure, and carrying out other assignments in the interests of the aggressor state.”

The talks, which are set to begin at 1:00 pm, come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks on Russian soil.

The Ukrainian delegation arrived in Istanbul on Monday morning for a second round of talks with Russia, a Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson told AFP.

Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia’s invasion, but have yet to make significant progress towards an elusive agreement.

Putin: “It’s not peace I want, but pieces of Ukraine.”

Ballistic missiles and drones struck residential and industrial areas in Kharkiv early Monday, injuring six, including a child. The threat of further missile strikes remains high.

Russian forces launched a combined drone and missile attack on Kharkiv early Monday morning, June 2, targeting residential areas and industrial sites.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported on Telegram that two ballistic missiles struck the city’s Kyivskyi district.

Western partners should take note of Ukraine’s innovation and initiative. Kyiv knows that the most effective way of dealing with Moscow is to take the fight to them.

Last week, I returned to Odesa to support and attend the Black Sea Security Forum – one of the few international gatherings taking place close to the active front lines of Europe’s largest war in a generation.

Odesa, with its unique character and layered history, is now a linchpin in Ukraine’s resistance. It serves as the country’s primary operational seaport – a critical artery for exports and a gateway to the world. But it is also a frontline city, living under the constant shadow of missile strikes and naval threats.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Ukraine conducted a large-scale and simultaneous series of drone strikes against multiple air bases in Russia on June 1.
• Ukraine continues to innovate its drone technology and tactics to achieve operational surprise and successfully target Russian military infrastructure in the rear.
• Ukraine’s drone strike operation against strategic Russian aircraft may at least temporarily constrain Russia’s ability to conduct long-range drone and missile strikes into Ukraine.
• Russia will likely struggle to replace the aircraft that Ukrainian forces damaged and destroyed.
• Russian officials and milbloggers continue to blame Russian leadership for failing to defend Russian military infrastructure from Ukrainian drone strikes — a widespread complaint throughout the war after successful Ukrainian strikes.
• Russian state media and milbloggers attempted to frame Ukraine’s strikes against legitimate Russian military targets as undermining Russia’s nuclear stability and as grounds for a Russian nuclear response – mirroring the Kremlin’s repeated nuclear saber-rattling throughout the war that has aimed to prevent Western support for Ukraine.
• Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the collapse of two bridges and subsequent train derailments in western Russia on May 31, likely as part of efforts to justify the recent launch of Russian offensive operations in Sumy Oblast and the Kremlin’s disinterest in peace negotiations to end the war.
• Russian forces conducted their largest combined drone and missile strike of the war that included over 400 drones against Ukraine on the night of May 31 to June 1.
• Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi submitted his resignation following a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian training unit on June 1.
• Russian forces continue to adapt their strike packages in an effort to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky established a delegation to participate in peace negotiations to end the war as Russian officials continue to flout their own proposed negotiation mechanisms.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Sumy Oblast and near Toretsk.

The margin between the two candidates was razor-thin – less than one percent, or approximately 370,000 votes.

Karol Nawrocki was declared the victor after vote counting ended for Sunday’s Polish presidential election run-off.

With 50.89% of the vote, he managed to edge out a lead in the tightly contested election, according to Wyborcza newspaper, which cites data from the State Electoral Commission.

The German leader will hold high stakes talks with US President Donald Trump over Ukraine, trade and NATO, amid growing concerns about the European continent’s security architecture

Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is set to travel to Washington this week for high stakes talks with US President Donald Trump, German and US officials confirmed on Sunday morning.

This will be the Chancellor’s first in-person meeting with Trump. The pair are scheduled to sit down in the Oval Office on June 5.

Monday’s talks come a day after Ukraine carried out one of its most brazen and successful attacks ever on Russian soil.

Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet Monday in Istanbul to exchange their plans for how to end the three-year war, Europe’s largest conflict since World War II, after Kyiv says it struck dozens of strategic bombers parked at airbases deep in Russia.

Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia’s invasion but have yet to make significant progress towards an elusive agreement.

“Not everything can be revealed, but these are Ukrainian actions that will undoubtedly be in history books,” the president noted of drone strike that wiped out $7B in Russian warplanes.

[UPDATED: June 2, 4:16 am , Kyiv time. Zelensky says all “Spiderweb” operatives safe.

Late on Sunday night, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on social media that all of the operatives of the nation’s security services, SBU, who had participated in a a raid earlier in the day that knocked out about $7 billion in Russian military aircraft within the invading country’s airfields, were safe in Ukraine and accounted for.

A late-night projection based on partial results from polling stations reversed an earlier prediction, putting Nawrocki at 50.7 percent against Trzaskowski’s 49.3 percent.

At the election night rally of Polish presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski in Warsaw, euphoria mixed with anxiety on Sunday.

The pro-EU mayor of the Polish capital told a jubilant crowd he “won... by a whisker,” after an initial exit poll gave him 50.3 percent of votes against nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki, on 49.7 percent.