Ukraine-Russia War Latest: Kremlin Won't Accept EU Ultimatum, Putin Warns of Retaliation

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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kremlin ‘won’t accept ultimatum’ from Europe as Putin warns of major retaliation

Russia threatens ‘coordinated strikes on a regular basis’ after Ukraine’s biggest assault on Moscow

The Kremlin has said that Russia is open to dialogue with Europe but “won’t accept ultimatums” in a statement on Friday.

Russian strikes killed at least two people and wounded ⁠two others in the northeastern Ukrainian ⁠region ​of Sumy after Moscow threatened escalation for Ukraine’s biggest assault so far.

Another nine people, ‌including four children, suffered injuries in Kharkiv, which was attacked with Russian guided aerial bombs.

Ukraine on Friday morning claimed that a crew member of a Panama-flagged ship was killed in a Russian drone attack in the Black Sea waters. Oleksiy Kuleba said that another vessel under the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag was ‌also hit.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov previously warned of “massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis” in response to Ukraine's attack on a Moscow oil refinery for the second time this week.

Ukraine earlier launched a heavy drone strike on Russia in retaliation for damage done to a historic monastery in Kyiv this week. Hundreds of drones targeted Moscow overnight, hitting the Russian capital's oil refinery for the ⁠second time this week, in one of the biggest aerial assaults on Russia of the war so far.

Lavrov says Nato and Russia escalation could lead to nuclear strikes

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that an escalation between Russia and Nato could lead to a nuclear strikes exchange with catastrophic consequences.

“A direct confrontation between Nato and Russia could rapidly escalate into an exchange of nuclear strikes, with catastrophic consequences,” he wrote in an article posted on the Russian foreign ministry’s website.

“Under the banner of ‘strategic autonomy,’ Europe is witnessing a significant build-up of its military capabilities, including in the nuclear sphere.

“Paris's intention to extend its ‘nuclear umbrella’ to several EU and NATO member states is a source of deep concern.

“This will do nothing to strengthen the security of France itself or the recipients of its so-called protection.”

Maira Butt19 June 2026 13:09

EU extends sanctions against Russia for 12 months

The EU leaders have agreed to extend sanctions against Russia over its war against Ukraine for another 12 months.

The decision was taken during a European Council summit in Brussels, which saw the participation of Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.

The decision marked the first ‌time ⁠such sanctions, which target certain sectors of the ​Russian ​economy, ⁠have been renewed for ​a year. They ​had ⁠previously been rolled over every ⁠six ​months.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 12:40

Latvian PM says no point in having diplomatic channel with Russia

Latvian prime minister Andris Kulbergs has said there is no point in having diplomatic channels with Russia if Moscow doesn't want to engage in diplomacy.

Kulbergs previously told Bloomberg that the EU needs to appoint an envoy for peace talks with Russia when the time is right as the bloc seeks to play a role in ending the war in Ukraine.

“Europe has to be at the table,” Kulbergs said, adding: “There should be one person if the peace talks are in place who has the political mandate to do that."

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 12:10

Employees work at a mall previously destroyed in Russian strike

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 11:40

Recap: Zelenskyy says G7 leaders pledge more vital help for Ukraine

Ukraine has won key pledges of further support for its fight against Russia from world leaders attending the Group of Seven summit in France, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.

The leaders of the world’s leading industrial economies promised to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and ensure its energy supply, as well as step up international economic pressure on Moscow, as Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s all-out invasion stretches into its fifth year with no end in sight.

“The G7 Summit in France delivered important results for Ukraine. Most importantly, we agreed on additional strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense,” Zelenskyy, who attended the gathering, said on X.

More here.

Zelenskyy says G7 leaders pledge more vital help for Ukraine against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine has secured key support from world leaders at the Group of Seven summit in France

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 11:10

Russian gas returns to pre-war levels in Belgium

Belgium imported more natural gas from Russia in 2025 than it did before Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, data from the Belgian economy ministry showed.

Russian gas made up more than 11 per cent of Belgium’s gas imports in 2025, climbing back to pre-war 2019 levels after dropping to around 5 per cent in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While Belgium has phased out Russian pipeline gas, imports of Russian LNG have surged, offsetting much of the decline and driving a renewed rise in Russian gas imports.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 10:40

Slovakia’s government faces confidence vote

The Slovak government is set to face a parliamentary confidence vote that was triggered by the country’s debt surpassing fiscal limits set by the Constitution.

The motion was called after the Constitutional Court, the country’s highest authority, ruled Wednesday that the government has to ask for such a vote without delay.

Populist Prime Minister Robert Fico said he respected the court's ruling and called for the vote.

His coalition government has a majority of 78 seats in the 150-seat parliament, known as the National Council, and is therefore expected to win the vote. Coalition lawmakers limited the time for the debate to 12 1/2 hours.

More here.

Slovakia’s government faces confidence vote as debt exceeds constitutional limit

The Slovak government faces a parliamentary confidence vote after the country's debt exceeded constitutional fiscal limits

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 10:10

Pope laments rising deaths in Ukraine

Pope Leo reportedly lamented the growing number of deaths in Ukraine due to intensified Russian attacks.

“There are many innocent victims, rescuers killed, churches, and places of cultural heritage devastated by flames,” he said, according to Vatican News.

“I am close to all those who mourn their loved ones, to the wounded, and to those who, amid violence, continue courageously to serve life.”

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 09:40

How Ukraine’s new drone tactics are causing chaos in Russia

Ukraine launched a powerful barrage of drones on Moscow on Thursday, triggering a huge explosion in one of the Russian capital’s key oil refineries.

Kyiv’s strategic deployment of medium-range drones is inflicting significant damage on Russia's struggling war effort, experts have said as Moscow’s ground offensive stalls.

Kyiv has scaled up its targeting of Russia’s critical oil infrastructure, the lifeblood of the Kremlin’s wartime economy, as part of a wider campaign to weaken its capacity to continue its war on Ukraine.

More here.

How Ukraine’s new drone tactics are causing chaos in Russia

Ukrainian officials say more resources have been focused on ‘middle strikes’ on radars and air defences around 180km behind the front lines

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 09:10

Russian court hands Romanian citizen 15-year jail term for espionage

A Romanian citizen ⁠has been sentenced to 15 ⁠years ​in ⁠prison ⁠by a ​Russian ⁠court ‌for carrying out espionage on ‌behalf of ‌Ukraine, the ⁠Interfax news agency reported this morning, citing Russia's ‌Federal Security ​Service.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar19 June 2026 08:40