Putin, Zelensky Open to Peace Talks Amid Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
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Putin refuses to rule out signing peace deal with Zelensky
Speaking to reporters in St Petersburg, Putin said he did not rule out signing a peace deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, if an agreement could be reached.
Putin has previously said that Zelensky is not a legitimate leader because he has remained in office beyond the end of his elected term.
Ukrainian law forbids the holding of new elections under martial law, which was imposed after Russia's 2022 invasion.
Putin told foreign journalists in St Petersburg that if it came to a peace deal, Russia would sign an agreement with legitimate Ukrainian representatives, perhaps "even with Zelensky".
Jane Dalton4 June 2026 19:44
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Zelensky offers to meet Putin for peace talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to President Vladimir Putin on Thursday in which he proposed the two leaders meet to agree an end to the war.
In his letter, Zelensky said the majority of Russians had grown tired of Ukrainian missile and drones attacks, inflation and fuel shortages, and were ready for peace.
"If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence," Zelensky said, warning that this could threaten Putin's personal position.
"It is a fact of Russian history that you know well: when Russia grows tired, change comes."
Daniel Keane4 June 2026 20:05
Recap: Zelensky warns Russian forces could again launch a massive attack on Ukraine
James Reynolds4 June 2026 20:00
Putin says Russia is ready to make some compromises for Ukraine peace deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is willing to make some compromises to end the war in Ukraine and strike a peace deal, following a request by President Donald Trump.
Putin told reporters in St Petersburg that Russia had all the resources to achieve its military goals and its troops were advancing in Ukraine, but it was prepared to make a deal with Ukraine peacefully.
Recent analysis suggests that Ukraine is succeeding in minimising Russian gains amid growing domestic pressure on Putin.
There are also signs that the war is beginning to impact Russia’s economy following years of western sanctions.
Jane Dalton4 June 2026 19:31
French jets intercepted Russian aircraft 11 times over a week in Baltics
French warplanes were scrambled 11 times over the last week as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission, France's armed forces spokesperson said on Thursday, describing the incursions as a higher-than-usual number of "provocations".
The mission protects the airspace of the three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - through rotating deployments of NATO fighter jets, filling gaps in their own capabilities. Aircraft are scrambled to intercept unidentified or non-compliant aircraft.
Guillaume Vernet told a weekly news briefing that the unusually high number of interceptions could signal that Moscow was seeking to flex its muscles in the same week it hosted its annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"The French detachment deployed on the Baltic Air Policing mission carried out multiple interceptions of Russian military aircraft flying without flight plans or radio contact," Vernet said, adding that the intercepted aircraft included armed fighter jets, intelligence and transport planes.
Reuters4 June 2026 19:00
Baltic states on edge as stray Ukrainian drones cause airspace chaos and political turmoil
Concerns are escalating that the war in Ukraine is spilling over into NATO's northern borders, as military drones increasingly violate the airspace of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
These incursions are directly linked to Ukraine's intensified long-range attacks targeting Russian Baltic Sea oil shipping ports.
Reports indicate that some of these unmanned aerial vehicles have missed their intended targets, prompting urgent security warnings across the neighbouring nations.
Baltic states on edge as drones spark chaos and political tensions
As Ukraine steps up long-range attacks on Russian targets, some of its drones have missed their targets
James Reynolds4 June 2026 18:00
Top AfD official meets with Putin advisor and calls for reopening of Nord Stream
A senior member of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) met one of Vladimir Putin's top advisers and the head of Gazprom and called for a reopening of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
Markus Frohnmaier, the AfD's parliamentary foreign policy spokesperson, is attending Putin's showpiece economic conference in St Petersburg, against warnings from Germany's foreign ministry, which "explicitly advised the AfD against these trips".
Frohnmaier said on social media he had met Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, on Wednesday. Dmitriev, Miller and Gazprom are all subject to Western sanctions imposed over Russia's war in Ukraine.
Frohnmaier, who has called repeatedly for Germany to engage with Russia to resume energy supplies, said the meeting with Miller focused on the pipeline and a full resumption of Russian gas deliveries to Germany.
"Germany is caught in a severe economic downward spiral, and a key driver of this is the high cost of energy," Frohnmaier said.
"That is why all options must be put back on the table, including the recommissioning of Nord Stream and the resumption of trade relations with Russia."
James Reynolds4 June 2026 17:00
'Biden's war' has become 'Trump's war', says Russia's Lavrov after Rubio comments
US secretary of state Marco Rubio's remarks in support of Ukraine demonstrate that what Russia used to call "Biden's war" had now become "Trump's war," Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday, the RIA state news agency reported.
Lavrov was cited as saying that the fighting in Ukraine would have already been over if the US had been genuinely seeking a peace deal.
Rubio told a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday that there would be news “pretty soon” on $400 million that Congress had approved for Ukraine-related needs but which had been delayed at the Department of Defense.
Rubio’s comments in support of Ukraine demonstrated that there are no fundamental differences between the US and European approaches, Lavrov was quoted as saying.
James Reynolds4 June 2026 16:56
Ukraine's military hits Russian gunpowder factory in Ryazan region
Ukraine's military has struck a Russian gunpowder factory in the Ryazan region, the General Staff of Ukraine's military said on Thursday.
As a result of the strike, a fire covering an area of over 400 sq m (4300 sq ft) has broken out, it said on Telegram.
They said Ukrainian forces struck “a number of important objects” on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday.
These were said to include a equipment near Novoyehorivka in the Kharkiv region and an enemy command post in Donetsk.
An ammo depot in Hrintal area and fuel and lubricants deports in Crimea and Melitopol were also hit.
"Based on additional analysis of the results, it was established that on June 3, 2026, one tank was destroyed and six tanks and two technical overpasses were damaged in the area of the Saint Petersburg oil terminal," they said.
James Reynolds4 June 2026 16:32
Trilateral talks with Ukraine possible 'when time is right', says Dmitriev
Russian envoy Dmitriev says that negotiations between Russia and the US are not on pause, and that talks with Ukraine are still possible “when the time is right”.
He says that he spoke to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Wednesday, and that not everything in their talks has been related to Ukraine.
He adds that Russia will, for now, continue on a bilateral track with the US on energy and the economy.
James Reynolds4 June 2026 16:20
