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Keir Starmer will hold discussions on boosting support for Ukraine with France’s Macron and Germany’s Merz
Namita Singh, Dan Haygarth & James C. ReynoldsSaturday 06 June 2026 19:00 BST- Bookmark
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Russia threats to UK at highest level since the Cold War, military chief warns
Ukraine targets St. Petersburg again after Putin rejects Zelenskyy's offer for direct talksIt’s advantage Zelensky in Ukraine’s push for peace with Putin
In full: Zelensky’s letter to Putin as he calls for face-to-face meeting
Key Points
- Ukraine targets St Petersburg again after Putin rejects Zelensky's offer for direct talks
- 'It is time to end this war. But Russia’s ruler wants to keep fighting' - Zelensky
- Putin says he is 'grateful' to Trump but sees no reason to meet Zelensky
- Fire at Russian oil refinery caused by falling drone debris
- Russia threats to UK at highest level since the Cold War, military chief warns
Starmer to host Zelensky, Macron and Merz in London
Sir Keir Starmer will host Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz for a summit in No 10 tomorrow, Downing Street said.
France’s Elysee Palace said the leaders will gather for high-level talks aimed at boosting support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia.
“This meeting will allow them to continue their close coordination on our shared agenda of continuing support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia’s war effort,” the statement said.
December 8, 2025 (AFP/Getty)“Russia is facing military, economic, and strategic failure — and persists, unsuccessfully, on the front lines in a deadly war.”
The meeting comes after Zelensky urged Russian president Vladimir Putin in an open letter to meet him to agree an end to the war.
Read moreJames Reynolds6 June 2026 18:31In full: Zelensky’s letter to Putin as he calls for face-to-face meeting
Volodymyr Zelensky has published a letter appealing to Russian president Vladimir Putin for a meeting, while launching a blistering verdict on his 26-year tenure in Moscow.
The message warned it would be misguided to simply await the Trump administration’s renewed focus on ending the conflict in Ukraine while its attention remains heavily directed towards the war in Iran, proposing that Moscow and Kyiv alone take the next steps.
Here’s the open letter in full:
In full: Zelensky’s letter to Putin as he calls for face-to-face meeting
Zelensky and Putin met for the first and only time in 2019James Reynolds6 June 2026 19:00UCI lifts Belarus ban, eases restrictions for junior Russian riders
Cycling's world governing body (UCI) has lifted its blanket ban on Belarus and relaxed some restrictions on Russian junior riders, amending regulations it first adopted in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The UCI said the changes follow updated recommendations from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which lifted all restrictions on Belarusian athletes.
- Belarusian national teams and athletes may enter UCI events, including UCI World Cups and UCI World Championships, with all restrictions on protocol matters, symbols and emblems lifted.
- Russian junior riders and their support staff are now exempt from the requirement to apply for Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) status to enter UCI International Calendar events.
- Any reference to Russia is still prohibited on start lists, results sheets, television graphics. Russian national emblems and symbols on jerseys and equipment continue to be prohibited.
- Riders holding AIN status are now authorised to compete together in team events whose format requires collective participation.
Watch: Emergency crews extinguish fires after Russian strikes in Ukraine’s Sumy region
Emergency crews extinguish fires after Russian strikes in Ukraine’s Sumy regionJames Reynolds6 June 2026 18:00Ukrainian drones 'take control of part of land route to Crimea'
Ukraine’s military reports that drone operators from Ukraine's 3rd Special Operations Forces Regiment have managed to take control of part of the land route to occupied Crimea.
A statement claims the operators are able to target Russian equipment and logistics along the Melitopol-Chonhar route, which leads to Crimea.
“As a result, logistics in terms of supplying the Russian army and fuel to the peninsula have already been complicated,” it said. “This is just the beginning. More to come!”
James Reynolds6 June 2026 17:42Recap: Ukrainian maritime drone explodes at Black Sea port in Romania
A sea drone self-destructed near an oil terminal in Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta on Friday, without causing casualties, as Ukraine said Russia jammed the vessel causing it to driftoff course.
The explosion was the second major incident in a populated area in Romania on NATO's eastern flank within a week as the spillover threat from the war in Ukraine increases.
Ukraine's navy said one of its drones lost control in the Black Sea as a result of Russian electronic warfare. It contacted Romania to warn them and prevent casualties, it said.
Romanian defence minister Radu Miruta said that warning allowed a timely evacuation.
(AP)James Reynolds6 June 2026 17:00In full: Ukraine targets St. Petersburg again after Putin rejects offer for direct talks
Residents of St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, were told not to leave their homes after a “large-scale” Ukrainian drone attack targeted the city Saturday morning, local officials said, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to hit deep inside Russia.
St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov advised St. Petersburg residents not to go outside and warned of possible disruptions to mobile internet service.
Regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said 141 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 376 Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine targets St. Petersburg again after Putin rejects Zelenskyy's offer for direct talks
Ukrainian drones has targeted St. Petersburg in what Russian officials called a “large-scale” attack, prompting Governor Alexander Beglov to advise residents to remain indoorsJames Reynolds6 June 2026 16:30Power line restored at occupied Zaporizhzhia plant
The Russian-installed management of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant said that it had restored the Ferrosplavnaya-1 power line, which supplies electricity to the plant.
“All systems and equipment at the ZNPP are operating normally,” the management said via its Telegram channel.
A temporary local ceasefire, brokered by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was declared on Friday to allow repairs to the power line.
A few hours after the incident was reported, the Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom accused Ukraine of deliberately violating the ceasefire through a drone attack that left at least three people injured.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, was seized by Russian troops in the early weeks of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Each side has since accused the other of undertaking military actions to compromise nuclear safety.
The plant generates no electricity, but needs external power to ensure that nuclear fuel at the site does not overheat.
A Russian serviceman stands guard the territory outside the second reactor of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Energodar on May 1, 2022 (AFP/Getty)James Reynolds6 June 2026 16:00Watch: Emergency crews extinguish fires after Russian strikes in Ukraine’s Sumy region
Emergency crews extinguish fires after Russian strikes in Ukraine’s Sumy regionDan Haygarth6 June 2026 15:30Ukraine's military says it hit oil depot and oil terminal in Russia's Leningrad region
Ukraine's military said on Saturday it had hit an oil depot and an oil terminal in Russia's Leningrad region overnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on Saturday said the military had also hit another Russian oil deport in Krasnodar region.
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