KYIV — Hungary has lifted its longtime opposition to Ukraine opening formal talks to join the European Union − offering a glimmer of hope to a country traumatized by war that sees membership as crucial to escaping the claws of Russia and securing a free, democratic future. Source link
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, killing three people and injuring seven. Aksyonov later said on Telegram that one person had been killed and three wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a commuter train in eastern Crimea. The attacks came a day after Kyiv targeted energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg where Russia is currently hosting a three-day economic forum – known as “Russia’s Davos” – during which President Vladimir Putin is set to deliver a keynote speech. Some 20,000 guests from 130 countries have signed up for the event. Read moreUkraine strikes St. Petersburg with drones ahead of ‘Russian Davos’ US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the attacks, warning of a “real” risk of the war escalating as Ukraine underlines its ability to strike deep inside Russian territory. Ukraine has described its strikes on Saint Petersburg as “fair” retaliation for a wave of Russian bombardment on its territory. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov vowed Russia would provide a “systemic” response to Ukraine’s strikes …
Hungary has lifted its veto preventing Ukraine from joining the European Union in a move that could be a huge blow to Russia. The breakthrough ends a two-year deadlock in Brussels and clears the way for Ukraine and Moldova to open the first cluster of negotiations in the EU accession process. The decision is likely to be viewed as a setback for Russia, which has opposed Ukraine’s growing ties with the West. It brings Kyiv a step closer to EU membership. The sought-after breakthrough came during a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, when Hungary dropped its objections and allowed member states to reach the unanimity needed to move the process forward. Ukraine and Moldova, whose membership bids have been closely linked, have spent the past two years attempting to unlock the first cluster of negotiations, known as “fundamentals”, which covers areas including the rule of law, human rights and the judiciary. Progress had been blocked by Hungary, which raised concerns over the rights of the Hungarian minority living in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region. …
NewsFeed Residents in Kyiv took shelter as Russian attacks continued into the daytime hours after overnight strikes filled shelters across the capital. Al Jazeera’s Audrey MacAlpine goes down into the shelters where residents are trying to survive the latest strikes. Published On 3 Jun 20263 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link
Russia pounded several Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles early on Tuesday, killig18 people and wounding more than 100. Ukraine says Russia launched 656 drones and 73 missiles overnight. FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv. Keywords for this article Source link
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said he hopes White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will come to Kyiv, Ukraine, for talks in the coming weeks. CBS News’s “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan asked Zelensky whether he had heard from the envoys and Secretary of State Marco Rubio,… Source link
MOSCOW, May 30 (Reuters) – Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom said on Saturday a Ukrainian drone had struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, causing no damage to key equipment, but the Kyiv military denied it. Rosatom’s head Alexei Likhachev called the incident “deliberate” and said it left a hole in the wall of a turbine hall. “This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a subsequent detonation,” Likhachev said in a statement. “The explosion caused no damage to the primary equipment; however, it tore a hole in the turbine hall wall.” Ukraine’s military denied the Russian claims as “yet another propaganda ploy.” It said that the Ukrainian troops did not strike power unit No. 6 at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. “Ukrainian servicemen act strictly within the international humanitarian law and are fully aware of the consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities,” the military said in a statement. “At the relevant section of the front line, there was no active …
Belgium and France have summoned Russia’s ambassadors to express anger after Moscow urged foreigners to leave Kyiv in advance of planned “systematic strikes”. Brussels and Paris said on Wednesday that Russia’s announcement earlier in the week was “unacceptable” and a violation of international law. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The pair are the latest of several European Union capitals to demand an explanation. The spat is unlikely to help smooth the way for the EU to mediate talks to bring the conflict to an end, an arrangement that Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he is ready to accept. Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the European Union summoned Russian envoys on Tuesday following Moscow’s warning that foreigners and diplomats should leave the Ukrainian capital before the onset of renewed air strikes. “Threatening embassies is not diplomacy, it is intimidation. And it is a flagrant violation of international law and the Vienna Convention,” Belgium Foreign Minister Maxim Prevot said on Wednesday. “Belgium is not going anywhere. We are staying in Kyiv. We …
A recent Russian strike on the city of Kyiv caused “serious damage” to the National Art Museum of Ukraine, when a blast wave affected the building without harming the collection or workers there. According to a report from Reform.news, “The blast wave damaged the museum’s historic façade: windows were blown out, window frames damaged, and plaster partially collapsed from walls and inside several halls. In addition, the glass covering of the skylight roof, which provides natural overhead lighting for the exhibition halls on the second floor, was damaged.” Related Articles The halls of the museum were empty during the attack, after valuable holdings were moved to secure storage during the first days of the Russian invasion. Tatsiana Berezhna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture, said in a statement, “The National Art Museum of Ukraine is a place where the history of Ukrainian art is preserved. Russia is systematically attacking civilian infrastructure and cultural institutions. Every such strike is an attempt to intimidate and destroy our identity. We are documenting all …
KYIV, May 26 (Reuters) – Kyiv residents and foreign embassies are shrugging off Moscow’s threat of a wave of heavy strikes on the Ukrainian capital as nothing new after years of war, displaying a defiant confidence in carrying on with their lives. Russia, which has relentlessly attacked Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, said on Monday it intended to launch “systematic strikes” on targets in Kyiv and urged foreigners and diplomats to leave. But despite one of the war’s heaviest bombardments of the capital two days ago, residents interviewed by Reuters voiced their determination. “I think that those threats are manipulation more aimed at sowing panic among the public,” Oleksandr Korzh, a former serviceman, 43, said. “I will stay in Ukraine, and I will stay in Kyiv.” Some of the diplomatic missions in the city, which Russia aggressively urged to leave, displayed no such plans. The EU’s ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, dismissed Russian threats as “a masterpiece of hypocrisy”. The Netherlands, Germany and Norway were among the countries that …
