War in Ukraine

June 4 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would “unconditionally support” Russia’s war against Ukraine, state-run media reported Thursday, in the latest sign of growing military ties between the two countries.

Kim made the remark during a meeting Wednesday with Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, the official Korean Central News Agency said.

The North Korean leader “affirmed that the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would … unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue,” KCNA said, using the official name of North Korea.

Pyongyang sent over 11,000 troops to Russia in 2024, and another 3,000 in the early months of this year, a report from the 11-country Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team said last week.

North Korea acknowledged sending the troops for the first time in April, claiming they helped recapture lost territory in Kursk Province from Ukrainian forces.

Shoigu “conveyed the special thanks of the Russian leadership for the matchless heroism and self-sacrificing spirit displayed by the Korean people’s excellent sons who participated in the operations for liberating the Kursk area,” KCNA said.

The North Korean troops “defended the precious part of the Russian territory as they would do their own motherland, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Russian soldiers in the same trench,” Shoigu, the former Defense Minister, added.

In addition to troops, the North has shipped as many as 9 million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition and at least 100 ballistic missiles, according to the MSMT report.

Pyongyang’s military assistance has “contributed to Moscow’s ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure,” the MSMT said.

South Korea, the United States and its allies believe North Korea is receiving advanced weapons technology and economic assistance in return.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Kim “expressed expectation and conviction that Russia would, as ever, surely win victory in the just and sacred cause for defending its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests.”

June 4 (UPI) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will respond to the Ukrainian drone strikes that destroyed Russian military aircraft in several locations on Sunday, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday.

Trump spoke with Putin by phone for more than an hour on Wednesday and said it was “not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace,” CNBC reported the president saying in a Truth Social post.

Putin told Trump the Russian military will retaliate against Ukraine for the drone strikes conducted during a long-planned operation dubbed “spiderweb.”

The drone strikes destroyed more than 40 Russian heavy bombers that are capable of deploying missiles that contain nuclear warheads.

Putin said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is disrupting peace talks with such attacks.

Putin aide Yury Ushakov said the conversation lasted about 70 minutes and was the fourth between the two world leaders.

“It was emphasized that Ukraine tried to derail these talks by carrying out targeted attacks on entirely civilian targets and civilians on direct orders from the Kiev regime,” Ushakov said in an online announcement.

“These attacks unequivocally constitute an act of terrorism under international law,” Ushakov said. “The Kiev regime has essentially degenerated into a terrorist organization.”

Trump said the United States had no advance knowledge of the drone strikes, Ushakov said, adding that the two presidents agreed to continue working to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia.

Putin and Trump also discussed matters in the Middle East, the conflict between India and Pakistan, and a potential restoration of cooperation between Russia and the United States regarding various global issues.

“We also discussed Iran and the fact that time is running out on Iran’s decision pertaining to nuclear weapons, which must be made quickly!” Trump said in his Truth Social post.

Putin said he could assist with nuclear talks with Iran, which Trump is working to stop from developing nuclear weapons, the BBC reported.

Ushakov credited Trump with halting the recent armed conflict between India and Pakistan and said both agreed their phone conversation was “positive and highly productive.”

June 4 (UPI) — Ukrainian officials were set to update U.S. senators on Wednesday on the war and discuss arms purchases and efforts to pressure Russia to negotiate a peace deal, including a tough new bipartisan sanctions bill due to come to the floor of the upper chamber next week.

The delegation, which included Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Deputy Defense Minister Serhii Boyev and Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, arrived Tuesday, a day after a second round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey broke up without a breakthrough.

Yermak said in a social media post that the delegation was bringing a “comprehensive agenda” of issues that were important to Ukraine to actively promote to members of both parties and President Donald Trump‘s team.

“We plan to talk about defense support and the situation on the battlefield, strengthening sanctions against Russia, including Senator [Lindsey] Graham’s bill. We will also discuss the Agreement on the Establishment of the Reconstruction Investment Fund, which we signed earlier,” wrote Yermak.

He said the delegation would also raise the issue of getting back Ukrainian children deported by Russia and support for the process.

The bill that Sen. Graham, R-S.C., plans to introduce in the Senate aims to ratchet up economic pressure on Russia, targeting its trade partners by slapping 500% tariffs on imports from countries that continue to purchase Russian products, including gas, oil and uranium.

China and India are the two biggest markets for Russian energy exports.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Politico that he and Graham would host a closed-door meeting with the Ukrainians on Capitol Hill to which all Senators had been invited.

He said support for the sanctions bill was gaining very strong momentum with 82 members of the Senate split down the middle of the aisle agreeing to co-sponsor it.

Blumenthal said the secondary sanctions could be a “game changer.”

“It’s a pivotal moment in Ukraine — and crunch time for the Senate on this bill.”

He also pushed back on what he said was a growing but false belief that Ukraine was losing the war, saying recent offensive assaults deep into Russian territory, such as Sunday’s so-called “Operation Spiderweb,” in which Ukrainian drones destroyed 41 strategic Russian bomber aircraft, proved otherwise.

Blumenthal argued that such feats could help shift the dial among the administration’s foreign policy team, helping persuade them to bolster military and other assistance for Ukraine and to support the sanctions bill.

That in turn would help overcome the reservations of some lawmakers, he said.

“Events will move the White House — and maybe some of the president’s friends here [Capitol Hill]. Congress can move ahead. [Trump] doesn’t have to support it.”

Current U.S. flows of arms and equipment to Ukraine are all under drawdowns on assistance packages approved under former President Joe Biden, with no fresh approvals since as the Trump administration shifts to a more mercantile approach under which Ukraine will buy the weapons rather than receiving them as aid.

June 3 (UPI) — Ukraine said Tuesday it successfully carried out a military strike on the Crimean Bridge, the culmination of an operation that took several months to execute.

The Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, posted to Telegram that it struck the bridge, which connects Russia and Crimea, in an underwater attack.

The aquatic assault, the third strike on the bridge by Ukraine, involved SBU agents who mined the bridge’s pillars over a period of several months. The first explosive device was detonated early Tuesday morning, and SBU officials claim no civilians were harmed in the attack.

The SBU said the structure’s submerged support system was “severely damaged at the bottom level,” with the equivalent of over 2400 pounds of TNT used, which ostensibly left the bridge is in disrepair.

SBU Lieutenant General Vasyl Maliuk, who was in charge of the operation, said via the Telegram report that “the Crimean Bridge is an absolutely legitimate target, especially given that the enemy used it as a logistical artery to provide its troops.”

Ukraine also suffered a major attack Tuesday as its president Volodymyr Zelensky posted to social media around an hour after the assault on the Kerch Bridge happened. He posted videos that purportedly showed bodies on the ground of the northeastern city of Sumy and confirmed that three people were killed and many were injured. “The Russians launched a savage strike on Sumy, directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery. It was a fully deliberate attack on civilians.” said Zelensky.

He did not mention the Kerch Bridge attack in his post.

June 3 (UPI) — The British government threatened to sue Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to ensure the proceeds from his sale of Chelsea Football Club benefit aid efforts in Ukraine.

The government seeks to direct the $3.4 billion Abramavoch received when he sold the Premier League club in March 2022 to funds to humanitarian aid.

“The Government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy and British Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in a joint statement.

Abramovich, however, has stated he would like the proceeds to benefit “all victims of the war in Ukraine,” including those in Russia.

He has retained legal control of the funds have remained frozen in a British bank account since the sale as Abramovich was sanctioned in February 2022 following Russia and the government said Tuesday it would take legal action to gain control of where the funds are sent.

“We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr. Abramovich so far,” Lammy and Reeves said. “While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible.”

Abramovich was granted a special license to sell Chelsea, as long as he could prove he would not benefit financially from the transaction.

He sold the team to an American-led group two months later for over $3.3 billion, and those proceeds have since remained frozen in a British bank. U.K. officials released a statement Monday that said it’s “fully prepared” to take legal action against Abramovich.

June 1 (UPI) — Ukrainian intelligence officials claimed Sunday to have attacked at least 40 bombers deep inside Russia, which would be the most aggressive such attack on Russian territory since Moscow-led troops invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Ukraine targeted “41 strategic Russian aircraft” in an offensive code-named “Spiderweb,” NBC News reported, citing a source within the Security Service of Ukraine.

The attack happened at the Belaya air base in Russia’s Irkutsk region in Siberia, almost 3,000 miles from Ukraine, according to video posted by the Kyiv Independent.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday on X that he is “doing everything to protect our independence, our state, our people,” and said he was receiving regular updates from his security forces.

Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the President of Ukraine, posted an emoji on the spiderweb.

“At the right moment, the roofs of the cabins were opened remotely, and the drones flew to hit Russian bombers,” the Independent reported of the “Spiderweb” operation, which sources told the paper was a year-and-a-half in the making.

Ukraine announced in March that it had developed a new, more cost-effective drone with a range of nearly 2,000 miles, but did not say when they would go into operation or if these drones were used in the Sunday attack.

At least seven people died and more were injured when a passenger train derailed following a bridge collapse and explosion in Russia’s Bryansk region near Ukraine, Duetsche Welle reported. A second bridge was said to have collapsed in the Kursk region.

The Russian defense ministry said Ukraine lost 510 troops and five armored personnel carriers, although it offered no evidence in a post on Telegram.

Ukraine has not commented on the collapsed bridges or ensuing explosion and deaths.

May 31 (UPI) — President Trump plans to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz next week in Washington, D.C..

Merz, who was elected May 6 in a parliamentary election, is scheduled to visit with Trump on Thursday in the White House, German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said in a news release Saturday.

Merz, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union, replaced Olaf Scholz, who served since 2021 with the Social Democratic Party. Merz was first elected to the Bundestag in 1994 and was leader of the opposition since February 2022.

He will travel to the U.S. capital one day ahead, according to broadcaster n-tv.

They will focus on bilateral relations, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East and trade policy, which includes tariffs, according to Kornelius.

A White House official confirmed the meeting to The Hill.

Like Trump, Merz wants a cease-fire in the war between Ukraine and Russia that began in February 2022.

Merz met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Wednesday.

The chancellor said that Germany will increase financial support for Ukraine as part of a more than $5.5 billion agreement. That includes sending over more military equipment and increasing weapons manufacturing in Kyiv.

Members of the Trump administration have criticized Germany’s designation of the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland party as an “extremist” political entity.

“We have largely stayed out of the American election campaign in recent years, and that includes me personally,” Merz said in an interview with Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which is part of Politico, that was published on May 7.

Last Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul traveled to Washington and met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump spoke on the phone with Merz during his visit on May 10 with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv.

Macron, Starmer and Zelensky have already met with Trump in the White House.

Other foreign leaders who met with Trump since he took office again on Jan. 20 include Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Irish Prime Minister Micheel Martin, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Many heads of state, including Trump, went to the funeral for Francis on April 26 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Merz wasn’t one of them.

May 30 (UPI) — Ukraine said it will not send a delegation for peace talks to Istanbul Monday until Russia provides details of its cease-fire proposal.

Ukraine accused Russia, which has said it will send a delegation to Istanbul for the talks, of stalling in peace negotiations.

“Russia is dragging out the war and doing everything to simply deceive countries that are still trying to influence Moscow with words, not pressure. Words with Moscow do not work. Even the so-called “memorandum” that they promised and supposedly prepared for more than a week has not yet been seen by anyone,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video posted to the presidential website.

During a joint press conference with Turkey’s foreign minister, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia must accept an unconditional cease-fire.

Ukraine has sent cease-fire proposal details to Russia.

“We are interested in seeing these meetings continue because we want the war to end this year,” Sybiha said.

The Monday Istanbul meeting will not include Zelensky or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Russian cease-fire proposal memo will be delivered at the Monday Istanbul meeting.

He said it will focus on overcoming what he termed the “root causes” of the war.

Lavrov proposed a second round of Istanbul talks for June 2. Ukraine has not yet committed to that proposed meeting.

“They are doing everything to make the meetings empty. And this is another reason to have sufficient sanctions – sufficient pressure on Russia,” Zelensky said of Russia.

The United States, France, Germany and Britain are all sending security advisors to the Monday Istanbul talks as Ukraine awaits details from Russia about its cease-fire proposal.

Ukraine’s position is that it must see details of the Russian cease-fire proposal before the next peace talks session happens.

May 31 (UPI) — President Trump plans to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz next week in Washington, D.C., in the meeting between the two leaders.

Merz, who was elected May 6 in a parliamentary election, is scheduled to visit with Trump on Thursday in the White House, Germany government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said Saturday in a news release to The Hill and Politico Europe.

Merz, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union, replaced Olaf Scholz, who served since 2021 with the Social Democratic Party. Merz was first elected to the Bundestag in 1994 and was leader of the opposition since February 2022.

He will travel to the U.S. capital one day ahead, according to broadcaster n-tv.

They will focus on bilateral relations, the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East and trade policy, which includes tariffs, according to Kornelius.

A White House official confirmed the meeting to The Hill.

Like Trump, Merz wants a cease-fire in the war between Ukraine and Russia that began in February 2022.

Merz met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Wednesday.

The chancellor said that Germany will increase financial support for Ukraine as part of a more than $5.5 billion agreement. That includes sending over more military equipment and increasing weapons manufacturing in Kyiv.

Members of the Trump administration have criticized Germany designating the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland party as an “extremist” political entity.

“We have largely stayed out of the American election campaign in recent years, and that includes me personally,” Merz said in an interview with Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which is part of Politico, that was published on May 7.

Last Wednesday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul traveled to Washington and met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump spoke on the phone with Merz during his visit on May 10 with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet with Zelensky in Kyiv.

Macron, Starmer and Zelensky have already met with Trump in the White House.

Other foreign leaders who met with Trump since he took office again on Jan. 20 include Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Irish Prime Minister Micheel Martin, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Many heads of state, including Trump, went to the funeral for Francis on April 26 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Merz wasn’t one of them.

May 28 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Germany Wednesday to discuss the state of German military support, which could include a delivery of powerful missiles to Ukraine for use against Russian targets.

Zelensky and the Ukrainian delegation were welcomed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz shortly after their arrival in Berlin, and Zelensky is also expected to meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The visit takes place as speculation continues in regard to whether Germany will supply Ukraine with its Taurus cruise missiles, which can strike targets as far away as 300 miles. Merz had signaled before his ascension to chancellor that he would overturn a previous ban by his predecessor Olaf Scholz on the provision of such weaponry to Ukraine.

Zelensky spoke with reporters Tuesday, and said he would discuss the issue of long-range missiles.

The decision to provide the Taurus missiles remains officially unresolved as it has been a matter of contention between the conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union parties, and the Social Democratic Party, their coalition partners.

However, Merz announced Monday that Germany would “do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine,” and that “also means no longer having any range restrictions on the weapons we supply. Ukraine can now also defend itself by attacking military positions in Russia.”

Merz later explained the comment was in reference to actions taken months ago, and German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil has since confirmed that no new decision in regard to the Taurus missile issue.

Germany has previously provided Ukraine with two weapons systems capable of strikes within Russian borders, the Mars II rocket launchers and Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled artillery, and range restrictions on their usage were lifted in May 2024.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Monday that European countries who lift restrictions on the range of provided armaments for use against Russia on Russian territory would be making a “rather dangerous decision.”

Zelensky posted to social media Tuesday that in an “extended meeting” with Ukrainian military leadership, they had discussed “preparing new agreements with our European partners in the near future, to attract investment into Ukrainian production,” which “First and foremost,” means “the production of unmanned systems and long-range capabilities,” so that the military can “operate at significant distances.”

May 27 (UPI) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that he expects alliance members to agree during next month’s summit to a defense spending target of 5% of gross domestic product.

Rutte made the revelation during the sixth and final day of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton, Ohio.

“I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a hard defense spend target of 5%,” he said.

“Let’s say that this 5%, but I will not say what is the individual breakup, but it will be considerably north of 3% when it comes to the hard spend and it will be also a target on defense-related spending.”

“We need this, because otherwise we can never, ever, ever reach the capability targets,” he added.

All NATO members have agreed to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense by 2025, with no country yet reaching the 5% threshold.

NATO spending by member nations has long been an issue of contention for U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called for European nations to pay more, accusing them of relying on Washington for their defense.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has been calling for NATO members to increase defense spending to 5%.

Of the 32 NATO nations, Poland spent an alliance-high 4.12% of GDP on defense last year, according to statistics from the security alliance, with Estonia second at 3.43% and the United States third at 3.38%.

Eight countries spent below the 2% GDP on defense last year, with Spain coming in last at 1.28% GDP.

The NATO Summit is to be held in The Hague from June 24-25, where world leaders and defense chiefs of alliance members will congregate to discuss pressing security issues and decide on the alliance’s strategic direction.

May 25 (UPI) — The Ukrainian and Russian militaries exchanged massive air strikes overnight Saturday, even amid a planned swap of some 303 prisoners of war from each side.

The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that Russia’s bombardment began around 8:40 p.m. Saturday, during which Russia launched some 367 air attack weapons. It was the second night of such a large-scale attack by Russia.

Kyiv said it had shot down some 311 of them, including 45 cruise missiles and 266 drones. Still, some landed on Ukrainian territory.

“The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” the Ukrainian Air Force said in its statement.

The Ukrainian Air Force said “most regions of Ukraine” were affected by Russia’s attack, with strikes recorded in at least 22 locations.

The scope of the attack prompted the Armed Forces Operational Command of neighboring Poland, a NATO alliance member, to scramble jets in case it needed to defend its airspace, Polish officials said in a statement.

When the strike ended, the Polish military said it had observed no violations of its airspace and that defense systems had returned to normal.

“Unfortunately, last night, due to the barbaric attack of the Russians, there are dead and wounded, including children,” the Ukrainian Air Force said. “We express our condolences to the families of the victims and the wounded.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed Sunday that it carried out a “massive strike” against “enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex” that it said make missile components, drones, explosives, rocket fuel and radios for the Ukrainian military.

“The strike objectives have been achieved,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. “All designated targets have been hit.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Sunday that the Russian strike was against “ordinary cities” and hit “ordinary residential buildings” in Ukraine.

“In Kyiv, dormitories of the university’s history department were hit. There were also strikes on enterprises. Tragically, people were killed, including children,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky called on world powers to levy new sanctions against Russia, which he said “is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day” as he criticized the “silence of America.”

“Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help,” he said. “The war can be stopped, but only through the necessary force of pressure on Russia.”

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that it too had defended against a large-scale air attack by Ukraine on Russian territory Saturday night.

In total, Russia said it had intercepted and destroyed some 110 Ukrainian drones over the several Russian regions along the Ukraine-Russia border, including Moscow and the contested region of Crimea.

The Russian Defense Ministry later said that its troops are continuing to advance every day to push Ukrainian troops further from the Russia border to create a protection zone for Russia’s civilian population.

In another statement, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that 303 prisoners of war were returned from “territory controlled by the Kyiv regime” and that Russia handed over 303 Ukrainian soldiers in return.

The Russian soldiers are currently undergoing psychological and medical assistance in Belarus, an ally of Russia. They will then be taken back to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation at Russian military hospitals.

In total, since Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement on May 16 in Istanbul, the two nations have swapped some 1,000 prisoners of war each.

“303 Ukrainian defenders are home. The third part of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange deal, agreed upon in Turkey, has been completed,” Zelensky said in a statement.

“I thank the team that worked around the clock to successfully carry out this exchange. We will definitely bring every single one of our people back from Russian captivity.”

May 24 (UPI) — Germany is deploying soldiers beyond its border, moving troops into Lithuania to defend its European neighbor.

Deploying troops to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius is an indefinite move, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on X, accompanied by photos of him greeting soldiers.

“In Lithuania we are taking the defence of NATO’s eastern flank into our own hands: Together, Lithuanians and Germans show that we are ready to defend Europe’s freedom against any aggressor,” Merz said in the post.

“Germany stands by its responsibility. Today. Tomorrow. For as long as it takes.”

The move marks the first time Germany has installed a permanent military presence in another country since World War II.

Merz last month signaled that Germany would send troops to Lithuania on a long-term basis.

The deployment is meant to shore up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s eastern flank and to ensure “the security of our Baltic allies is also our security,” Merz said during the event.

German officials expect the 45th Armored Brigade to be at full strength in late 2027. At that point, it is expected to have around 4,800 soldiers and 2,000 vehicles, including tanks and will be headquartered in the Lithuanian city of Rudninkai, near the capital.

Earlier in the month, Merz said Germany planned to build the “strongest conventional army in Europe,” citing a demand from its “friends and partners.”

Lithuania is straddled by allies Belarus to the east and the Russian province of Kaliningrad to the west.

This week, Lithuania accused Belarus of carrying out a massive smuggling scheme and launched legal proceedings against its neighbor at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Only a narrow strip of land known as the Suwalki Gap connects Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia to other NATO territories in Europe. The strip straddles the border between Poland and Lithuania and has a small population, making it a potential target for possible Russian military aggression.

In Vilnius this week, Merz mentioned the area while discussing “Russia’s aggressive revisionism” in relation to that country’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

May 24 (UPI) — Russia, using missiles and drones, launched one of the biggest assaults on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, since the beginning of the war more than three years ago and hours after a prisoner exchange began.

Russia was retaliating after several days of Ukrainian drone attacks inside its territory, including in Moscow.

The first explosions in Kyiv were reported at 10 p.m. Friday, according to the Kviv Independent. Another wave was heard at around 1 a.m. and then, hours later, more missile debris was reported in the Obolonskyi district

CNN reported that 13 people died in the drone and missile attacks — at least four in the eastern Donetsk region, five in the southern Kherson and Odesa regions, and four in the northern Kharkiv region in the past 24 hours.

At least 15 people needed medical attention in Kyiv, including two children, the network reported.

Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 drones, with Ukrainian forces shooting down six missiles and stopping 245 drones before they reached Kyiv. Projectiles also hit the Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted angrily after the attack and posted video with his message on X.

“It was a difficult night for all of Ukraine — 250 strike drones, the absolute majority of them Iranian ‘Shaheds,’ and 14 ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy wrote. “The Odesa, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kyiv, Dnipro regions suffered damages. All strikes targeted civilians. There are fatalities. My condolences to the families and loved ones.”

Zelensky called for more sanctions on Russia to achieve a cease-fire, including one lasting 30 days.

“With each such attack, the world becomes more certain that the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow,” Zelensky wrote.

“Ukraine has proposed a ceasefire many times — both a full one and one in the skies. It all has been ignored. It is clear that far stronger pressure must be imposed on Russia to get results and launch real diplomacy.

“We are awaiting sanctions steps from the United States, Europe, and all our partners. Only additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to cease fire.”

Amid explosions and loud sirens throughout Kyiv, people took shelter in the city’s subway stations as the air raid alert in lasted more than seven hours

A five-story building in the Solomianskyi district caught fire, and seven people needed medical attention, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration.

“It’s terrorism,” said Mykyta Kruchan, a 22-year-old business development manager whose parents live in an apartment building in the Obolonskyi district hit by a Russian Shahed-type drone. Their apartment was not damaged, he told the Independent.

“What Ukraine does we shoot their military buildings, military stuff, centers. … But here, it’s not an adequate reply to me. All they do is on purpose.”

Kruchan, who described himself as once a supporter of President Donald Trump, said the president wants to “team up with terrorists rather than stop them.”

Olha Chyrukha, a 64-year-old resident of Kyiv, standing outside a damaged apartment building, said: “I wish they’d agree to a cease-fire. To bomb people like this …”

Ukrainian parliament member Kira Rudik told CNN hiding “under the stairs” overnight in Kyiv.

“It was terrifying, it felt honestly like armageddon, the explosions were everywhere,” she said.

Russia’s defense ministry claimed 94 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over Russian territory were destroyed, mostly over the Belgorod and Bryansk regions. Also, some UAVs were shot down over the Kursk, Lipetsk, Voronezh and Tula regions.

Prisoner swap, cease-fire talks

Russia and Ukraine began a one-for-one 1,000 prisoner exchange of soldiers and civilians in the first phase of a deal agreed to in Istanbul, Turkey, this week.

In the first swap on Friday, 390 Ukrainians were back home, and on Saturday the Russian defense ministry said 307 prisoners from each country were exchanged.

The two sides, with help from the United States, have been working toward a permanent cease-fire.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said “one week has passed since the Istanbul meeting, and Russia has yet to send its ‘peace memorandum.’ Instead, Russia sends deadly drones and missiles at civilians.”

Ukraine and its allies want an immediate and unconditional cease-fire.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his nation would give Ukraine a draft text stating its conditions for a truce after the prisoner swap is completed.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t show up for a meeting with Zelensky in Turkey. Instead, lower-level officials negotiated.

May 23 (UPI) — A prisoner swap is underway Friday between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian officials said.

The swap, involving 1,000 prisoners from each side, began on Friday and was not yet completed, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, The Kyiv Independent and CNN reported.

The process of exchanging the prisoners is expected to take several days, CNN reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump, however posted on his Truth Social account Friday that the swap had been completed.

“A major prisoners swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine. It will go into effect shortly,” Trump said. “Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big?”

A source familiar with the matter, however, told The Kyiv Independent the swap was still ongoing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted to social media Thursday that the prisoner swap “was perhaps the only tangible result of the meeting in Turkey.”

“We are working to ensure that this result is achieved,” he wrote.

The two sides met last week in Istanbul and Zelensky continued that Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov is involved with the “organization of the process and the implementation of the agreement,” but several other prominent members of the Ukrainian government have also taken part in the process.

Zelensky also added that his team is “clarifying the details for each individual included on the lists submitted by the Russian side.

“Returning all of our people from Russian captivity is one of Ukraine’s key objectives,” he said.

He also posted Monday that “the most significant outcome of the meetings [in Turkey] was the agreement to conduct a prisoner exchange in a 1,000-for-1,000 format.”

Additionally, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War had announced on Telegram last week that Russia had returned the bodies of 909 Ukrainian soldiers.

May 21 (UPI) — Activists, officials and defectors highlighted North Korean human rights violations at a high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, with many directly tying Pyongyang’s systemic abuses to its growing nuclear weapons and missile programs.

The meeting on the North’s human rights violations, the first of its kind held at the General Assembly, featured testimonies by two escapees who shared harrowing stories of oppression and implored the world to hold North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accountable.

“Silence is complicity,” said Kim Eun-joo, who was 11 years old when she fled with her mother and sister in 1999 to escape starvation in rural North Korea.

After crossing the Tumen River into China, Kim and her family faced years of human trafficking before finally making it to South Korea.

She pointed to North Korea’s military cooperation with Russia, particularly its deployment of troops to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine, as a “new kind of modern-day slavery.”

“[The soldiers] have no idea where they are, whom they are fighting against or why,” she said. “Their lives have become a means for the Kim Jong Un regime to make money.”

Pyongyang has deployed around 15,000 troops to Russia, Seoul’s spy agency said last month. Some 600 of the soldiers have been killed and another 4,100 injured, the National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a briefing.

Seoul and Washington also accused North Korea of supplying artillery and missiles to Russia. In exchange, Pyongyang is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs.

Participants in the U.N. meeting highlighted the close link between North Korea’s human rights abuses and the regime’s growing arsenal.

“The regime preserves itself through producing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles,” Greg Scarlatoiu, president and CEO of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, said.

“North Korea is no longer just a Korean Peninsula threat. The DPRK is no longer just a Northeast Asian threat,” Scarlatoiu said.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

“The DPRK is exporting instability to the Middle East and to Europe,” Scarlatoiu said. “And the root cause of this is the human rights violations that the DPRK perpetrates.”

North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song condemned the meeting, calling it a “burlesque of intrigue and fabrication” staged by “hostile forces” including the United States.

Kim also slammed the invitation of the North Korean escapees, calling them “the scum of the earth who don’t even care about their parents and families.”

Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, told the General Assembly that North Korea has diverted resources toward militarization at the expense of human rights and basic necessities such as food, healthcare and sanitation.

“As the DPRK expands its extreme militarization policies, it exacerbates the extensive reliance on forced labor and quota systems, showing how peace, security and human rights are strongly interrelated,” Salmon said.

She added that North Korea’s border closures at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020 worsened its human rights situation, as Pyongyang used the isolation to enact brutal new laws restricting access to information from the outside world.

A 2014 landmark U.N. Commission of Inquiry report documented North Korean crimes against humanity, including torture, rape, execution, deliberate starvation and forced labor, that were “without parallel in the contemporary world.”

South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Hwang Joon-kook echoed calls to more closely tie North Korea’s human rights violations to its nuclear ambitions, which he said were “deeply interconnected.”

“For far too long the DPRK’s human rights violations have been overshadowed by its nuclear threats,” he said. “Their nuclear program is sustained by systemic repression, forced labor, diverted national resources and total control of its people.”

Hwang called North Korea “a real-life version of George Orwell‘s novel 1984.”

“However, the DPRK’s horrendous crimes do not stop at the border,” he said. “If human rights violations are stopped, nuclear weapons development will also stop.”

May 19 (UPI) — The Russian government announced Monday that the nonprofit Amnesty International is no longer welcome within its borders.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation put out a statement that it “has made a decision to recognize the activities of the international non-governmental organization Amnesty International Limited, registered in London, as undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation.”

The agency then claimed that while “the organization positions itself as an active conductor of human rights protection in the world,” it alleges that “the London headquarters of AIL is the center of preparation of global ‘Russophobic’ projects, paid for by accomplices of the Kyiv regime.”

It then further purported that Amenesty International has not only worked to “intensify the military confrontation in the region,” but has also justified “the crimes of Ukrainian neo-Nazis,” and has sought an increase for funding of Ukraine as it insists “on the political and economic isolation of [Russia].”

“The organization’s members support extremist organizations and finance the activities of foreign agents,” the agency said.

The Amnesty Eastern Europe and Central Asia regional office responded Monday with a warning that the Russian declaration means “any participation in our activities, including donations and reposts, is punishable in the Russian Federation.”

“If you read us from Russia, or are planning to be there, please refrain from sharing our online and offline materials,” it said. “We will continue to protect human rights in Russia and in the world, and we will keep you informed,” before a final wish for readers to take care.

According to AIL, its Moscow office has been shut down since April of 2022 by Russian authorities after the Russian Ministry of Justice delisted it from the register of the representative offices of foreign nongovernmental organizations and international organizations. This allegedly came after Russia’s media regulator blocked access to Amnesty International’s Russian-language website.

Russia has a list of over 200 “undesirable organizations,” which includes the Clooney Foundation for Justice, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Greenpeace. Russian citizens can receive as many as five years in prison for funding or working with any of the groups that have been banned.

May 19 (UPI) — The Ukrainian military said Monday that the Security Service of Ukraine attacked a Russian facility in the Black Sea with the use of drones.

The Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, posted to Telegram Monday that “with the help of surface and air drones,’ it destroyed “enemy radars and warehouses” built on gas production platforms.

The post also included a video of the attack that showed the approach of the drones from a drone’s point of view before a long-distance view of an explosion on the Russian structure.

“Within one special operation, SBU specialists used two types of drones that demonstrated the effectiveness of paired work,” The SBU said.

The assault was carried out by the 13th Main Directorate of the SBU’s Military Counter-Intelligence Department and used both aerial and naval drones to target what the Telegram post described as “Russian military infrastructure placed on Ukrainian offshore drilling rigs,” known as the Boyko towers.

A Russian Neva radar system, stored supplies and living quarters were reportedly destroyed in the attack.

The attack destroyed a Russian Neva-B radar system used for monitoring aerial and surface activity, as well as supply storage and living quarters on the platform, the SBU reported. Neva-B radar systems can track as many as 200 targets at one time and is intended to warn of incoming attacks on infrastructure.

The SBU purports that through the use of drones, it has so far been able to attack 11 Russian warships and the “Crimean Bridge,” a reference to the Kerch Strait Bridge, which linked Crimea to the Russian mainland and was attacked by Ukraine in October of 2022.

“We once again reminded the enemy that [there is no place for Russian rubbish] in the Black Sea,” the Security Service of Ukraine added.

May 18 (UPI) — Against the backdrop of Pope Leo XIV’s first papal mass Sunday, Vice President JD Vance met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about achieving a stand down in the war that has waged since Russia’s 2023 invasion of Ukraine.

It’s the first face to face meeting between the two leaders since the infamous February meeting in the Oval Office that erupted into verbal attacks, finger pointing and taunts by President Donald Trump.

The meeting between Vance and Zelenksy was overshadowed by Moscow’s large scale drone attack on Ukraine just hours prior. There are also reports that Russia may be planning a nuclear attack as it ramps up efforts to intimidate Kyiv and its allies.

Zelensky called the meeting “good,” and posted photos of smiling Ukrainian and U.S. officials gathered around an outside table.

“I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible,” Zelensky said.

Trump is scheduled to talk with Zelensky Monday, and Trump has also said he plans to have a similar conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Leaders of Britain, Germany, France and Poland planned to speak with Trump before the U.S. president’s Monday phone call with Putin, German chancellor Friedrich Merz told reporters in Rome on Sunday.

“I spoke with Marco Rubio, including about the call tomorrow,” Merz said, referring to the U.S. Secretary of State. “We agreed that we will speak again with the four state leaders and the US president in preparation for this conversation.”

The latest efforts at achieving a ceasefire come as the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow failed to make any headway in ending the war, which started with Russia’s full scale invasion of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in February, 2022.

May 19 (UPI) — The Pro-European Union centrist mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, has claimed victory in Romania’s presidential run-off election over far-right nationalist candidate George Simion, who has conceded defeat.

According to official results, Dan, an independent, won 54.22% of the vote compared to Simion, of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, who secured 45.78% of the vote.

“It was an unprecedented mobilization, and that is why the victory belongs to each and every one of you,” Dan said in a statement on X.

“To every Romanian who went out to vote, made their voice heard and thus fought for what they believe in, for the country they want and wish to live in. Starting tomorrow, we begin the reconstruction of Romania — a united, HONEST Romania, based on respect for the law and for all people.”

Simion vowed, also on X, to “continue our fight for freedom and our great values along with other patriots, sovereignists and conservatives all over the world.”

“We may have lost a battle, but we will certainly not lose the war.”

According to Romania’s Permanent Electoral Authority, nearly 55.6% of all registered voters cast ballots in the contest.

Dan’s victory on Sunday comes after Simion was declared the winner of the first round early this month, with nearly 41% of the vote. The run-off election was necessitated as he fell short of the 50% majority needed to win outright.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine congratulated Dan in a statement on X.

“For Ukraine — as a neighbor and friend — it is important to have Romania as a reliable partner,” Zelensky said. “And we are confident we will. By working together, we can strengthen both our countries and our Europe.”

The election comes after a run-off between the pro-Russian nationalist, Calin Georgescu, and centrist Elena Lasconi was canceled in November, just days before ballots were to be cast, over Russia attempting to influence the outcome in Georgescu’s favor.

Online on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania warned of a vile disinformation campaign on Telegram, specifically concerning NATO forces in the country in connection with the election.

“Any attempt to associate the activity of the allied forces on the national territory with the political electoral context in Romania constitutes a form of distortion of the truth,” it said on Facebook, calling the posts “fake news.”