For today, links to 10 reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, the Anadolu Agency, Tass, the Kyiv Post, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from the Kyiv Independent; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date is HERE.) — MCM
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Putin says Russia will cease fire if Ukraine pulls troops from four regions. From Reuters. MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin said today that Russia would cease fire and enter peace talks if Ukraine dropped its NATO ambitions and withdrew its forces from four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow. On the eve of a peace conference in Switzerland to which Russia has not been invited . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from AP, AFP, and the Anadolu Agency.
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Russia says downed 87 Ukrainian drones overnight. From AFP. Moscow said today it had downed 87 Ukrainian drones overnight, among which 70 targeted the southern Rostov region where the command center for Russia’s military operation against Kyiv is based. READ MORE . . .
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Putin says freezing of Russian assets in West Is ‘theft.’ From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin today branded as “theft” the freezing of Russian assets abroad and warned it would “not go unpunished.” G7 leaders agreed Thursday on a new $50 billion loan for Ukraine using profits from frozen Russian assets. READ MORE . . .
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Russia did not start war in Ukraine, Kiev continues fighting — Putin. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russia did not start the war as part of a special military operation, it is the Kiev regime that started and continues the hostilities, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry’s senior staff. READ MORE . . .
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European Parliament president: ‘Ukraine is top priority for us,’ by Kateryna Zakharchenko | Kyiv Post On the eve of the meeting of international leaders in Switzerland, Kyiv Post spoke with Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, to get her views on some of the most important and pressing issues facing Ukraine today. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 13 Biden attends the G7. Reported by Deepa Shivaram | NPR President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talk to reporters about the latest help from the G7 for Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM JUNE 13 German governing coalition stunned by European election results. Reported by Esme Nicholson | NPR European Parliament vote shows a setback for all three parties in Germany’s governing coalition, as far-right parties gain ground. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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Russia’s move on Kharkiv has bogged down. But was it a failure? by Francis Farrell | The Kyiv Independent In the first half of May, Russia opened a new front to its war against Ukraine in dramatic fashion. The two-pronged offensive on Kharkiv Oblast unfolded on . . . READ MORE . . .