Putin

• Andy Burnham is positioned as the expected new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prompting international analysis of how global leaders will perceive his leadership. • Diplomatic observers in the US, China, Russia, and Europe are assessing Burnham's standing and potential impact on foreign relations. • European nations, including Germany, Denmark, and France, view the UK's current political volatility as a trend mirroring their own unstable domestic governance.

• British fighter jets intercepted and escorted a Russian aircraft that was attempting to harass Royal Navy vessels. • The operation serves as a direct response to Vladimir Putin's "brinkmanship" and aggressive aerial maneuvers near UK territory. • This encounter highlights the escalating tensions between NATO allies and Russia, emphasizing the UK's commitment to defending its maritime and airspace.

Russian president says Ukraine’s attacks on infrastructure are causing ‘obvious’ but not critical problemsThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, acknowledged that the country was suffering from “a certain shortage” of fuel in an interview published by the Kremlin on Sunday, after repeated Ukrainian strikes in their four-year war.Kyiv calls the attacks fair retribution for Russia’s near-daily barrages on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since its February 2022 offensive. Continue reading...

• Reports indicate that Vladimir Putin is losing control over Crimea, as residents are either desperately searching for fuel or fleeing the peninsula. • The instability is highlighted by images showing critical resource shortages and a growing exodus of the local population. • This shift is significant as Crimea remains one of Putin's most prized territorial acquisitions, signaling potential cracks in Russian administrative control.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian strikes destroyed 60,000 tonnes of Russian ammunition at a Baltic Fleet arsenal near St. Petersburg and targeted key defense-industrial facilities. • Zelenskyy claimed that Moscow has been forced to shift its air defenses to protect the Kerch Bridge and the capital city of St. Petersburg. • The Ukrainian leader asserted that Vladimir Putin's rejection of substantive diplomatic proposals is the primary reason the war is being prolonged.

• Finland has developed a dual-use sports hall that doubles as a massive bomb shelter capable of protecting 7,000 people from nuclear threats. • Located just over 100 miles from the Russian border, the facility was created by excavating and expanding a former military rifle workshop. • The project serves as a strategic model for conflict preparedness, blending civilian recreational infrastructure with critical national defense needs.

• Security Boulevard has identified seven primary quantum computing risks that could threaten AI infrastructure by 2026. • Key threats include "Harvest-Now-Decrypt-Later" attacks, where encrypted data is stolen today to be decrypted once quantum technology matures, and vulnerabilities in Memory Control Processors (MCP). • These risks are critical because quantum computers could potentially break current encryption standards, compromising the long-term privacy and security of sensitive AI data.

• Europe has launched the "AI Factories" initiative, establishing 19 operational supercomputing hubs to modernize the continent's manufacturing sector through artificial intelligence. • The project is supported by 30 billion euros in funding, aimed at integrating AI into industrial processes to increase efficiency and competitiveness. • Additionally, a 20 billion euro InvestAI fund has been created to facilitate the development of up to five larger-scale "AI Gigafactories."

• The global on-device AI market is projected to exceed USD 75.5 billion by 2033, driven by a rising demand for real-time intelligence and privacy-first computing. • Industry giants including Apple, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm are aggressively investing in AI chip development, edge computing, and machine learning frameworks to capture market share. • This growth matters as it shifts AI processing from centralized clouds to local devices, enhancing data security and reducing latency for end-users.

• A Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, reportedly fired a warning shot at a yacht in the English Channel between Normandy and the Isle of Wight. • This naval escalation follows a recent incident involving the seizure of a Russian tanker, heightening tensions in the region. • Separately, Donald Trump announced on Monday that a preliminary agreement to end the conflict between the US and Iran has been signed.

Call at G7 summit in France comes as Ukraine president tells US counterpart Kyiv is no longer losing on battlefieldEurope live – latest updatesEuropean leaders at the G7 summit have urged Donald Trump to try to break the deadlock over ending the Ukraine war by taking up the proposal for him to host talks in the US between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.The US president lamented “the great antipathy” between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders that made it difficult to reach a settlement, and vowed to do what he could. He said Moscow “should make a deal”, noting that it had “lost a great many people, just like Ukraine”. Continue reading...

Two Belarusians ⁠detained over attack on Robert ⁠Kuzovkov, who is also known as Semyon SkrepetskyA Russian artist critical of Vladimir Putin was shot and killed in ⁠the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska, a Polish prosecutor has said.Five shots were fired at the ⁠victim, including one ⁠to the head, in the attack on Monday, ​said Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor in Lublin. Continue reading...

Trump also says in ‘friendly and frank’ phone call that US is nearing peace deal with Iran, according to Putin adviserDonald Trump told Vladimir Putin that ending Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine was critical and that he was prepared to help, reported Russia’s TASS news agency.During a phone call on Sunday, Trump also informed the Russian president that the US is nearing a peace deal with Iran as the US-Israel war against the country continues, according to Yuri Ushakov, a Putin adviser. The call between Trump and Putin, which lasted about an hour, was described as “friendly and frank” by Ushakov. Continue reading...

• Ukrainian forces launched a massive wave of hundreds of drones targeting Russian oil and gas facilities overnight and into Friday morning. • The strikes specifically targeted energy sites, aiming to disrupt the infrastructure that fuels the Kremlin's economy and military operations. • These attacks represent a strategic effort to deplete President Vladimir Putin's "war chest" by cutting off critical energy exports and revenue streams.

People have absorbed violence and terror into their lives. Somehow, they keep going – quietly rescuing, evacuating, replacing, mending, adapting … and sometimes saving tiny animalsIt was a glorious balmy night, and I was walking home from dinner. I’d just eaten fried red mullet from the Black Sea on a pavement terrace, listening to the cries of the last swifts as darkness crept over the city. A couple of blocks from where I was staying, there was a curious sight: a couple and their dog were standing over a hedgehog, which was standing seemingly irresolute in the road. I wasn’t sure the couple were doing the right thing by shining their phone torches at the poor creature, but their intentions were clear enough: they were trying to protect it and chivvy it out of the way of the traffic. As a car bore down, I flung myself into the street, like a latter-day Roberta from The Railway Children, and waved my arms to get the driver to stop. At the same time, the couple’s dog gave an encouraging bark to the tiny animal, which scuttled across to the opposite pavement, and into the safety of a yard.Everything always feels heightened in Kyiv, and I was apt to overthink into this moment many metaphors of escape, protection and destruction. Hedgehogs, by the way, are a surprisingly common sight in Kyiv. So too are the “hedgehogs” made from metal beams welded together in a three-dimensional star-shape, a highly effective obstruction for tanks. (The other favoured tank obstructors are known as “dragon’s teeth”, because of their resemblance to monstrous molars rising from the ground.) Continue reading...

• The article identifies nine quantum computing stocks to monitor for 2026, highlighting the sector's potential for emerging technology growth. • Nvidia is noted for its quantum applications in drug development and jet engine efficiency, while Intel is described as having lost its semiconductor industry lead to TSMC. • The shift in market value favors companies with higher exposure to growth sectors, specifically GPUs for AI, over traditional semiconductor leaders.

In an exclusive interview, Ukraine’s president says he believes the war will be won when Russian society feels its impact. Plus, why California’s election count is taking so long (hint: it’s not fraud)In the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, Volodymr Zelenskyy says he is feeling upbeat and has been grateful for military support from the US, but has a pointed message for Washington.Speaking to Luke Harding and Pippa Crerar in London, the Ukrainian president acknowledged that the priority of Trump’s second term in foreign policy had shifted away from Ukraine to conflict in the Middle East.What did Zelenskyy say about Trump’s relationship with Putin? He carefully praised US diplomatic efforts, despite his bruising encounter in the Oval Office and the fact that Trump has been willing to meet Vladimir Putin, saying: “I always said to President Trump that Putin is lying. He plays games with you, with the White House.”Does he see any prospect of the war ending? The military situation was the most promising it had been for Kyiv for two and a half years, Zelenskyy ssaid. “We can’t say Russia is losing this war. But we can say they are losing the initiative each day, day by day,” he added. “Victory in this war is when Russian society recognises that the war is awful, that the war is a tragedy not for someone, somewhere, but for themselves.” To that end, Zelenskyy said the purpose of long-range strikes – drones buzzing above apartment blocks in greater Moscow and St Petersburg – was to make residents “feel” what war meant.Which other AI companies are making market moves? In addition to Anthropic, which makes the popular Claude chatbot, Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which owns his artificial intelligence company xAI, is also imminently slated to go public at an expected valuation of $1.75tn. Continue reading...

In a wide-ranging interview, an upbeat Ukrainian president also discusses Donald Trump, King Charles, and how Kyiv is prepared to share its experience of drone warfare with the westSitting down with the Guardian in London, Volodymyr Zelenskyy seems cheerful. More than four years after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, he believes Europe’s biggest war since 1945 appears to be slowly turning in Ukraine’s favour. The military situation is the most promising it has been for Kyiv for two and a half years, Zelenskyy says. “We can’t say Russia is losing this war. But we can say they are losing the initiative each day, day by day,” he insists.Over the past week the Kremlin has suffered a series of setbacks. Long-range Ukrainian drones have hit Putin’s home city of St Petersburg, setting fire to oil terminals and sending smoke billowing above the skyline. Similar attacks have crippled occupied Crimea. A key supply road is littered with burning lorries and tankers and the peninsula seized by Russia in 2014 is experiencing severe fuel shortages. Continue reading...

Russian president describes letter from his Ukrainian as rude and says he can no point in face-to-face talksVladimir Putin has rejected an offer from Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hold a face-to-face meeting, insisting instead that Russia will achieve its war goals in Ukraine, including seizing all of the eastern Donbas region.Speaking at the Saint Petersburg economic forum, the Russian president described the open letter from his Ukrainian counterpart containing the offer as rude. He refused to use Zelenskyy’s name, referring to him only as its author. Asked if they could meet to discuss an end to the conflict, Putin replied: “So far I see no point.” Continue reading...

• India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed on June 5 that dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable solutions to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. • The statement comes as a response to an open letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposing direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. • This position underscores India's strategic commitment to a peaceful resolution and its role as a neutral mediator between the two warring nations.

Russians are increasingly tired of the conflict and the time to end it is now, Ukraine’s president tells his Russian counterpart in an open letterVolodymyr Zelenskyy, in an open letter to the Vladimir Putin, has called for a face-to-face meeting with the Russian president to end his war against Ukraine.The letter sets out Zelenskyy’s view of the four-year-old conflict and says that while Ukrainians’ resilience remains intact, most Russians have grown weary of its effects and are ready for peace. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president proposes meeting in neutral third country as Trump says both sides have to ‘make compromises’The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.The letter, the first public letter Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, was a sweeping criticism of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power. Continue reading...

After winning the Grand Prix at Cannes film festival, the exiled auteur sent a direct message to the Russian president urging him to stop the warAccoladed director Andrey Zvyagintsev has sent a direct message to Vladimir Putin urging him to start listening to the Russian people and end the “senseless” war in Ukraine, continuing a war of words between Russia’s most revered living film-maker and the Kremlin that started at the Cannes film festival awards ceremony over the weekend.“Except for the limbs torn off from your fellow citizens in the name of an illusory goal, except for the massacre of young people that the country needs to build life and the future – nothing good is on the horizon if we don’t stop,” the exiled auteur said in a message sent to the Russian president’s press secretary through official channels on Tuesday. Continue reading...

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has urged the United States to evacuate its diplomatic staff from the embassy in Kyiv. • This demand comes as President Vladimir Putin threatens "revenge strikes" against Ukraine, escalating tensions between the two nations. • The move signals a severe breakdown in diplomatic relations and suggests that Russia may be preparing for further military aggression.

Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin to Beijing with pomp and pageantry, just days after hosting Donald Trump. But as Russia’s war in Ukraine makes Moscow increasingly dependent on China, and western leaders thaw relations with Beijing, what does the power imbalance mean for Xi and Putin’s relationship? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s deputy head of international news, Devika Bhat Continue reading...

Choreography of back-to-back visits appeared deliberately mirrored but China made sure the differences were noticedDays after Donald Trump was greeted in Beijing with a military band, an honour guard and dozens of youths waving American and Chinese flags, Vladimir Putin arrived in China to an almost identical spectacle.The choreography of the two welcomes appeared deliberately mirrored, designed to showcase Beijing’s ability to host leaders from Washington and Moscow with equal grandeur. Continue reading...

Russian leader says relations between two countries have reached ‘unprecedented level’ on eve of 25th visit to ChinaVladimir Putin is due to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a state visit, four days after Donald Trump left China.Putin’s visit to China – his 25th, according to Chinese state media – reflects Beijing’s growing confidence on the world stage as a centre of global diplomatic activity. Continue reading...

China’s deep relationship with Russia remains a continuing cause for concern in the west, particularly since Moscow launched its invasion of UkraineXi Jinping and Vladimir Putin exchanged “congratulatory letters” on Sunday ahead of the Russian president’s visit to Beijing this week, four days since Donald Trump left China after a high-stakes summit.Xi, China’s leader, said bilateral cooperation between Russia and China had “continuously deepened and solidified”, with this year marking the 30th anniversary of the two countries’ strategic partnership, according to Chinese state media. Continue reading...