Trump held separate calls with Putin and Zelenskyy as the Ukraine war loomed over the upcoming G7 summit. Russian officials said Trump pushed for an end to hostilities, while Zelenskyy said he and Trump agreed to continue talks at the summit.
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British forces seized the tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel during a six-hour operation targeting Russia’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet. The UK says the vessel will be held and monitored off England’s south coast while investigations continue.
U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey resigned after rejecting the government’s military funding plan, saying it would leave the armed forces under-resourced and could make the country less safe. The BBC reported he had pushed for defense spending to reach 3% of GDP by 2030 but was offered a smaller increase.
Xi Jinping met Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang and pledged broader cooperation in a visit aimed at strengthening China-North Korea ties. The summit comes as North Korea deepens military cooperation with Russia and continues expanding its nuclear program.
Armenians voted in a parliamentary election seen as a test of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s push toward Europe and away from deeper dependence on Russia. The campaign has been shaped by tensions with Moscow, peace efforts with Azerbaijan and allegations against a pro-Russia opposition party.
Ukraine said a Russian drone damaged a spent nuclear fuel facility near Chornobyl, with no injuries and radiation levels stable. The attack came ahead of London talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of the UK, France and Germany.
Russia said it shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones as strikes targeted the St Petersburg region and other areas while a major economic forum ended. Zelenskyy said the attacks hit Russian naval and oil targets and again called for an end to the war.
Putin said he sees “no point” in meeting Zelenskyy for now, rejecting Ukraine’s call for direct talks and a ceasefire. Zelenskyy said Russia was “choosing war again” as attacks continued across Ukraine and the Sea of Azov.