Top News

Reported by: Mahima Kapoor with AP, AFP, Reuters and DPA

• US lawmakers pass Ukraine Support Act in defiance of Trump
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposes Putin meeting on ending war
• Russian drone strikes claim seven lives in Ukraine
• IAEA says ceasefire in place at frontline near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Read below for a roundup of news related to Russia's war in Ukraine on June 5, 2026.

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Russian strike kills four near Kyiv

A Russian drone strike on a factory that produces milk products for children, near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv killed four people early on Friday, authorities said.

"The enemy attacked a peaceful civilian food industry enterprise," Kyiv region governor Mykola Kalashnyk said in a post on Telegram. "Unfortunately, the number of people killed as a result of the hostile attack ... has increased to four people."

The attack caused a fire in the administrative building of the enterprise's complex and parts of its structure had been destroyed, he added.

This is in addition to three people who lost their lives in different parts of Ukraine in the overnight Russian drone attacks.

IAEA says ceasefire in place at frontline near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

A "localized ceasefire" took effect on the frontline near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, allowing for the repair of a key power line amid the ongoing Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The IAEA's chief Rafael Grossi himself brokered the ceasefire. This is also the sixth temporary ceasefire he has negotiated with Russia and Ukraine since late last year.

Moscow and Kyiv "engaged constructively with the IAEA during weeks of sensitive and complex talks, with both sides agreeing to cease fire for the sake of nuclear safety," the agency said in a post on X, citing Grossi.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located in southeastern Ukraine, is the largest in Europe. Russian forces seized the plant soon after Moscow began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The plant's reactors were shut down as a precaution amid worries of a nuclear mishap. Even then, the complex has been repeatedly damaged with both sides accusing each other of shelling the plant.

"In work monitored by IAEA experts, technicians from both sides will in coming days start repairing war-related damage to the 750 kilovolt (kV) Dniprovska power line following extensive de-mining of the area," the IAEA said in a post on social media platform X.

Russian drone strikes claim three lives in Ukraine

At least three people were killed in various Russian strikes across Ukraine, regional authorities said on Friday.

A drone strike killed a 75-year-old man in southern Ukraine's Kherson city, according to its military administrator Yaroslav Shanko. A woman was also killed in a drone strike in Zaporizhzhia, according to emergency services. 16 others were injured in that attack.

Another woman was killed in a drone and artillery attack in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, local governor Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, Russia's defense ministry intercepted and destroyed 123 Ukrainian drones overnight, it said on Friday morning. Ukraine's air force similarly said it shot down 198 Russian drones overnight.

Moscow and Kyiv have intensified aerial attacks on each other in recent months after US-led peace talks failed.

Germany's Wadephul urges Putin to talk peace with Ukraine

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged Russia's Putin to engage in peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, adding that Europe must be involved in any settlement they reach.

Wadephul said the conflict had reached a stage where efforts to secure its end had become urgent. He made these comments alongside Mexican counterpart Roberto Velasco Alvarez in Mexico City on Thursday.

The German foreign minister's urgency comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an open letter.

Wadephul said that key points of the peace negotiations, such as security guarantees and Kyiv's pending EU membership could only be discussed with the bloc's participation.

Putin set to talk economy, geopolitics at St. Petersburg forum

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to deliver a speech on Russia's economic situation amid global politics on Friday, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

The Russian leader is expected to speak in the afternoon and take questions, some of which are likely to be about the future of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The SPIEF has long been Moscow's annual platform to showcase its economic and geopolitical ambitions - in what can be called Putin's version of the World Economic Forum in Davos. This time too, he seeks to project strength and resilience despite slowing growth amid war.

The presidents of Uzbekistan and Tanzania, the vice president of China and a large delegation from Saudi Arabia are attending the forum this year. Rodney Mims Cook Jr, head of the US Commission of Fine Arts, is also in attendance, marking the first US representative there in years.

US lawmakers pass Ukraine Support Act in defiance of Trump

The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a legislation which would aid Ukraine and place new sanctions on the Russian economy.

The Ukraine Support Act includes measures to help Ukraine rebuild after the war with over $1 billion (€860 million) in assistance and up to $8 billion in direct loans. It also imposes sanctions and export controls on Russian financial institutions, oil companies and officials.

The move is yet another sign that Republican representatives are willing to defy the party line to push back on US President Donald Trump.

The House voted 226 to 195 in favor of the bill. It has a slim majority of Republicans meaning over a dozen of them voted with Democrats to push the bill through. This came only a day after the House passed a resolution to limit Trump's powers in the Iran war, again with some Republican support.

The split between otherwise united Republicans comes just months before the critical US midterm elections which is likely to be seen as a referendum to Trump's war in Iran.

What does this mean for Ukraine?

Not much.

The future of the Ukraine Support Act remains uncertain.

The resolution will now have to be approved by the Senate, where Republicans also hold a thin majority. If the Senate were to pass the measure, Trump would be expected to veto it, making this a largely symbolic move.

American politicians from both parties were strongly in support of Ukraine when Russia launched its invasion over four years ago. However, several Trump allies have grown cooler towards Kyiv in his second stint at the White House.

As a result, US aid to Ukraine has slowed dramatically.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy proposes Putin meeting on ending war

In an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was willing to meet face-to-face and end the Ukraine war "through direct engagement between us."

"Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations," he added in the letter published on the Ukrainian presidency's website and social media.

In one of the few times Zelenskyy has reached out directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, the Ukrainian leader said Russians were getting tired of the conflict, and warned Ukraine would "continue fighting for its existence" if Putin did not "personally come to the conclusion that it ⁠is time to end this war."

Zelenskyy's letter comes as Putin on Thursday told the heads of international news agencies at a St. Petersburg economic conference that Russia still holds the upper hand in the war.

Welcome to our coverage

Good morning! and welcome to DW's Ukraine blog.

The lower house of the US Congress has passed the Ukraine Support Act with some Republican support, as US politicians express their displeasure ahead of key midterm elections. The vote is largely symbolic and the Act is unlikely to pass the Senate and then US President Donald Trump's desk.

Ukraine and Hungary reached an agreement on long-standing ethnic minority issues between the two countries. This agreement will boost Ukraine's bid to join the European Union as Budapest would drop its veto on the matter.

Kyiv has been campaigning to formally join the EU, partly to bolster its security against the full-scale Russian Invasion which began over four years ago.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Zelenskyy has proposed a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin in an open letter to the Russian leader, and end the war through direct talks.

Zelenskyy's letter comes as Putin on Thursday told the heads of international news agencies at a St. Petersburg economic conference that Russia still holds the upper hand in the war.

All this, while the two countries continue to exchange drones and missiles.

Disclaimer: This report first appeared on Deutsche Welle, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.