Russia accused of being 'afraid to reveal' demands; debris hits Moscow block; Trump appears to give Putin deadline

NATO to ask Germany to provide 40,000 additional troops

NATO wants Germany to contribute around 40,000 more troops to boost defence against Russia, according to reports.

Reports coming through from Bloomberg and Reuters claim the defence alliance has grown concerned about heightened Russian hostility and are looking to bolster defences.

Exact figures for NATO's targets - either overall or country by country - are hard to verify as the information is classified.

But one senior military official told Reuters the target for the total number of brigades that NATO allies would have to provide in future will be raised to between 120 and 130.

And another NATO official told Bloomberg that the alliance "is setting ambitious new capability targets for allies".

In 2021, Germany agreed to provide 10 brigades - units usually comprising around 5,000 troops - for NATO by 2030.

It currently has eight brigades and is building up a ninth in Lithuania to be ready from 2027.

What happened at last set of Ukraine-Russia talks?

Following the Kremlin's proposal to hold the next round of peace talks in Istanbul on 2 June, we're looking back at what happened during the first round of negotiations earlier this month. 

Those talks - also held in Turkey - represented the first face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian and Russian government officials since 2022 - and it lasted barely two hours.

There were hopes that the encounter in Istanbul might mark a turning point in Europe's deadliest conflict since the Second World War, but they instead proved to be more performative than substantial.

There was one concrete achievement: Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large-scale prisoner swap involving thousands of captives.

The final handover of the exchange was completed on Sunday, with 303 Ukrainian captives handed over to complete a "1,000 for 1,000" swap.

An 'eternal' war

Past the prisoner swap, there was little else to celebrate from the talks, with the Russian delegation said to have laid out their ultimate demands to end the war.

"We don't want war, but we're ready to fight for a year, two, three - however long it takes," lead Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky is reported to have said. "We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?"

Then there was a chilling moment when the Russians are reported to have threatened their Ukrainian counterparts like gangsters.

"Maybe some of those sitting here at this table will lose more of their loved ones," Medinsky said.

Russia says forces have captured three regions in Ukraine

Russian troops have taken control of the settlement of Stroivka in Ukraine's northeast Kharkiv region, and Shevchenko Pershe and Hnativka in the eastern Donetsk region, the Russian Defence Ministry has claimed.

Sky News cannot independently confirm the battlefield report.

But the Kremlin's claim comes just a day after Russia claimed that its troops had taken control of the settlement of Kostyantynivka, in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region.

The Kremlin's defence ministry also claimed they had taken control of  the village Zelene Pole, in the eastern Donetsk region.

Russia is continuing to intensify pressure on Ukraine as it advances into the northeast of the country, with reports that troops are gearing up for a summer offensive in Ukraine.

Russia 'playing games' over failure to disclose peace terms, Ukraine says

Russia not sharing a memorandum ahead of a meeting with Ukraine suggests it is "likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums", Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman says.

In a post on X, Heorhii Tykhyi pointed to comments made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in which he said Ukraine's demand that Russia present its draft memorandum in advance was "unconstructive".

Tykhyi said Russia was likely "afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process", accusing Moscow of "playing games" which show it "probably wants the next meeting to be empty".

As a reminder: Russia has offered a second round of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on 2 June, but it is still to send its memorandum - the document outlining its terms for a ceasefire.

Ukraine boycotts World Judo Championships over Belarus's participation

Ukraine will not take part in the World Judo Championships in Budapest next month after Belarus was allowed to take part under its national flag.

Despite an appeal submitted by Kyiv, the Executive Committee of the International Judo Federation (IJF) has confirmed Belarusian athletes will be allowed to take part in the competition using their national flag - rather than as neutral athletes.

The Judo Federation of Ukraine has today responded by saying it "strongly condemned" the decision of the international federation and considered it to be "contrary to the basic principles of justice, responsibility and solidarity in the world sports movement".

"We are convinced that the participation of athletes from aggressor countries under national symbols is not only political blindness, but also contempt for the victims of war and international law," the Judo Federation of Ukraine said in a statement on Facebook.

"The Judo Federation of Ukraine will continue to consistently defend a position based on moral values, freedom and dignity of the Ukrainian people."

Eyewitness: Life goes on after Moscow apartment block left scarred by downed drone - but Kremlin will seek to use damage

Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent, reports from the scene after a Ukrainian drone was shot down on the outskirts of Moscow.

Debris from one of the Ukrainian drones shot down by Russian air defences last night hit a residential building on the outskirts of Moscow, around 10 miles to the southwest of the centre.

Around a dozen windows were smashed across two floors, approximately 75 metres up. 

Several cladding panels have fallen off, leaving an ugly gash on the apartment block's exterior.

Moscow's mayor said there were no casualties, and there are reports on social media claiming the occupants of the flats, which bore the brunt of the impact, were shielded from broken glass by heavy curtains covering the windows.

On the ground, people are going about their everyday lives as if nothing has happened. There is a nursery within the gated complex, and children are playing in the courtyard outside, seemingly oblivious to events overnight.

Competing explanations for strikes

Swarms of drones have been launched by both sides throughout this week in a sign the conflict is intensifying, despite pressure from the US to move towards a peace deal.

The Ukrainian attacks have caused Moscow's airports to suspend operations numerous times, day and night, causing chaos for passengers.

Russia tends to cast the Ukrainian attacks as assaults on civilians, as it tries to reinforce its narrative that Ukraine is the aggressor. 

Ukraine insists it doesn't target civilians, only military facilities. 

In this case, there are a number of Ministry of Defence properties nearby and the residential block was hit by falling debris.

I think Kyiv would also say that it's merely retaliating against Moscow, since Ukraine has been living under these kinds of attacks for more than three years.

Erdogan: Potential for peace after Russian proposal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Russia's proposal to hold another round of peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next month has heightened hopes for peace.

Speaking to reporters on a flight from Azerbaijan, Erdogan said his government was in contact with both countries, and added that the recent momentum in peace efforts was an opportunity to reach lasting peace.

"The road to a resolution goes through more dialogue, more diplomacy," the Turkish leader was cited as saying by his office today.

"We are using all our diplomatic power and potential for peace."

Earlier, the Kremlin said it was still waiting for a response from Ukraine on Russia's proposal to hold the next round of peace talks in Istanbul on 2 June to begin discussions on draft memoranda for a peace accord.

Russia yesterday proposed the new round of direct negotiations, aiming to present Ukraine with a memorandum outlining what it described as the key elements for "overcoming the root causes" of the conflict.

-SKY NEWS