Sweden scrambles fighter jets to intercept Russian bomber over Nato border

Sweden scrambled a pair of fighter jets to intercept a Russian Su-24 aircraft that crossed into Nato airspace on Friday.

Sweden’s Air Force first verbally warned the Russian pilot, which did not deviate from its course, and then sent two JAS-39 Gripen fighters to force it to turn around, the Swedish Armed Forces said in a statement.

“This Russian behaviour is not acceptable and shows a lack of respect for our territorial integrity,” said Jonas Wikman, head of the Air Force.

Friday’s incident came days after a similar border intrusion by Russian aircraft in Finland. Sweden became a full member of Nato earlier this year, dropping two centuries of military non-alignment.

05:28 PM BST

That’s all for today

Thank you for following our live coverage. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped to find paths to a “just peace” as soon as possible, as a first international summit on pathways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine opened Saturday. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, announced more than $1.5 billion in aid in part for Ukraine’s energy sector and its humanitarian situation.

Other key developments from the day were:

• Ukraine launched a major drone attack on the Morosovsk Airfield in Russia, about 150 miles from the front lines, according to an assessment of satellite imagery.

• Sweden scrambled a pair of fighter jets to intercept a Russian Su-24 aircraft that crossed into Nato airspace on Friday.

• Denmark’s government is asking citizens to prepare for an attack or other potential crisis by stockpiling supplies of water, food and medicine, and keeping iodine tablets at home.

• German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday Russian leader Vladimir Putin was trying to dictate the conditions for peace in Ukraine by offering to halt Moscow’s offensive if Kyiv effectively surrenders. Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, also weighed in, and slammed as “propaganda” Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine effectively surrender before any peace talks.

• Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Ukraine-sceptic prime minister Robert Fico, was sworn in as Slovakia’s new president on Saturday, pledging to unite the politically polarised central European country.

05:19 PM BST

ICYMI: Putin promises ‘immediate’ ceasefire if Ukraine drops Nato bid

05:06 PM BST

Danes asked to stockpile supplies in case of attack

Denmark’s government is asking citizens to prepare for an attack or other potential crisis by stockpiling supplies of water, food and medicine, and keeping iodine tablets at home.

A rising threat from Russia has prompted Danish authorities to increase their preparedness and issue recommendations to Danes to do the same, Bloomberg has reported.

“The reality is that Denmark and our allies are threatened by hybrid war,” said Troels Lund Poulsen, the defence minister. “Each of us should prepare for the fact that, for a short period, we may be without access to electricity or water, or be unable to buy basic necessities.”

The recommendations suggest citizens stock up on non-perishable food that does not require a stove or oven to be prepared, and at least 9 liters (2.4 gallons) of bottled water per person, enough for three days. Danes should also prepare for power failures by keeping batteries, flashlights and candles at hand, and be able to stay warm without heating.

Authorities also advise that citizens under 40 keep iodine tablets at home in the event of a nuclear accident, though it’s “very unlikely” that these will be needed, Laila Reenberg, chief of Denmark’s emergency management agency said.

04:27 PM BST

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister arrives in Switzerland to attend Ukraine summit

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah has arrived in the Swiss city of Lucerne to attend a summit on Ukraine, the Saudi state news agency said.

04:10 PM BST

‘I’m not willing to be occupied’: How a Ukrainian priest led a resistance behind enemy lines

Ben Farmer reports

From the very beginning, Father Andriy’s faith has included a large streak of resistance.

As a young man in the last days of the Soviet Union, he started going to church as a way of opposing the system and later went to a seminary and became a priest after its collapse.

His second chance at resistance came 30 years later when Russian soldiers menaced his village in Ukraine.

By then he had his flock and responsibilities, but he was determined not to let Putin’s invasion stand. “I love my country and I’m not willing to be occupied,” he explained.

After Russian troops invaded and took control of his region in the first dark days of the February 2022 invasion, he and others began small acts of resistance.

They left graffiti messages against the occupation. Leaflets were printed assuring residents that the Ukrainian army was approaching.

Some kept an eye on Russian troop movements and reported back to the Ukrainian authorities until the internet gave out and they had no means of communication.

“I got over my fear, I was only afraid at the beginning,” recalls Father Andriy.

Read the full story

03:44 PM BST

Ukraine-sceptic Pellegrini sworn in as Slovak president

Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Ukraine-sceptic prime minister Robert Fico, was sworn in as Slovakia’s new president on Saturday, pledging to unite the politically polarised central European country.

Analysts have predicted Slovakia’s international isolation will increase with Mr Pellegrini as president and expect the government to crank up its pro-Russian rhetoric now that its ally is head of state.

Mr Fico, a populist who is recovering from being shot at close range on May 15, has governed a country that has been deeply split for years between pro-European and nationalist-leaning camps.

“Politics should not divide,” Mr Pellegrini said in his inauguration speech. “It shouldn’t become a driver of negative and destructive emotions.”

The new president, himself a former prime minister, was elected in April with 53 per cent of the vote.

He defeated pro-West diplomat Ivan Korcok in a ballot dominated by divisions over the war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Although the office is largely ceremonial, Slovakia’s president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, ratifies international treaties and appoints top judges.

03:02 PM BST

Italy PM slams Putin’s ‘propaganda’ on Ukraine peace talks

Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, has slammed as “propaganda” Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine effectively surrender before any peace talks.

“It doesn’t seem particularly effective to me as a negotiation proposal to tell Ukraine that it must withdraw from Ukraine,” she said at the end of a G7 summit in Italy, adding that “it seems more like a propaganda initiative”.

02:47 PM BST

In pictures

02:14 PM BST

Italy PM says EU states won’t be directly involved in G7 Ukraine loan

European Union states will not be directly involved for now in a $50 billion loan that the Group of Seven nations plan to raise for Ukraine based on income from frozen Russian assets, Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, said on Saturday.

Europe was already contributing by providing guarantee mechanisms for the loan, Ms Meloni said, adding that the United States, Canada, Britain and probably Japan would contribute.

02:02 PM BST

Ukraine seeks path to just peace at Swiss summit

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hoped to find paths to a “just peace” as soon as possible, as a first international summit on pathways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine opened Saturday.

More than 50 world leaders were joining Zelensky at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland for a two-day peace summit - though with Moscow rejecting the event, it only has the modest ambitions of laying the groundwork for ending the conflict, now in its third year.

“I believe that we will witness history being made here at the summit. May a just peace be established as soon as possible,” Mr Zelensky said as the event began.

“Everything that will be agreed upon at the summit today will be part of the peacemaking process,” he said.

“We have succeeded in bringing back to the world the idea that joint efforts can stop war and establish a just peace.”

01:35 PM BST

Ukraine LGBTQ military union ‘concerned’ about attacks on Pride march

Ukrainian LGBTQ activists have warned of potential violence against this weekend’s Kyiv Pride parade amid pressures from far-right groups and the Russian war.

Sunday’s event is the first parade in the capital since the beginning of the Russian invasion, which Kyiv often portrays as an existential fight to be part of the West and its liberal values.

“We are seriously concerned about possible attacks on march participants,” the LGBTIQ+ military union that defends the rights of veterans and soldiers said on Instagram.

The march will be held in a closed format, with 500 people attending, while its location and time have been kept confidential, AFP has reported.

The LGBTQ military group said it “will regard any physical assaults as acts of Russian agent networks aimed at undermining Ukraine’s image”.

01:13 PM BST

Kremlin says Western reaction to Putin proposal on Ukraine ‘unconstructive’

The Kremlin has said that the West has reacted unconstructively to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s proposals for a new security architecture and peace talks with Ukraine.

“There is a lot of it, a huge amount of it – official reaction, official statements. Of an unconstructive nature,” Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said in response to a question about whether there had been an official reaction to the proposals.

Mr Putin set out on Friday what he said were Russia’s preconditions for starting peace talks with Ukraine, saying Russia would end the war only if Kyiv agreed to drop its Nato ambitions and hand over four provinces claimed by Moscow – demands Kyiv swiftly rejected as tantamount to surrender.

12:50 PM BST

Ukrainian drones strike airfield hosting Russian fighter-bombers

Ukraine has launched a major drone attack on the Morosovsk Airfield in Russia, about 150 miles from the front lines, according to an assessment of satellite imagery.

The airfield is located in the Rostov region, and has been the staging post for Russian bombings on the front line since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. It houses dozens of Su-27 and Su-34 fighter-bombers, key weapons in the war.

The operation involved at least 70 drones striking the base on Thursday, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, told The War Zone, though it was unclear if any aircraft had been destoyed.

The attack is the second at Morosovsk in recent months. An attack on April 5 reportedly destroyed six Russian warplanes.

12:43 PM BST

Zelensky: ‘The Global Peace Summit begins’

World leaders are joining Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, in Switzerland for a summit on peace in his country. Writing on social media, Mr Zelensky said representatives from “Latin America, the Middle East and Asia, Africa, Europe, the Pacific, Australia, North America” are present.

“Together, we are making the first step toward just peace based on the UN Charter  and fundamental principles of international law,” Mr Zelensky said.

11:32 AM BST

US announces $1.5 billion aid for Ukraine

Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, has announced more than $1.5 billion in aid in part for Ukraine’s energy sector and its humanitarian situation as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement was made as Ms Harris attended a Ukraine peace summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, where she was to meet Volodymyr Zelensky and address the summit’s plenary session.

The $1.5 billion includes $500 million in new funding for energy assistance and the redirecting of $324 million in previously announced funds toward emergency energy infrastructure repair and other needs in Ukraine, the vice-president’s office said.

“These efforts will help Ukraine respond to Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructure by supporting repair and recovery, improving Ukraine’s resilience to energy supply disruptions, and laying the groundwork to repair and expand Ukraine’s energy system,” Ms Harris’s office said.

She also announced more than $379 million in humanitarian assistance to help refugees and other people affected by the war.

The money is to cover food assistance, health services, shelter, and water, sanitation and hygiene services for millions of Ukrainians.

11:29 AM BST

Three killed in Russian attack in Ukraine’s Donetsk region

Three people were killed and five wounded by Russian shelling in Ulakly village in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, local governor Vadym Filashkin said on Saturday.

The village was hit by cluster munitions, he said on the Telegram messaging app. Filashkin said administrative buildings, a private house, a shop and eight cars were damaged.

11:08 AM BST

Sweden says Russian bomber violated its airspace

A Russian military aircraft violated Sweden’s airspace east of the Baltic island of Gotland on Friday, the Nordic country’s armed forces said.

Two Gripen jets were sent up to meet the Russian plane, an SU-24, after it failed to respond to a radio warning by Sweden’s military air traffic control, the Swedish armed forces said in a statement.

“The Russian actions are not acceptable and show a lack of respect for our territorial integrity,” Swedish air force chief Jonas Wikman said. “We followed the entire chain of events and were in place to intervene.”

Friday’s incident took place as Sweden – Nato’s newest member – and several of its new allies take part in naval exercises in the Baltic Sea.

The Swedish military said similar airspace violations by Russian aircraft last occurred in 2022 when two SU-27 and two SU-24 planes also made incursions near Gotland.

Sweden’s neighbour Finland said separately on Friday it suspected that four Russian military planes had violated its airspace on June 10.

11:05 AM BST

In pictures

10:47 AM BST

Scholz says Putin trying to ‘dictate’ peace

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday Russian leader Vladimir Putin was trying to dictate the conditions for peace in Ukraine by offering to halt Moscow’s offensive if Kyiv effectively surrenders.

“What we need is not a dictated peace but a just and equitable peace which takes into account Ukraine’s (territorial) integrity and sovereignty,” he told the public broadcaster ARD on the sidelines of a G7 summut in Italy.

10:23 AM BST

Situation on Pokrovsk front remains tense

Fighting on the Pokrovsk front remains tense, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Three combat clashes are currently taking place in the areas of Novooleksandrivka, Yevhenivka and Novoselivka Persha.

“The most tense situation remains in the Pokrovsky direction,” wrote the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook. “So many attacks have already been fought. Defence forces continue to make efforts to stabilize the situation, creating a complex fire effect.”

09:56 AM BST

Harris to address Ukraine summit

Kamala Harris, the US vice-president, will attend the international Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland this weekend, where she will meet with Volodymyr Zelensky and address world leaders.

She will stress that the outcome of the war in Ukraine affects the entire world, a US official said, and push for a maximum number of countries to back the notion that Russia’s invasion violates the UN Charter’s founding principles and that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected.

Ms Harris, who will spend less than 24 hours at the gathering in Lucerne, will be standing in for president Joe Biden at the event. The president will be just ending his participation at the G7 summit in Italy and returning to the United States to attend a fundraiser for his re-election campaign in Los Angeles.

09:48 AM BST

Watch: Russian soldiers surrender after failed raid

09:37 AM BST

World leaders join Ukraine summit in test of Kyiv’s diplomatic clout

World leaders will gather in Switzerland today for a summit aimed at pressuring Russia to end its war in Ukraine, but the absence of powerful allies of Moscow such as China will blunt its potential impact.

Dozens of allies of Ukraine will take part in the summit, but China is staying away after Russia was frozen out of proceedings.

Without China, hopes of isolating Moscow have faded, while recent military reverses have put Kyiv on the back foot. The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has also diverted attention from Ukraine.

The talks are expected to focus on broader concerns triggered by the war, such as food and nuclear security and freedom of navigation, and a draft of the final declaration identifies Russia as the aggressor in the conflict, sources said.

“The summit risks showing the limits of Ukrainian diplomacy,” said Richard Gowan, UN director at the international crisis group. “Nonetheless, it is also a chance for Ukraine to remind the world that it is defending the principles of the UN Charter.”

09:24 AM BST

Scholz: Putin’s peace proposals aren’t serious

G7 leaders did not discuss Vladimir Putin’s proposals for peace in Ukraine since everyone knew they were not serious, German chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

Speaking from Italy shortly before leaving for Switzerland, where a Ukraine conference opens on Saturday, Mr Scholz said Putin’s proposals – for Ukraine to abandon four provinces Russia claims, stop fighting and drop its ambition of Nato membership – were aimed only at distracting from the conference.

“Everyone knows that this was proposal wasn’t meant seriously, but had something to do with the peace conference in Switzerland,” he told ZDF television in an interview.

09:18 AM BST

Ukrainian shelling ‘kills five in Russian border town’

Ukrainian shelling on the Russian border town of Shebekino killed five people and wounded several, the governor of the region of Belgorod said on Saturday.

Since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, Belgorod has faced waves of attacks, which Kyiv say are retaliation for Moscow’s large-scale assault.

“Four bodies were recovered from the rubble” of a partially collapsed house in Shebekino, said governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who added that another woman had died in hospital.

Russia’s emergency services published footage of a crane and rescuers sifting through the rubble of a destroyed five-storey building in the night.

Six civilians were wounded in the late evening shelling, the governor said.

Shebekino is a town of 40,000 people close to the border with Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region.