Here is the situation on Sunday, June 2, 2024:
Fighting
- Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 24 of the 25 attack drones that Russia launched overnight, according to a statement by the air forces.
- Russia also launched an Iskander-K cruise missile towards Ukraine’s Kharkiv region and an anti-aircraft guided missile, the Russian Air Force said, without commenting on damage and casualties.
- A Russian missile hit residences in Balakliya in the same region, injuring 13 people, including eight children, and destroying homes, Ukrainian prosecutors said.
- Kyiv destroyed the majority of a combined 100 missiles and drones in an attack on key energy sites across five regions, which caused damage, the air force and energy authorities said.
Diplomacy
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed Kyiv’s defence needs on the sidelines of the Shangri-la dialogue in Singapore with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
- Zelenskyy said 106 countries and organisations have so far agreed to participate in a summit in Switzerland in mid-June aimed at bringing peace to his war-ravaged nation.
- The Ukrainian president also said he was “disappointed” that some world leaders had not offered their support and yet confirmed their attendance at the key conference.
- China’s defence minister said Beijing has always been committed to peace in the conflict in a responsible manner and had been careful not to support either Russia or Ukraine.
Weapons
- Zelenskyy thanked countries, including the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, for their military assistance, particularly with air defence systems, as he attended the Shangri-la dialogue.
- The military and weapons support for Ukraine and the talks for the countries’ European Union bid are high on the agenda of the campaigns for the upcoming EU Parliament elections during June 6-9.
