The United Nations condemned Russia’s proposal to exchange abducted Ukrainian children for Russian prisoners of war, with a senior UN official stating that civilians should not be used as bargaining chips.

“Obviously, all innocent civilians, including innocent children, should not be used as bargaining chips,” Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq told Ukrinform when commenting on the Russian proposal revealed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Haq emphasized that this principle applies to conflicts worldwide. The UN has repeatedly stressed that deportation of children during conflict constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.

President Zelenskyy disclosed that Russians had proposed exchanging Ukrainian children for their military prisoners. The Ukrainian leader characterized the occupiers’ proposal as “beyond understanding and beyond the bounds of international law.”

The issue gained prominence during negotiations in Istanbul, where the Russian delegation acknowledged that Russia had abducted Ukrainian children, according to Zelenskyy’s 2 June statement.

First Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Kislytsia provided details of the negotiations on 5 June, reporting that Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky cynically stated during talks that Russia “has a couple of dozen, maybe a hundred Ukrainian children.” The same Putin associate confirmed receiving from Ukraine a list of 339 abducted children, Kislytsia said.

Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets reports that as of October 2024, Russian forces have abducted more than 20,000 children from Ukraine. An additional 1.5 million children could potentially be deported, according to his data.

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Latvia was elected on June 3 to the United Nations Security Council for the first time in its history.

Along with four other countries – Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Liberia – Latvia will serve a two-year term, beginning in January 2026, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Reacting to the vote, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze called it a "historic day for Latvia."

"We are honored by the trust placed in us and ready to take on this responsibility to defend the rules-based international order," she wrote on X.

With the exception of Latvia – which is taking a seat on the council for the first time – all the elected countries have previously served.

The newly elected countries will take the place of Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia, whose terms will end in December 2025. They will join the five non-permanent members that were elected last year – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia.

The UN Security Council is the main UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It is composed of 15 members, including five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The permanent members hold veto power.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has repeatedly used its veto power to block resolutions concerning its actions in Ukraine. Latvia, a vocal critic of Russia, has consistently pushed for stronger Western support for Ukraine.

The Baltic nation has been a steadfast ally of Ukraine – it recently delivered 1,500 combat drones to Ukraine and has committed providing military support at the level of 0.25% of its GDP every year.

Latvia has also urged the European Union to adopt tougher measures against Russia, including an EU-wide ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens.

Ukrainian delegation arrives in US to discuss defense support, Russia sanctions

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, is traveling to the U.S., a source close to the Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent on June 3.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

The United States warned on 29 May it may withdraw from peace negotiations if Russia continues the war, following some of the largest Russian attacks since the war began.

“If Russia makes the wrong decision to continue this catastrophic war, the United States will have to consider stepping back from negotiation efforts to end the conflict,” said John Kelley, acting US alternate representative to the UN, during a Security Council meeting.

Kelley said the US has “worked tirelessly with both sides, seeking a path to peace” since the UN called for an end to the war three months ago. 

“Ukraine has unequivocally agreed, awaiting Russia’s agreement to do the same,” he said.

The diplomat condemned Russia’s weekend missile and drone attacks on Ukraine. “This disregard for human life does not indicate a desire for peace. This must stop,” Kelley said.

Russia has conducted its most extensive missile and drone strikes of the full-scale war from 23 to 25 May.

He warned that stepping back from talks would not mean abandoning allies but would “recognize Russia’s refusal to cooperate with us to achieve the desired outcome.”

“There is no military solution to this conflict. The deal now on offer is the best possible outcome for Russia. President Putin should take this deal,” Kelley said.

He added that the US is considering additional sanctions on Russia.

UN Undersecretary General Rosemary DiCarlo said hope in the negotiations is “just barely” alive. The massive weekend attacks show how quickly the war can escalate, she warned. “The people of Ukraine, especially, cannot wait” for peace efforts to resume.

Meanwhile, disputes emerged over proposed talks in Istanbul on 2 June. The Kremlin said it was awaiting Ukraine’s response to its proposal. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s adviser said Ukraine is ready to participate but wants to see Russia’s proposals first.

Peskov called that demand “nonconstructive.”

Zelenskyy accused Russia of “yet another deception” for failing to provide its peace proposal. “Even the so-called ‘memorandum’ they promised and seemingly prepared for more than a week has still not been seen by anyone,” he said in his video address.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on 28 May that Russia’s delegation “is ready to present a memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation” during the 2 June Istanbul talks.

President Trump warned on 29 May he would determine within “about two weeks” whether Putin is serious about peace. “We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently,” Trump told reporters.

The warnings came as the Security Council met to discuss Ukraine following record Russian attacks over the weekend.

Russia and North Korea have engaged in "unlawful military cooperation," including arms transfers of up to 9 million shells and "at least 100 ballistic missiles" in 2024, according to a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) published May 29.

The MSMT is made up of 11 United Nations member states and was formed in October 2024 to monitor and report on the implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea in light of deepening military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.

The watchdog's first report presents evidence that North Korea and Russia violated United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) and engaged in illegal activities throughout 2024.

Violations include deliveries of weapons and military equipment, Russian training of North Korean troops for deployment in direct combat against Ukrainian forces, supply of refined petroleum products to North Korea above UN-mandated caps, and correspondent banking between the two countries.

In 2024 alone, North Korea sent Russia at least 100 ballistic missiles, an MSMT participating state found. These missiles "were subsequently launched into Ukraine to destroy civilian infrastructure and terrorize populated areas such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia," the report said.

Infighting around EU rearmament undermines grand ambitions for European defense

Despite grand plans, the European Union’s hoped-for rearmament remains fully dependent on member nations stepping up their own defenses. In March, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an 800-million-euro “Rearm Europe” plan to build out a defense architecture that has depended on the U.S. since the

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

Russian-flagged vessels delivered  "as many as 9 million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition" from North Korea to Russia in 49 shipments from January to December 2024, an MSMT participating state found. The cargo was sent from Russia's far-eastern ports to ammunition depots in southwestern Russia for use in the full-scale war against Ukraine.

Open-source data reviewed by the Open Source Centre (OSC) indicates that Russian vessels delivered between 4.2 and 5.8 million rounds of 122 mm and 152 mm ammunition between August 2023 and March 2025.

The report also confirmed that North Korea deployed over 11,000 soldiers to Russia's Kursk Oblast for training and combat operations against Ukrainian troops.

According to the MSMT, "these forms of unlawful cooperation ... contributed to Moscow's ability to increase its missile attacks against Ukrainian cities including targeted strikes against critical civilian infrastructure."

The MSMT also documented transfers of arms from Russia to North Korea. Moscow is believed to have sent Pyongyong short-range air defense systems, advanced electronic warfare systems, and at least one Pantsir-class combat vehicle, the report said.

Russia provided additional support to North Korea's ballistic missile development program, leading to improvements in missile guidance performance, and MSMT participating state said.

The documented arms transfers violate longstanding UN embargoes on material shipments between UN member states and North Korea.

North Korea reportedly began supplying Russia with weapons in 2023. Pyongyang's involvement in the war escalated in fall 2024, when thousands of North Korean troops were dispatched to Russia's western border. The deployment came several months after the two nations signed a defense treaty in June, requiring either state to render military aid to the other in the event of an attack.

Despite this, North Korea only publicly admitted its involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine in late April 2025. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said in May that his country's participation in the war was part of a "sacred mission."

Recent days have also seen a surge in Russian aerial attacks against Ukraine. For three nights in a row, Moscow barraged cities across Ukraine with drones and missiles, including ballistics. The MSMT report confirmed that Russia has attacked Ukraine with North Korean-made ballistic missiles — and that these weapons contain foreign parts provided by third-party distributors.  

How much does a Russian drone attack on Ukraine cost? The question is more complicated than it sounds

Beginning overnight on Saturday, May 24, Russia rained down nearly a thousand drones and missiles on villages and cities across Ukraine in three nights of large-scale aerial attacks, as civilians spent hours sheltering underground. Russia’s bombardment killed more than a dozen people and injured dozens more, in one of

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

Moscow requested a meeting of the U.N. Security Council over Europe's alleged "threats to international peace and security," Russia's U.N. envoy, Dmitry Polyansky, said on May 27, only a day after Russia launched its largest drone attack against Ukraine.

Russia launched a three-day wave of aerial attacks from May 24 to May 26, firing more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine. On May 26, Russian forces carried out the most extensive drone attack of the full-scale war, reportedly involving 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys.

Moscow, which holds a permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council, requested the session because of what it called attempts by European countries to prevent a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine, according to Polyansky.

Russia expects the meeting to be scheduled for May 30, one day after another Security Council meeting requested by Ukraine's European allies over the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country.

Ukraine and its European allies have repeatedly called for a complete ceasefire to bring the war to a close. Russia has consistently rejected these proposals, only escalating its attacks against Ukrainian cities and reportedly preparing a new offensive.

Russian President Vladimir Putin again refused to support a full ceasefire in Ukraine during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19. Instead, the Kremlin proposed drafting a "memorandum" on a possible future peace settlement.

Recent peace talks in Istanbul, the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, failed to achieve a breakthrough, with a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange seen as the only tangible result.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia's weeklong delay in preparing a proposal on a peace settlement a "mockery of the whole world."

Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Debunking Putin’s ‘root causes’ claims

As Russia continues to bombard cities and towns across Ukraine, Russian officials have hardened their position against a ceasefire, continuing to repeat the obscure demand that the war’s “root causes” be addressed before agreeing to any truce. For months, the phrase “root causes” has become a go-to talking point

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta