Trump administration in talks with Capitol Hill to amend the Graham-Blumenthal legislation imposing sweeping sanctions on Russia, including 500% tariffs on countries doing business with Moscow.

So, Russia and Ukraine are still as far apart as ever, with the two warring countries unable to make a significant breakthrough in direct talks in Istanbul.

U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs may have put an end to the Bank of Japan's rate-hike cycle, with the chance of further interest rate increases fading fast due to the expected hit to exports, former BOJ policymaker Takako Masai said on Thursday.

The German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has arrived in the Ukrainian capital for military aid talks. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has congratulated Russians on Russia Day. DW has the latest.

Hopes for a near-term peace in Ukraine have faded as recent direct talks in Istanbul on June 2nd stalled, yielding only limited humanitarian agreements on prisoner exchanges. -Ukraine’s successful “Operation Spider’s Web” drone strike on Russian bomber bases just before the talks is seen as a key reason for the diplomatic collapse.

Russia is still ready to return the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war and is in talks with Kyiv on the subject, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. It said some of the bodies were still waiting inside refrigerated trucks for a handover.

As well as 479 drones, 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas of Ukraine.