Malcolm Weale

Malcolm Weale

‘Six inches down in the mud’

• Russia reports 2nd consecutive day of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow, building damaged on the outskirts
• Rubio, Lavrov discuss next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul
• ‘No one has seen it yet’ — Zelensky slams Russia for stalling on ceasefire memorandum ahead of Istanbul talks
• Russia amassed enough troops to attack Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, Border Guard warns
• Next Ramstein summit to take place on June 4 in Brussels

A building was reportedly damaged on the outskirts of Moscow following a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian capital overnight on May 29, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported.

This marks the second consecutive day of attacks on Moscow Oblast, with multiple industrial facilities targeted by Ukrainian drones and several unmanned aircraft reportedly downed on approach to the capital on May 28.

Videos and photos posted on social media by local residents purportedly show damage sustained by a residential building on Vernadsky Avenue in Southwest Moscow. Explosions were heard in the area around 1:40 a.m. local time.

Sobyanin claimed that no one was injured in the attack that occurred as a result of falling drone debris.

The full extent of the damage was not immediately clear. Ukraine’s military has not commented on the reported attack.

Russian air defenses shot down 48 Ukrainian drones overnight, including three over Moscow Oblast, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed.

The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify reports or claims made by Russian officials.

The previous night on May 28, Russian air defenses shot down 296 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed, potentially marking one of the heaviest drone attacks against Russia during the full-scale war.

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

Rubio, Lavrov discuss next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presented to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Moscow’s “specific proposals” for the next round of peace talks with Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on May 29.

The two diplomats held a phone call on May 28, the day when Russia proposed holding negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2 in a follow-up to the first round on May 16.

Lavrov also “informed Marco Rubio about implementing the May 19 agreements between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of the United States Donald Trump,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Trump and Putin held a phone call on May 19, during which the Russian leader again rejected a truce and pushed for maximalist demands, but also voiced his readiness to negotiate a “memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty.”

During the call with Lavrov, Rubio stressed Trump’s “intention to quickly bring the Ukraine conflict to an end and expressed Washington’s readiness to help the sides to bring their positions closer together,” according to the Russian readout.

While initially reluctant to criticize Putin, Trump adopted an increasingly critical tone toward the Russian leader in recent days as Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities intensify and the Kremlin continues to reject calls for a ceasefire.

Kyiv and its European partners have urged the U.S. to impose additional sanctions to pressure Moscow to agree to a truce. Trump has refused to take the step so far, saying he is “close to getting a deal” and does not want to “screw it up” by fresh sanctions.

Europe’s ‘Trump shock’ is opportunity to forge ‘new West,’ Timothy Garton Ash says

A so-called “Trump shock” has plunged Europe into its deepest crisis since 1945, but also presents an opportunity for the continent to forge a “new West,” British historian and commentator Timothy Garton Ash has said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent. The first months of Trump’s presidency dispelled any

'No one has seen it yet' — Zelensky slams Russia for stalling on ceasefire memorandum ahead of Istanbul talks

President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 29 accused Russia of stalling the peace process by failing to deliver a promised negotiations memorandum, warning international partners that Moscow is trying to deceive those still relying on diplomacy over pressure.

“Even the so-called memorandum they promised and claimed to be preparing for more than a week — no one has seen it,” Zelensky said. “Ukraine hasn’t received it. Our partners haven’t received it. Even Turkey, which hosted the first meeting, hasn’t received the updated agenda.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry previously claimed its delegation, led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, would present the ceasefire framework at the June 2 talks, proposed by Moscow.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed on May 29 that the same Russian delegation, led by Medinsky, will attend the new round of peace talks in Istanbul.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Ukraine has already shared its position paper with Russia.

Speaking after a high-level meeting with Umerov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, and presidential chief of staff Andrii Yermak, Zelensky said Ukraine is maintaining daily coordination with allies ahead of another round of talks in Istanbul.

Zelensky called for renewed international pressure on Russia, saying, “Words don’t work with Moscow. They are doing everything to make these meetings meaningless. That is why sanctions and real pressure on Russia are essential.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country hosted the May 16 negotiations, said Ankara expects Ukrainian and Russian positions to come closer.

“If there’s a diplomatic achievement here, it’s not just thanks to Turkish diplomacy, but to the fact that both sides have been willing to talk and that these talks have led to tangible outcomes,” Fidan said on his way to Kyiv, where he is expected to meet Sybiha and Zelensky.

‘Shooting Russia in the back’ — Serbian companies supplying ammunition to Ukraine, Moscow claims

“The Serbian defense industry is trying to shoot Russia in the back,” Russian foreign intelligence (SVR) claimed.

Russia amassed enough troops to attack Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, Border Guard warns

Russia has concentrated a sufficient amount of forces in Kursk Oblast to potentially launch an attack on Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on May 29.

The statement comes amid warnings of a new possible Russian offensive this summer as U.S.-mediated peace efforts have failed to produce a ceasefire deal.

Russia has become increasingly active in Sumy Oblast after mostly pushing out Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian authorities recently confirmed that Russian forces captured four Sumy Oblast villages close to the border: Novenke, Zhuravka, Veselivka, and Basivka.

Speaking on national television, Demchenko said Russia began amassing forces when it attempted to push Ukrainian troops out of Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine launched its operation in August 2024.

Russia continues to maintain a force in Kursk Oblast, and Ukraine periodically detects a “certain change in the number of both soldiers and equipment in this area,” the spokesperson said.

Russia “has enough forces there (in Kursk Oblast) to carry out operations against our border and attempt to attack the territory of Ukraine,” he continued.

The remarks came days after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is accumulating 50,000 troops near Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast, seeking to create a 10-kilometer buffer zone in the area.

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

Next Ramstein summit to take place on June 4 in Brussels

The upcoming Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting in the Ramstein format will be held on June 4 in Brussels under the chairmanship of the U.K. and Germany, NATO announced on May 29.

The Ramstein summit will take place as Washington is trying to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia to end Moscow’s full-scale war.

In the meantime, Russia is amassing forces for a new offensive against Ukraine while continuing its attacks on civilians across the country, straining Ukrainian air defenses.

The last Ramstein-format meeting took place in Brussels on April 11 under the chairmanship of London and Berlin — a position previously held by the U.S.

Leadership over Ramstein transitioned following the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

During the previous meeting, NATO allies committed more than 21 billion euros ($23.8 billion) in long-term military aid to Ukraine.

The move came amid growing uncertainty over U.S. support for Ukraine and efforts by European allies to close the gap as Kyiv resists Russia’s ongoing war.

Note from the author:

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