Zelensky published a letter on Thursday proposing a face-to-face meeting with Putin, with the participation of Europe and the United States, to discuss the peace process.
“I don’t see the point yet,” Putin said, answering a question about whether he would meet with the author of the “open letter.”
He added that he never refused to meet with Zelensky, but is against “beating around the bush.”
Putin said Russia does not need short-term agreements, but rather ones “for a long historical perspective” and solutions in place before such a meeting can take place.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that Zelensky can come to Moscow any time if he wishes to hold talks with Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is pictured at a meeting with heads of major international news agencies attending the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 4, 2026. Photo by Xinhua/Hao Jianwei
A statement issued by the military said Harb was killed in an airstrike carried out last week.
The military said Harb oversaw the assembly and deployment of explosive devices intended to target Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, accusing him of involvement in attacks against Israeli forces dating back to the 2006 war with Israel.
It added that the Israeli Air Force struck and destroyed a rocket launcher overnight that had been used by Hezbollah militants to fire rockets toward Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has not commented on the Israeli claims.
An Israeli Air Force Apache attack helicopter flies above the Lebanon border during an IDF operation on June 4, 2026. The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that it had killed the head of Hezbollah’s engineering unit, Abed Harb.
The U.S. Treasury Department has added Diaz-Canel, four other individuals and five entities, including Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, to the Specially Designated Nationals List, according to an update posted on the department’s website.
Diaz-Canel, 66, succeeded Raul Castro as Cuban president in 2018.
In May, the U.S. government sanctioned 11 Cuban officials and charged Raul Castro over a 1996 incident involving Cuban exiles.
A file photo of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel during a press conference, in Havana, on February 4, 2026. The United States imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and several other individuals and entities on Thursday to ramp up pressure on the island country.
The warning comes as a fragile ceasefire reached in April remains in place despite weeks of escalating clashes. The United States and Iran have seen some of their most intense confrontations recently, including American strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island and Iranian attacks on regional U.S. military installations.
U.S. officials said the repeated flare-ups have intensified pressure on Trump and raised questions about the durability of the truce.
Over the weeks, Trump and his administration were reportedly working on a memorandum of understanding with Tehran that would lay out a framework for negotiations over roughly 60 days. But those efforts appeared to have lost momentum by Tuesday, when Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that talks between the two sides had stalled.
Israel and Lebanon agreed on Wednesday to move forward with a ceasefire, according to a joint statement issued by the two countries and the United States, despite lingering conditions, including a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the withdrawal of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that Israel’s consecutive strikes on Beirut could trigger a return to full-scale war, tying the future of that conflict to the fate of the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also issued a statement on Monday, highlighting the U.S. and Israeli violations of an April ceasefire.
It said that following the ceasefire, the United States has repeatedly committed “flagrant violations,” including continuous attacks against Iran’s shipping, and Israel has “blatantly” violated the truce, as well as Lebanon’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
U.S. President Donald Trump has told his aides that he may reconsider the ceasefire with Iran if Iranian forces kill American troops.
“It’s very, very hard to get it … but nevertheless, I want to get at it,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Despite recent strikes in the region, he said that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire taking effect in early April remains in place, suggesting that it is possible an interim deal could be reached “over the weekend” as the ongoing talks are advancing.
“The negotiation itself has gone very well – actually, very well – even if it happens, and it might not happen, but if it happens, it could happen like over the weekend,” Trump said.
“A ceasefire there is much different than a ceasefire in other parts of the world,” he said. “You know, I’d say in that part of the world, a ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”
Meanwhile, Trump claimed that Iranian officials have “changed their mind a couple of times, but as it stands now, we will go in sometime in the not-too-distant future.”
Iran’s naval forces have targeted the “command center” on a U.S. destroyer in the Gulf of Oman in response to U.S. “violations of the regulations” of the Strait of Hormuz and its “hostile” actions against Iranian vessels, state-run IRIB TV reported Wednesday.
Minutes later, the U.S. Central Command denied the claim on X.
Trump has said U.S., Iran to jointly dig out Iran’s buried nuclear material
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were working at night when the landslide occurred, which made rescue efforts harder, Gabin Razafindrakoto, commander of Vatomandry gendarmerie brigade, told Xinhua.
The mayor of the city has ordered the immediate closure of the site to prevent any further mining activities and reduce the risk of additional incidents, he said.
Authorities are trying to determine the exact circumstances of the landslide.
The decision comes as governments across the region tighten health screening and entry requirements for travellers arriving from affected areas, in efforts to contain the spread of the disease.
KLM Country Manager Rukia Otema said the carrier had suspended flights to Entebbe for two weeks due to Ebola-related restrictions affecting airline crew movements. She explained that the rules could lead to extended isolation periods for pilots and other staff.
“We are suspending flights for two weeks to Entebbe because it’s mentioned among the countries with Ebola cases. If our pilots happen to fly to Uganda, they will be isolated for 21 days,” she said.
In a statement issued on May 29, KLM confirmed it had cancelled flights scheduled for May 30 and June 1, 2026. Flight tracking data showed two Amsterdam–Entebbe services, which operate via Kigali, were among those affected.
The airline said passengers impacted by the cancellations would be contacted directly regarding rebooking or refunds and advised travellers to check their flight status before departure.
KLM noted that Entebbe is not currently classified as an active Ebola risk zone, but said entry restrictions introduced by some countries for travellers who have recently been in Uganda were also applying to airline crews.
The carrier added that it was monitoring developments and assessing how the evolving measures could affect future operations.
The suspension follows similar action by Uganda Airlines, which on May 23 halted flights between Entebbe and Kinshasa over Ebola-related containment measures.
Brussels Airlines has also warned that restrictions could affect crew deployment, while Emirates has advised passengers to check health requirements before travel.
KLM Country Manager Rukia Otema said the carrier had suspended flights to Entebbe for two weeks due to Ebola-related restrictions affecting airline crew movements.
Biak Numfor Police Chief Ari Trestiawan said the grenade was found at the blast site and safely detonated by a bomb disposal unit at around 6:00 p.m. local time.
Residents have been warned to stay away from the area until it is declared free of explosive materials.
Police have not yet begun a formal crime scene investigation pending the completion of site sterilization efforts.
The explosion occurred at a fishery complex in Biak Kota district on Sunday afternoon, killing five people, including two children. Three others remain missing, and 19 people were injured.
The blast also damaged nine houses occupied by 10 families, displacing 55 residents who are currently being sheltered by local authorities.
The Mills bomb was first developed during World War One
In a statement posted on social media, Sonko said he met President Faye earlier in the day to discuss the formation of the new administration. While the two leaders confirmed areas of agreement, “points of disagreement” emerged, particularly over the role of the parliamentary majority within the executive framework.
“As a result, PASTEF will not participate in the next government and will not be represented by any ministers,” Sonko said, adding that the party wished the new administration “full success.”
The announcement came shortly before new Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo unveiled a 30-member cabinet. The new lineup retained Cheikh Diba as finance minister, with his portfolio expanded to include the economy ministry in a bid to improve policy “coherence,” according to the government.
However, the roster of ministers appointed by Lo included at least three prominent members of PASTEF, revealing a direct political challenge to Sonko’s attempt to pull the party completely out of the executive branch. The inclusion of these figures, despite the party leader’s public directive, highlights a growing internal division between Faye’s administration and Sonko’s legislative bloc.
The political rift unfolds against the backdrop of mounting economic pressure in Senegal, which is grappling with a debt crisis triggered by the revelation in 2024 of previously misreported liabilities by the former administration. The International Monetary Fund subsequently froze a $1.8 billion lending programme, pushing Senegal’s debt burden to around 132% of GDP.
Finance Minister Cheikh Diba told parliament in May that talks with the IMF were expected to resume in June, with hopes of reaching agreement on key issues by the end of the month.
The latest tensions also follow a broader political reshuffle. President Faye recently dissolved the government and dismissed Sonko from his post, prompting the formation of the new cabinet under Prime Minister Lo. Despite this, lawmakers later reinstated Sonko to parliament and backed him as speaker, reinforcing his continued political influence.
Analysts say Sonko’s position could still shape the political landscape, given PASTEF’s large parliamentary majority and his strong opposition to IMF-backed reforms, including debt restructuring proposals.
President Faye recently dissolved the government and dismissed Sonko from his post, prompting the formation of the new cabinet under Prime Minister Lo. Despite this, lawmakers later reinstated Sonko to parliament and backed him as speaker, reinforcing his continued political influence.
“The Russian Embassy in France has demanded that Paris provide full details of the circumstances surrounding the detention and is taking comprehensive steps to protect the Russian nationals among the crew,” she said, calling the detention another example of European legal nihilism and the rewriting of international legal norms to suit themselves.
The French authorities misinterpreted Article 110 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows a warship to inspect a foreign ship in international waters if it is stateless, but does not authorize its escort to the port of the warship’s state, she said.
On May 31, a French warship stopped Tagor 400 km from the French coastline in international waters, alleging that the vessel was sailing from Russia’s Murmansk under a false flag.
France’s actions in detaining the Russian vessel Tagor violate international law, and Moscow demands that Paris provide full information about its move, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.
