As of Tuesday, June 3, this is the current status of the ongoing conflict and peace talks:
Fighting
- At least five people were reported killed by Ukrainian officials due to fighting and shelling on the front line in eastern Ukraine, which is predominantly under Russian control.
- Infrastructure attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russian-held areas in southeastern Ukraine resulted in widespread power outages across the Zaporizhia region, as per reports from Russian-appointed officials.
- Adjacent Kherson region also experienced power loss affecting 100,000 individuals and 150 settlements due to similar assaults on electrical facilities, according to the Russian-installed authorities.
- However, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, remains unaffected while in shutdown, as informed by Russian officials occupying the site.
Ceasefire
- Negotiations in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia yielded limited progress but did lead to an agreement on prisoner exchanges and the return of remains of 6,000 deceased soldiers. The agreement also covers injured combatants and those aged between 18 and 25.
- Russia presented a memorandum proposing to end the conflict on the terms of Ukraine’s withdrawal from four annexed regions, halting mobilization, and ceasing imports of Western arms.
- Continued demands in the Russian proposal include Ukraine relinquishing its NATO membership, setting restrictions on military size, and recognizing Russian as an official language alongside Ukrainian.
- Ukraine, which has resisted previous Moscow demands, stated it would consider the memorandum over the next week and suggested further talks from June 20 to 30.
- The White House stated that President Donald Trump is considering a three-way summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Zelenskyy’s chief of staff expressed skepticism towards Moscow’s commitment to a ceasefire, emphasizing that new sanctions could be crucial.
Sanctions
- The US Senate announced plans to explore additional sanctions against Russia and secondary sanctions against its trade partners if the peace talks continue to fail.
- Potential measures include imposing 500 percent tariffs on countries purchasing Russian exports such as oil, gas, and uranium, targeting major customers India and China.
- US Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that senators are ready to equip President Trump with the necessary instruments to pressure Russia into serious negotiations.
