Overview

• Russia’s drone and missile strikes on May 31 killed at least 10 civilians and injured 33 others across Ukraine.
• Russia’s Defense Ministry reported capturing the villages of Vodolahy in Sumy and Novopil in Donetsk, prompting evacuation orders for over 200 settlements in the Sumy region.
• Moscow has amassed roughly 50,000 troops near Sumy, signaling a potential ground offensive to carve out a buffer zone.
• Kyiv refuses to attend the June 2 talks in Istanbul until Russia provides its peace memorandum in advance.
• The United States has urged Moscow to engage in ceasefire negotiations, with President Trump giving President Putin two weeks to prove his seriousness about ending the war.