Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump presented with plan to end war if elected - as trial of US journalist to begin (2024)

The US embassy in Russia has said that Moscow has failed to provide any evidence to support espionage charges against Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

In a statement on the first day of Mr Gershkovich's closed trial on spying charges, the embassy said the case was about the Kremlin using US citizens to achieve its political objectives.

"Russian authorities have failed to provide any evidence supporting the charges against him, failed to justify his continued detention, and failed to explain why Evan's work as a journalist constitutes a crime," the embassy said.

Earlier, Mr Gershkovich was seen standing in a glass box, with a shaved head, ahead of the trial.

The 32-year-old reporter, who has already spent nearly 15 months behind bars in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo jail, faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

Russian courts convict more than 99% of the defendants who come before them, and prosecutors can appeal sentences they regard as too lenient, and can even appeal acquittals.

NATO has appointed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as its next secretary general.

The outgoing leader of the Netherlands will take charge of the world's biggest security organisation at a critical time for European security.

Mr Rutte's appointment was sealed by NATO ambassadors during a meeting at the 32-nation alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

Joe Biden and his counterparts will formally welcome him to their table at a summit in Washington from 9 -11 July.

The Dutch premier will then take over from the current secretary general, Norway's Jens Stoltenberg, on 1 October.

Congratulating his appointment, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "confident" Mr Rutte would continue Mr Stoltenberg's "outstanding work in keeping NATO strong and united".

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited troops in the eastern frontline Donetsk region today with his top military leadership.

In a statement on Telegram, Mr Zelenskyy said he held a detailed meeting on security with military leaders and addressed many issues.

"There will be a separate conversation in Kyiv, particularly with officials who must be here and in other areas near the frontline - in difficult communities where people need immediate solutions. Solutions that simply cannot be seen from Kyiv," he said.

Mr Zelenskyy said he was "surprised" to learn that some relevant officials have not been in the region "for six months or more".

"There will be a serious conversation, and I will draw appropriate conclusions regarding them," he added.

What do we know about the Donetsk region?

The eastern region forms part of the Donbas - along with Luhansk - and fighting here is relentless.

The region was once known for its coal and steel manufacturing but it is now part of the Kremlin's ongoing invasion, with Vladimir Putin intent on seizing the entire territory.

Parts of the Donbas are occupied by Russian proxy governments.

A Russian official has suggested publicly whipping disobedient Russians.

In a translated clip shared by columnist at The Daily Beast Julia Davis, State Duma deputy Andrey Svintsov discussed his thoughts on those who spoke out against the Kremlin.

"Those who repent should publicly apologise and publicly receive 20 lashes with a whip in Red Square," he said.

"After that, they could continue their entrepreneurship but with a new tax rate."

He went on to say that if people spoke out against the country they needed to be punished "officially".

"It's mandatory, whipping them is mandatory," he said.

"We have to bring back physical punishment."

If North Korean troops were sent to Ukraine to help the Russian army they would become "cannon fodder", Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said.

In a briefing yesterday evening, Mr Ryder was asked about the possibility of North Korean forces being sent to Ukraine as the country advances its military partnerships with Russia.

Mr Ryder did not say there was any indication of North Korean troops actually being sent into combat, but he cautioned the North against that potential development.

"That's certainly something to keep an eye on," he said.

"I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine."

During a summit in Pyongyang last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin signed a deal requiring each country to provide aid if attacked. They also vowed to boost other cooperation.

Observers say the accord represents the strongest connection between the two countries since the end of the Cold War.

Ukrainian shelling destroyed a radiation control post in Velyka Znamyanka in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russia's management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine reports.

"Specialists carried out a number of compensatory measures to control the radiation situation in the area," the management said.

Radiation levels, the management added, do not exceed safe levels.

For context: Russian troops seized the Zaporizhzhia plant in the early days of Moscow's invasion on Ukraine in 2022.

Moscow and Kyiv have sinceroutinely accused each other of endangering safety around it.

Evan Gershkovich has been seen before the start of his behind-closed-doors trial in Russia.

Reporters were allowed to briefly film the US journalist today before the start of his trial in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that he denies.

Mr Gershkovich was seen standing in a glass box, with a shaved head.

The Wall Street Journal reporter was first arrested on espionage charges in March 2023 after Russia claimed he had been "gathering secret information" on orders from the CIA.

Mr Gershkovich faces 20 years in prison if convicted and he has spent over a year in Moscow's Lefortovo prison.

A Russian missile attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa has struck civilian infrastructure this morning, regional governor Oleh Kiper reports.

The attack damaged an administrative building in the industrial sector.

Mr Kiper said there were no casualties in the attack.

Earlier this week, a Russian missile strike damaged a storage facility in the city, injuring three people.

Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian forces in theinvasion, with many attacks aimed at the city's port facilities.

Russia denies targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.

A suspected hypersonic missile launched by North Korea exploded in flight today, South Korea's military has said.

The missile was launched from near the capital, Pyongyang, South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said.

Japan's defence ministry said the missile flew to an altitude of about 62 miles and range of more than 200km.

Senior officials of South Korea, the US and Japan have held a phone call and condemned the launch as a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and a serious threat to the peace and stability of the region and beyond.

US Indo-Pacific command also issued a condemnation and called on Pyongyang to refrain from further unlawful and destabilising acts.

"While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel, or territory, or to our allies, we continue to monitor the situation," it said in a statement.

North Korea's last missile launch was on 30 May.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin held a summit and signed a mutual defence pact.

Seoul, Washington and Tokyo criticised the two countries' deepening military cooperation, with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol calling the pact "anachronistic".

Welcome back to our live coverage of the Ukraine war.

Yesterday the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two top Russian military figures - former defence minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov - for allegedly directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects in Ukraine.

It brought the total number of warrants against senior Russian suspects to eight since the start of the war - with Vladimir Putin among them.

Kyiv welcomed the move, but Moscow dismissed it as legally meaningless.

Before we get to our live updates, here's a brief rundown of the other main developments from the past day:

• Russia and Ukraine each returned 90 prisoners of war in the latest swap between the two countries;
• The EU officially launched membership talks with Ukraine in what Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a "historic day" for Kyiv;
• Russia's deputy foreign minister warned of "tragic and fatal" consequences for the West if it underestimated Russia's resolve;
• The European Court of Human Rights found Russia guilty of committing multiple human rights violations in Crimea since it annexed the peninsula a decade ago;
• The Reuters news agency reported that Trump has been handed a plan to end the Ukraine war if he becomes president in November - including telling Kyiv it would only get more US military aid if it entered peace talks.

The map below shows the latest territorial picture in Ukraine...