Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States was increasingly acting as a party to the conflict rather than an impartial broker, following recent commitments by Group of Seven leaders to intensify economic pressure on Russia and expand support for Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

“As for the United States, judging by their actions, they appear to be abandoning any claim to the role of an objective mediator and are instead pursuing a course of escalating sanctions pressure on Russia,” Lavrov told foreign diplomats in Moscow.

The remarks come as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to secure a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine remain largely at a standstill. President Donald Trump, who returned to office in 2025 after pledging to swiftly end the conflict, has sought to encourage direct engagement between the two sides. However, negotiations have produced little tangible progress amid deep disagreements over territorial and security issues.

During a summit in France earlier this month, G7 leaders endorsed a joint statement reaffirming support for Ukraine and calling for stronger measures against Russia’s wartime economy. The communiqué included commitments to increase deliveries of air-defense equipment to Kyiv and tighten sanctions targeting Russian revenue streams, particularly in the energy sector.

Lavrov also criticized European governments for expanding military assistance to Ukraine, arguing that the continent was contributing to instability rather than promoting a diplomatic resolution.

“Europe is once again becoming a major threat to international peace and security,” Lavrov said, referring to ongoing military support provided by European allies to Kyiv.

The conflict, now in its fifth year, began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and remains Europe’s deadliest war since World War Two.

A central obstacle to negotiations remains Moscow’s demand that Ukraine withdraw its forces from parts of the eastern Donbas region still under Kyiv’s control as a prerequisite for broader peace talks. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly rejected the proposal, arguing that territorial concessions would encourage further Russian demands and undermine the country’s sovereignty.

With both sides maintaining positions that remain far apart, prospects for a breakthrough in negotiations appear limited despite continued diplomatic contacts and international mediation efforts.

Speaking during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, the pontiff praised the agreement reached earlier this week between Washington and Tehran and expressed gratitude to those involved in the negotiations.

“I hope that this agreement will contribute to strengthening mutual trust, security, and stability in the Middle East by promoting paths of dialogue and cooperation between peoples,” Leo said.

The remarks marked one of the pope’s most direct endorsements of a major diplomatic breakthrough since taking office. His comments underscored the Vatican’s longstanding support for negotiated solutions to international conflicts and efforts aimed at reducing regional tensions.

Leo, 70, framed the accord as evidence that sustained engagement between adversaries can yield tangible results, emphasizing dialogue as a tool for advancing peace and stability.

Turning to the war in Ukraine, the pope said he continued to receive “painful” news from the conflict and appealed for renewed diplomatic initiatives capable of producing a just and enduring settlement.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year, remains Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two and has resulted in widespread destruction, heavy casualties, and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure.

“So many innocent victims, rescuers killed, churches and cultural heritage sites devastated by flames,” Leo said during the audience.

The pontiff also expressed solidarity with those affected by the conflict, including families mourning lost relatives, those injured in attacks, and humanitarian workers operating in dangerous conditions.

“I am close to those mourning their loved ones, to the injured, and to those who, amidst the violence, continue to serve life with courage,” he said.

The Vatican has consistently advocated diplomatic engagement in both Middle Eastern and European conflicts, with Leo’s latest remarks reinforcing the Holy See’s emphasis on dialogue, negotiation, and international cooperation as pathways to peace.

In Sloviansk in the Donetsk region, prosecutors said three people were killed in two bomb attacks and five were injured. The area is part of Ukraine’s heavily fortified “fortress belt” on the front line.

In Zaporizhzhia, national police reported a wave of dozens of drone strikes that killed one person in a car and injured seven others. Regional officials said there were five strikes in total, damaging homes, a shopping center, and an educational institution.

Images showed burning buildings and severe structural damage.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports. Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians in the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

The June 15-17 G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains will focus on the Iran agreement, the war in Ukraine, global economic imbalances and efforts to secure critical minerals outside China’s dominant supply chains.US President Donald Trump is due to attend the gathering after skipping last year’s G7 summit in Canada early.

French officials said his participation was important as allies seek coordination on major international issues.G7 leaders have been affected by Washington’s recent foreign policy decisions, which have reshaped debates over the Middle East, global trade and diplomatic relations.

Trump is scheduled to meet Middle Eastern leaders and hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the summit. The meeting with Zelensky comes as Ukraine continues to seek military support while Russian advances have slowed.G7 members are expected to seek details of the US-Iran agreement.

A memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, though the full terms were not immediately disclosed.Trump said the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments that Iran had effectively closed for months, would reopen on Friday and that the US blockade of Iranian ports would end.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, would end permanently from Monday night. Iranian officials said broader negotiations, including sanctions relief and discussions on its nuclear program, would follow during a 60-day ceasefire period.

The United Arab Emirates, along with mediators Qatar and Egypt, will also participate in the G7 discussions.The summit is also a major diplomatic moment for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the meeting during the final phase of his presidency.

France has used its G7 leadership to push discussions on global economic imbalances, describing the issue as a shared challenge involving China’s production capacity, US consumption and European investment levels.Brazil, India, Kenya and South Korea have been invited to join the talks, while Macron has encouraged China to increase domestic consumption.

The statement issued Wednesday during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Brussels described what it called “illegal military cooperation” between North Korea and Russia and urged third parties to stop supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

North Korea’s foreign ministry rejected the criticism, saying its cooperation with Russia constituted an “exercise of sovereign rights” and accusing Seoul and Brussels of issuing a “grave hostile act,” according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The EU–South Korea statement said: “We condemn support by third parties, in particular the DPRK, which enable Russia to sustain its war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Pyongyang separately reiterated its long-standing position that South Korea is its primary “enemy state” and accused Seoul of acting in line with Washington’s security strategy in the region.

The North Korean response also referenced recent remarks by a senior US military official in South Korea, which Pyongyang and Beijing previously criticized as reflecting US containment policy in Asia.

North Korea has deepened its alignment with Russia during the Ukraine conflict, including reports of weapons transfers and troop deployments, according to Western and South Korean intelligence assessments.

Kim Jong Un has expanded cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, while also strengthening diplomatic engagement with China amid shifting regional alliances.

In a diplomatic note sent to foreign embassies and international organizations on Wednesday, Moscow said it would carry out “retaliatory strikes,” including against “decision-making centers” in Kyiv, should Ukraine attempt attacks linked to the commemorations.

Russia urged diplomatic missions to “ensure the timely evacuation of personnel from diplomatic and other missions, as well as citizens, from the city of Kyiv.”Ukraine did not immediately respond to the warning.The threat comes amid heightened tensions surrounding Russia’s annual Victory Day celebrations, a major state event commemorating the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany during World War Two.

Earlier this week, Russia announced a unilateral ceasefire for May 8-9 to coincide with the commemorations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the move and proposed a separate ceasefire beginning May 6, which Kyiv said Moscow ignored.Zelensky suggested earlier this week that Russia feared potential Ukrainian drone activity over Moscow during the parade.

In his nightly address on Wednesday, he accused Russia of continuing attacks despite Kyiv’s proposed truce and said Ukraine would “respond in kind.”Ukrainian officials reported multiple Russian strikes throughout Wednesday, including attacks in the northern Sumy region where local authorities said at least two people were killed at a kindergarten.

Overall, officials reported at least four deaths in attacks across the country.Military officers stationed on the eastern front told AFP that combat activity had continued at existing intensity levels despite ceasefire discussions.“The enemy continued to carry out infantry raids and attempts to storm our positions,” one Ukrainian officer said on condition of anonymity, adding that Ukrainian forces had responded to Russian attacks.

Another frontline commander said fighting remained unchanged, describing the military response as “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”Russia’s defense ministry said it intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones overnight between 2100 GMT and 0700 GMT, a lower number than reported in previous days.

The ministry did not specify whether any attacks occurred after Kyiv’s proposed ceasefire deadline.The conflict has intensified in recent weeks with both sides carrying out strikes deep behind front lines. On Tuesday, Ukrainian drone attacks reportedly killed two people in the Russian city of Cheboksary along the Volga River, hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine’s border.Security measures in Moscow have tightened ahead of Friday’s parade.

Russian authorities have announced intermittent citywide internet shutdowns and said military hardware would be removed from the parade for the first time in nearly two decades.Diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fifth year, have shown limited progress.

Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw from four regions claimed by Russia, conditions Kyiv has rejected.

“We asked the Turks about it, we asked some other capitals,” Sybiha told reporters on Tuesday in comments cleared for release on Wednesday, indicating that Ukraine is seeking a neutral venue outside Russia and its close ally Belarus.

Sybiha said Kyiv would consider any location except Belarus or Russia for such a meeting, underscoring longstanding Ukrainian objections to holding talks in countries aligned with Moscow.

Belarus facilitated Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 by allowing its territory to be used as a staging ground, a factor that has made it unacceptable to Kyiv as a diplomatic venue.

The Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly called for direct talks between Zelensky and Putin as a potential means to accelerate efforts toward a resolution of the conflict.

However, the Kremlin has previously stated that it is willing to host Zelensky in Moscow, a proposal the Ukrainian president has rejected.

Sybiha did not disclose Ankara’s response to the request but emphasized that Ukraine remains open to alternatives. “If another capital, besides Moscow and Belarus, organizes such a meeting, we will go,” he said.

Turkiye has previously positioned itself as a mediator in the conflict, maintaining diplomatic ties with both Kyiv and Moscow while hosting earlier rounds of negotiations.

Separately, Sybiha said he had exchanged written messages with Anita Orban, who is set to become Hungary’s foreign minister following the recent election victory of a new government in Budapest.

Authorities in Russia’s Leningrad region confirmed that additional mobile fire units would be deployed to protect strategic facilities, including the major Baltic ports of and , which have faced repeated attacks in recent weeks. Governor said the units would include reservists serving on voluntary contracts, tasked specifically with countering unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) threats.

Kyiv has described the strikes as retaliatory measures against Russia’s sustained aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted Russia’s energy infrastructure, aiming to disrupt export revenues that remain a key source of funding for Moscow’s war effort.

The attacks have had a measurable impact on Russia’s oil logistics. According to data cited by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, oil shipments from Ust-Luga and Primorsk fell by roughly half in the week following a March 23 drone strike compared to the same period a year earlier.

Despite these disruptions, Russia’s oil revenues have shown resilience. The reported that Russian oil export earnings nearly doubled to $19 billion in March, reflecting elevated global prices amid broader geopolitical tensions, including conflict in the Middle East.
President had previously authorized the use of reservists to guard energy infrastructure under legislation signed last year, as Ukraine expanded its use of long-range drones to strike deeper into Russian territory.

The intensifying exchange of strikes underscores a shift in the conflict toward targeting economic assets, with both sides seeking to degrade the other’s capacity to sustain prolonged military operations.

Yuri Slyusar, governor of the Rostov Oblast, said falling drone debris triggered fires and prompted evacuations in affected areas.

“Emergency crews are working at the site of the incident, where the debris fell,” he said on Telegram, adding that damage had been recorded and residents moved to safety.

Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova said emergency services responded to 49 incidents across the city. Eight people were reported injured.

She said debris from intercepted drones damaged multiple residential buildings, social infrastructure and industrial facilities. Emergency crews remained deployed, while air defense units continued operations in the area.

Taganrog, a port city on the eastern edge of the Sea of Azov, lies close to the Ukrainian border and has periodically been affected by spillover from the conflict.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities on the reported strike.