Moscow's rhetoric may point to the Kremlin's nervousness over the war's direction, our defence correspondent writes from Kyiv.

Syzran oil refinery halts operation after May 21 Ukrainian drone strike, Ukraine's General Staff reports ・Ukraine using 'secret' strike drones to devastate Russian logistics on crucial highway, Nemesis Brigade says ・'Russia's true attitude' — Iskander missile strike damages UN humanitarian warehouse in Dnipro ・Lavrov

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged Kyiv's allies not to give in to "Russian blackmail." And the head of the EU mission in the city said the 27-nation bloc was "not going anywhere."

With the US pulling out of trilateral talks with Russia and Ukraine, the EU is looking for potential candidates to step in.

Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey said he expects NATO to discuss financial support for Kyiv at its summit in July, suggesting each member contributes a small

But while the U.S. has shifted its focus elsewhere, Ukraine has been more than holding its own. Its military has increasingly taken the initiative in the country’s east, where small factions of Russian and Ukrainian troops are locked in a hellish form of drone-based hybrid warfare.

Ukraine's defense leadership has said that it is already working on a way to counter Russian jet-powered drones.

Ukraine launches portal to expose Russia’s foreign fighter recruitment