Ukraine rejected Russia's condition for a ceasefire, which required the dismantling of Western military support

On June 18, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry firmly dismissed Russia’s latest ceasefire condition that would require Kyiv to destroy or dismantle all Western-supplied weapons. The ministry described the demand as absurd and a clear sign of Moscow's disregard for U.S.-led peace efforts.

"Russian officials make new absurd demands almost every day. Total inadequacy," said Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi on X (formerly Twitter). "Moscow shows complete disregard for the United States' efforts to end the war."

The statement came in response to comments made earlier in the week by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko in an interview with the state-run newspaper Izvestia. Grushko reiterated the Kremlin’s demand that all foreign weapons in Ukraine be "reduced, disposed of, and guaranteed" as part of any ceasefire deal.

Russia has consistently insisted on the total cessation of Western military aid to Ukraine as a precondition for peace. Kyiv and its European partners have rejected this position, arguing instead for an increase in military support to help Ukraine defend itself and deter further Russian aggression.

This demand is part of a broader list of hardline conditions outlined in Moscow’s so-called “peace memorandum,” introduced during the June 2 negotiations in Istanbul. While those talks resulted in agreements on prisoner exchanges and the return of fallen soldiers, they failed to produce any substantive progress toward ending the war.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, who once pledged to secure peace in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, has appeared increasingly detached from the negotiation process. Despite repeated warnings to Moscow, he has so far refrained from applying significant new pressure or sanctions to push Russia toward a ceasefire.

The number of casualties in Kyiv has risen to 28 killed and 134 injured

At least 28 people have been confirmed dead and 134 injured following a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv during the night of June 17. The nearly nine-hour assault targeted Ukraine’s capital with an unprecedented volume of aerial weapons, including kamikaze drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.

Initial reports by Ukraine’s National Police cited 15 deaths and 124 injuries, but Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko later adjusted the fatality count to 10, noting that operational data often shifts during rescue operations. The State Emergency Service then raised the confirmed death toll to 16 as of 11 p.m. local time, and by the morning of June 18, that number climbed further as more bodies were found beneath the rubble of a collapsed residential building. Ultimately, the attack left 28 people dead.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 472 aerial weapons during the assault, including around 280 Shahed-type drones and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. Kyiv was the primary target. Air defense forces managed to shoot down 428 of those threats, among them 239 Shahed drones and 15 Kh-101 cruise missiles. One of the Kinzhal missiles was intercepted; the other went off radar.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault "one of the most horrifying attacks on Kyiv," condemning it as an act of “pure terrorism.” He emphasized the scale of the attack—over 440 drones and 32 missiles launched across Ukraine—and called on the United States and Europe to respond decisively.

"This is terrorism, plain and simple," Zelensky said in a statement. "And the entire civilized world, including the U.S. and Europe, must finally respond as civilized societies respond to terrorists."

The attack caused significant destruction across eight districts of Kyiv, with emergency crews continuing rescue operations at multiple sites, including a residential building where victims remain trapped under debris.

Russian drones attack an ambulance and civilians in Kherson

On the night of June 17–18, Russian drones targeted the city of Kherson, striking both emergency services and civilians and injuring three people.

In the Korabelnyi district, an ambulance came under attack around midnight. According to the Kherson Oblast Military Administration, a 34-year-old paramedic and a 42-year-old emergency medical technician were injured in the strike. Both sustained blast injuries, concussions, and closed head trauma. They have since received medical treatment.

Later in the early morning hours, another drone attack hit the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson. A 69-year-old civilian man was wounded around 4:30 a.m. after being struck by shrapnel. He also suffered a blast injury and has sought medical help.

These attacks reflect a continuing pattern of Russian strikes targeting civilian infrastructure and personnel in frontline cities like Kherson.

Ukraine is preparing to evacuate citizens from Israel and Iran due to Middle East conflict escalation

Ukraine is preparing to evacuate its citizens from Israel and Iran amid escalating conflict between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said on June 18.

Following Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and Iran’s retaliatory missile attacks on Israeli cities—which killed five Ukrainians—293 Ukrainians in Israel and 85 in Iran have requested evacuation.

Ukraine is coordinating possible evacuation flights with international partners.

Kyiv condemned Iran as a regional threat and criticized its arms supply to Russia. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran with strikes and proposed Vladimir Putin as a mediator.

Tehran claims over 580 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, most of them civilians.