USA

June 24, 2025 2:11pm

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Ben Borges

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian territory on June 24, defying U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for calm just few hours after he announced a ceasefire between the two countries, according to the Times of Israel.

The attack comes less than an hour after Trump told reporters that “Israel needs to calm down” as he criticized both countries for undermining the ceasefire he says he brokered.

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*ck they’re doing,” Trump said on June 24.

Hours after Trump said the ceasefire came into effect, Israel accused Tehran of launching missiles toward its territory — an allegation Iran denied.

Following Iran’s alleged missile strike, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly spoke on the phone and agreed that Israel would carry out a limited response. The air force strike targeted a single “symbolic” radar installation.

Ahead of Israel’s strike, Trump wrote on Truth Social that all of the Israeli planes “turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave” to Iran."

According to the Times of Israel, Israeli officials said Trump was still sending messages promising that Israel would not attack Iran “after he knew we would attack,” a senior official told the Kan public broadcaster.

Why can’t the West match Russia’s ammunition production?

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect new details of BAE Systems’ new chemical process that the company confirmed to the Kyiv Independent after initial publication. The West is failing to catch up to Russia’s production of the most basic unit of war for the past half-millennium — gunpowder.

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

June 24, 2025 1:41pm

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Ben Borges

U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities demonstrated how precision military action can achieve rapid peace, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on June 24, speaking at the NATO Public Forum held alongside the alliance summit in The Hague.

"(The U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities) shows kind of how you get that peace through that strength, and that strength is amplified and enhanced by this alliance (NATO)," Whitaker said, referring to the June 21 American strikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan nuclear sites, which U.S. President Donald Trump called a “spectacular success."

Whitaker emphasized that the U.S. remains a reliable ally and a cornerstone of NATO’s deterrence. “The U.S. isn’t going anywhere,” he said. “The U.S. has certain capabilities that you want an alliance to have."

He added that recent U.S. military operations underscore the importance of defense investments by all member states. “If all of (NATO) countries elevate investments in their defense, I think we will have peace for generations,” Whitaker said.

The U.S. strikes on Iran came amid escalating tensions between Israel and Tehran. Trump said the strikes were intended to push Iran toward negotiations, warning that the alternative would be “tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed."

Trump claimed that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was achieved on June 24. Just hours later, Israel accused Tehran of launching missiles toward its territory — an allegation Iran  denied.

Whitaker said the White House hopes the U.S. will also bring to an end Russia’s war in Ukraine. He added that there is “no purely military solution” to the war in Ukraine.

Unlike past U.S. administrations, Trump has not introduced new sanctions against Russia despite increasing Russian missile and drone attacks on civilians.

On June 24, the first day of the NATO summit, Russia launched a ballistic missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing at least three people and injuring more than 20, including two children, according to regional officials.

Kyiv has long been advocating for “peace through strength” policy, calling for stronger sanctions against Russia and increased military aid to Ukraine.

‘Let’s not be naive’ — Rutte urges NATO to face Russia, China threats, pledges support for Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said NATO’s role is to ensure Ukraine has the military means to stay in the fight until “serious” peace negotiations begin.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

June 24, 2025 12:15pm

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Ben Borges

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he plans to meet U.S. President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24, as his team works to finalize the timing of the potential meeting.

“The teams are working on this. Yes, there are plans to meet,” Zelensky said in an interview with Sky News, published on June 24.

Asked whether the meeting would be a formal discussion or an informal encounter, Zelensky said it was a matter of scheduling: “They are talking about timing. It’s timing."

Zelensky’s participation in the summit was confirmed by the European Council on June 20, following reports that he was reconsidering the visit due to uncertainties surrounding Trump’s participation.

Upon arrival in The Hague on June 24, Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said he held a “substantive” discussion with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the upcoming Zelensky-Trump meeting. Yermak said the two discussed the structure, agenda, and key topics for the meeting.

Zelensky is also scheduled to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during the summit.

In the interview, Zelensky also addressed concerns about Trump’s perceived closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“It is a complicated question because I truly do not know what relationship Trump has with Putin,” Zelensky said. “I think what I know, you know, and the media knows. There are various signals about that."

He added that he believes Trump understands Ukraine is a U.S. ally and that “the real existential enemy of America is Russia."

“They will never be friends. They may be short-term partners, but they will never be friends,” Zelensky said.

Zelensky expressed hope that Trump’s approach to Russia is tactical, intended to pressure Putin into peace negotiations. “I would like this approach to be only a way to force Putin to the negotiating table and to end the war. And let us hope so,” he said.

Zelensky was scheduled to meet Trump at the Group of Seven (G7) summit, held June 15-17. However, the U.S. president left the multilateral event early due to the renewed conflict between Israel and Iran.

Zelensky also left the summit early, citing Russia’s mass drone and missile attack on Kyiv.

‘Let’s not be naive’ — Rutte urges NATO to face Russia, China threats, pledges support for Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said NATO’s role is to ensure Ukraine has the military means to stay in the fight until “serious” peace negotiations begin.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

June 24, 2025 12:04pm

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Ben Borges

A majority of Europeans would oppose following the U.S.' lead if President Donald Trump pushed Ukraine to cede territories or lifted sanctions on Russia as part of a peace agreement, a new poll published on June 23 has found.

Despite the self-imposed deadline of 100 days to end the war in Ukraine, Trump is now 155 days into his presidency and Russian attacks have only escalated.

Trump has still yet to take any concrete steps to pressure Moscow into ending its war but has floated several concessions that Ukraine could be forced to make including ceding territory, while at the same time announcing no new military aid packages for Kyiv.

The survey, conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations, found that even in countries with pro-Russian governments like Hungary, more people opposed the idea than supported it.

Respondents in 12 countries (Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K.) were asked about three scenarios — the U.S. pushing Ukraine to cede territory, lifting sanctions on Russia, and withdrawing all military support.

Majorities in all countries opposed their own governments following the U.S. lead except for Hungary in the case of withdrawing all military support.

Opposition was highest in Denmark, the U.K., Poland, Spain and Portugal, and lowest in Hungary, Romania and Italy.

“A benevolent interpretation is that Europeans support an autonomous European policy to support Ukraine and they don’t want to blindly follow Trump’s lead,” the report’s authors said.

“But another reading of that data is that Europeans want Ukrainians to continue fighting on their behalf."

The wide-ranging survey also asked about attitudes to increasing defense spending and compulsory military service.

Majorities supported increased defense spending in Poland (70%), Denmark (70%), and the U.K. (57%), with large minorities in Germany (47%), Spain (46%), and France (45%).

When asked about compulsory military service, France (62%), Germany (53%), and Poland (51%) were the strongest supporters but crucially, not in the age bracket most likely to be called up — 18 to 29-year-olds.

Europeans are also becoming increasingly despondent about the U.S. under the leadership of Trump, with large majorities in the U.K. (74%) and Germany (67%) believing the U.S. political system is “broken."

The ECFR poll surveyed 16,440 adults last month.

‘Let’s not be naive’ — Rutte urges NATO to face Russia, China threats, pledges support for Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said NATO’s role is to ensure Ukraine has the military means to stay in the fight until “serious” peace negotiations begin.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

June 24, 2025 10:05am

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Ben Borges

Iran launched missiles toward Israel on June 24, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the two countries had come into effect, the Israeli military said. Iran denied the accusation.

“A short while ago, sirens sounded in northern Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

“At this time, the IAF (Israeli Air Force) is operating to intercept and strike where necessary to eliminate the threat,” the statement read.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the army to respond forcefully to Iran’s ceasefire violation, Reuters reported. Katz said that Israel will continue to strike Iran after the “utter violation” of the ceasefire.

Shortly after Israel’s statement, Iranian state media reported that Tehran denied firing missiles at Israel after the seasefire began.

The reports come after days of escalating hostilities in the Middle East. Early on June 24, Trump declared in a Truth Social post that a ceasefire had begun, writing, “The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on June 24 Israel had agreed to Trump’s ceasefire proposal, claiming that Israel had “achieved its goal of removing the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile threat,” according to Reuters.

Previously, the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan on June 21. In response, Iran fired missiles at U.S. military bases in the region, including at least 10 targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and one aimed at a base in Iraq.

The Pentagon confirmed that Iran launched several short- and medium-range missiles at Al Udeid but reported no U.S. casualties. Trump dismissed the attacks as “limited and largely ineffective."

Iran is a key arms supplier to Russia, providing Shahed drones used in attacks on Ukrainian cities and pledging to send ballistic missiles. Israel, while home to a significant Russian-speaking population, has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow.

Ceasefire between Iran and Israel now in effect, Trump says

“The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!” U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social on June 24.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

June 24, 2025 8:09am

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Ben Borges

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on June 24 that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had come into effect, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and retaliatory attack on U.S. military base in Qatar.

“The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on June 24.

The announcement follows days of intensifying conflict after the U.S. conducted airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 21, targeting sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.

In response, Iran launched multiple missiles at U.S. military bases in the region, including at least 10 toward the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and at least one toward a base in Iraq, Axios reported, citing an Israeli source.

The Pentagon confirmed that Iran fired several short- and medium-range missiles at Al Udeid, but said no American personnel were harmed. Trump downplayed the attack, calling it “limited and largely ineffective."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on June 24 that Israel has agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Iran, thanking Trump for his support in defending Israel and “removing the Iranian nuclear threat,” according to Reuters.

“Israel has achieved its goal of removing the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile threat,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “Israel thanks President Trump for his support and participation in removing the Iranian nuclear threat."

Iran is a key arms supplier to Russia, providing Shahed drones used in attacks on Ukrainian cities and pledging to send ballistic missiles. Israel, while home to a significant Russian-speaking population, has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow.

Tensions between Iran and Israel had already been rising after Iran launched missile strikes on Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities on June 13, killing multiple civilians, including five Ukrainian nationals. The attack came in retaliation for Israeli military action.

Trump, who has long styled himself as a dealmaker and peacemaker, has come under criticism for his failure to deliver on promises to reach a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. During his electoral campaign, he pledged to end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. More than 100 days after Ukraine accepted a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire, no progress has been made.

“It has been exactly 100 days since Ukraine unconditionally accepted the U.S. peace proposal to completely cease fire, put an end to the killing, and move forward with a genuine peace process,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on June 19. “Russia continues to choose war."

Ukraine backed the proposal during talks in Jeddah on March 11, agreeing to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. Russia has rejected the offer, continuing its assault on Ukrainian cities and pushing for maximalist demands.

“It is time to act now and force Russia to peace,” Sybiha said. “Peace through strength, increased sanctions, and enhanced capabilities for Ukraine."

After 40 months of waging full-scale war on Ukraine, Putin condemns ‘unprovoked aggression against Iran’

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, and the true extent of the death toll is simply not known.

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

June 23, 2025 8:50pm

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Ben Borges

Did Vice President Kamala Harris say "If we elect Trump, we will be at war within 6 months" as multiple viral memes claim she did? No, that's not true: There is no publicly available proof she said it. None of the multiple versions of the meme provides the time or place when she is supposed to have said it. Had she said it while campaigning against Donald Trump for president in 2024, the statement would have been widely reported.

Multiple versions of the meme went viral, including a June 22, 2025 post on X.com (archived here) on the @PeachesMel account that was captioned:

"If we elect Trump, we will be at war within 6 months." - Kamala Harris

Users on social media saw this title, description and thumbnail:

(Source: X.com screenshot by Lead Stories.)

Lead Stories searched Google News' index of thousands of news sites using the search terms Harris AND "If we elect Trump, we will be at war within 6 months" (archived here).No such quote was reported in the evidence-based news media.

One of the several memes (shown in a graphic below) includes the date "9/10/2024" which was the day of the first Harris/Trump debate, suggesting she said it that day. The ABC News transcript of that debate shows Harris said no such thing, although Trump multiple times warned that Biden policies were increasing the danger of what Trump said would be World War III.

Readers will find other Lead Stories fact checks about Harris here.

June 23, 2025 5:53pm

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Ben Borges

Does a viral video document U.S. Army soldiers deploying to Iran on June 22, 2025? No, that's not true: the video has been online since June 17, 2025. No Army deployments have been documented by evidence-based news sites and neither the White House nor Congress have announced U.S. troops will be sent to Iran. In military usage, "soldier" refers specifically to members of the Army.

The video was posted on several pages. It remained active in a June 22, 2025 X.com post (archived here) on the @HustleBitch_ page, with the caption "🚨 U.S. SOLDIER POSTS VIDEO - "DEPLOYMENT TO IRAN"". It continued:

A U.S. Army soldier just filmed inside a military aircraft filled with troops, and tagged it #deployment and #war. He says they're heading to Iran.

This is what the post on X looked like at the time this fact check was written:

(Source: X.com screenshot by Lead Stories.)

Using Google reverse image search, set for exact matches only, Lead Stories used a still image of part of the video to find the video had been posted to TikTok on June 17 by an account named music/original-sound that appears to be a sub-account of Team Trump, the 2024 X account of the Trump for President campaign. By June 24, the video was no longer displayed in that account's video catalogue, but here's the Google reverse image search index, showing the account and date:

(Source: Google.com screenshot by Lead Stories.)

The White House posted a summary of Trump Administration public statements (archived here) about the July 22 bombing raid on Iran's nuclear program with no mention of troops being deployed and heavy emphasis on statements that the U.S. is not going to war with Iran, just with its nuclear program, as in this example of quotes from Vice President J.D. Vance's television talk show appearances:

(Source: Whitehouse.gov screenshot with red highlights added by Lead Stories.)

Using the search phrase U.S. AND deploy AND Iran, in Google News for the seven days leading up to June 24, Lead Stories found in its index of thousands of news sites no reports of ground troops being deployed to the region, nor any reports of members of Congress supporting or opposing deployment of ground troops to Iran.

June 23, 2025 5:39pm

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Ben Borges

U.S. President Donald Trump on June 23 called for urgent measures to prevent rising oil prices amid escalating tensions with Iran.

“Everyone, keep oil prices down. I’m watching,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “To the Department of Energy: Drill, baby, drill! And I mean now."

The post comes after global oil prices surged on June 13 following a series of Israeli air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The escalation sparked fears of broader conflict in the energy-rich Middle East, home to critical oil shipping routes.

The surge in oil prices risks undermining Western attempts to curb Russia’s war funding, as the Kremlin relies heavily on oil revenues to sustain its invasion of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that a price surge could further embolden the Kremlin.

On June 21, the U.S. joined Israel in conducting airstrikes that targeted three nuclear facilities in Iran — Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. The operation triggered a strong response from Tehran, which threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance responded on June 22 that any Iranian attempt to shut the strategic waterway would “destroy their own economy.” The strait is a vital chokepoint for global energy supplies, with nearly a fifth of the world’s oil passing through it daily.

Amid the turmoil, the EU has reportedly postponed plans to tighten the $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian crude, originally imposed in December 2022. The mechanism restricts Western firms from shipping or insuring Russian oil sold above that threshold.

The Russian Finance Ministry has relied heavily on energy revenues to sustain defense spending, which hit record highs this year.

Ukraine has evidence Russia prepares military operations in Europe, Zelensky says

“We are observing a continued intellectual decline within the Russian leadership and have evidence that they are preparing new military operations on European territory,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

June 22, 2025 6:42pm

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Ben Borges

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on June 22 that Iran’s nuclear program must be dismantled to prevent it from threatening the Middle East or the wider world, following U.S. air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

“The Iranian regime’s aggressive actions and long-standing destructive policy aimed at undermining global peace and security – particularly its hostility toward Israel and others – have led to the current situation,” the ministry said in an official statement.

These comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on June 21 that the U.S. air strikes targeted three nuclear sites in Iran, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, joining Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The ministry added that Iran continues to destabilize the region through its support of proxy groups and is complicit in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“Iran is complicit in the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The Iranian regime is providing military assistance to Russia, including the supply of UAVs and technologies that Russia consistently uses to kill people and destroy critical infrastructure,” the statement read.

The ministry noted that although the U.S. and other nations have made peaceful diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, these efforts have ultimately failed to produce meaningful results.

“As early as this spring, the United States warned Iran of the consequences in the absence of constructive steps.”

Ukraine also asserted its unique moral position on nuclear issues, having given up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal in the 1990s, and argued that the elimination of Iran’s nuclear ambitions would enhance global safety.

Meanwhile, Moscow has diplomatically backed Iran after Israel launched the initial air strikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets on June 13, an operation that sparked further waves of aerial attacks from both sides.

In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged a response from the U.N. Security Council, saying that “the confrontational actions of the U.S. and Israel must be collectively rejected."

Iran’s top diplomat to meet Putin in Moscow after US air strikes on nuclear sites

“We enjoy a strategic partnership and we always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said with reference to Russia.

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

June 22, 2025 5:58pm

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Ben Borges

“I'm not happy that my country is under attack,” said Maziar Mian, an architect from Iran who has built his life in Kyiv. “But I'm happy that the Islamic Republic is weakened. I'm happy that this regime could be nearing its end.”

Maziar learned the news just like the rest of us: after Donald Trump announced live to the world that the United States had launched strikes on the Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Israel began targeting military and nuclear sites in Iran a week ago. Overnight, the U.S. decided to join the war, launching ‘bunker buster’ strikes on the three Iranian nuclear sites.

In America’s 21st-century Middle Eastern interventions, one pattern repeats: consequences spiral beyond control, often in ways we all fail to foresee. Tensions are now at their highest since the Cold War. Instead of ending the war in Ukraine, as he promised, Trump appears to have joined a new one.

The escalation between the U.S., Ukraine’s strongest ally, and Iran, a close Russian ally, could divert attention from the European war.

It’s a double-edged sword: Iranian supplies of missiles and kamikaze drones to Russia may slow as the theocracy seeks to tighten its grip on power. But on the other hand, the United States may now have an excuse to divert military assistance away from Ukraine, focusing instead on protecting its interests in the Middle East amid likely Iranian reprisals.

And then there is the question of what happens to the Iranian regime itself. Maziar, an Iranian pushing for a democratic future in Iran, wants to see the theocracy topple.

But strikes on foreign countries often prompt a rally-around-the-flag effect, in which governments tighten their grip on power by uniting domestic audiences against a foreign adversary. Or, the toppling of the regime could lead to an even more sinister and oppressive government – rather than one in which Iranians can freely choose their own destiny.

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June 22, 2025 5:24pm

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Ben Borges

Iran's parliament has decided that the Strait of Hormuz must be closed in response to U.S. strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities, according to Major General Ismail Kowsari. A member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Kowsari revealed the decision on Iranian state television Press TV, stating, " The Parliament has reached the conclusion that the Strait of Hormuz should be closed, but the final decision in this regard lies with the Supreme National Security Council.."

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical maritime pathway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, vital for approximately 20% of global oil and gas transportation. Reuters reports that shutting down this strategically crucial route could lead to a sharp increase in energy prices and severely disrupt global supplies. Already, benchmark Brent crude prices have jumped by 10%, reaching over $77 per barrel following the initiation of Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iran has persistently threatened to close the strait amid escalating tensions. The country possesses the technical ability to obstruct this waterway—from laying mines to seizing vessels with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' forces. Historically, Iranian forces have commandeered tankers in the Persian Gulf, such as Chevron’s oil tanker Advantage Sweet in April 2023, which was only released a year later.

The parliament’s decision comes as a reaction to U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan this past Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the strikes aimed to limit Tehran’s nuclear capabilities, urging Iran to agree to "end this war" or face more severe repercussions. Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth declared the "destruction of Iranian nuclear ambitions." The Iranian-Israeli conflict escalated further after Israel launched significant airstrikes on Iranian territory on June 13.

Any attempt to close the strait would provoke an immediate and stern response from the U.S. Navy, likely minimizing the duration of supply disruptions. They point out that history typically shows even severe global oil supply disruptions are short-lived, as demonstrated by the 1991 Iraq invasion of Kuwait and the 2022 Russian aggression against Ukraine, both causing only temporary price spikes that eventually stabilized.

June 22, 2025 5:05pm

Russia USA

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Ben Borges

In a stern rebuke, Russia's Foreign Ministry unequivocally denounced the United States' attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities. The ministry's statement, issued on Sunday, June 22, criticized the strikes as "a violation of international law," referring to the operations as reckless and in contravention of globally accepted norms.

According to the released statement, the decision to launch missile and bomb strikes on the territory of a sovereign nation, regardless of the pretext, blatantly breaches international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions, which have previously categorized such actions as unacceptable. The Russian Foreign Ministry highlighted the particular concern that the strikes were carried out by a country that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The ministry also warned of a "dangerous escalation cycle," emphasizing that the risk of conflict expansion in the Middle East, a region already engulfed in multiple crises, has significantly increased.

Moscow asserted that the assaults on Iran's nuclear sites have "inflicted enormous damage" to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "We expect a prompt, professional, and honest response from the leadership of the Agency, with no evasive language or attempts to disguise political equidistance," the ministry said, calling for a report from the IAEA Director General and a reaction from the UN Security Council.

"It is necessary to collectively reject confrontational actions by the U.S. and Israel. We urge an end to aggression and the amplification of efforts to steer the situation back onto a political and diplomatic course," the ministry concluded.

On the night of June 22, the U.S. military launched strikes on Iran's nuclear program facilities, effectively supporting Israel, which had commenced bombing these sites earlier. U.S. President Donald Trump announced that key Iranian nuclear facilities – Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan – were "completely and entirely destroyed."

In response, Iran stated that all three struck nuclear facilities had been evacuated some time before the U.S. attacks. "Stocks of enriched uranium were removed from the nuclear centers, and no materials remained that could cause radiation or harm to our compatriots," said Hassan Abedini, deputy head of Iran's state broadcasting company.

Meanwhile, the IAEA reported that it had found no evidence of increased radiation levels following the U.S. strikes. "After the attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordo, the IAEA can confirm that there has been no recorded increase in radiation levels outside the site," said the organization's statement.

June 22, 2025 2:52pm

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Ben Borges

Siarhei Tsikhanouski, a Belarusian oppositionist recently released from prison, thanked the U.S. on June 22 for brokering his release and appealed to President Donald Trump to help free other political prisoners in Belarus.

“President Trump now has the power and opportunity to free all political prisoners in Belarus with a single word. And I ask him to do so, to say that word,” Tsikhanouski said in Vilnius during his first press conference after the release.

Tsikhanouski, a popular blogger who planned to challenge Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election, was arrested shortly before the vote and later sentenced to 18 years in prison on politically motivated charges.

The opposition leader and at least 13 other detainees were released from Belarusian prisons on June 21 after Lukashenko met U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in Minsk.

Speaking at the press conference alongside his wife and opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Tsikhanouski affirmed that both of them “will continue to support Ukraine and call all of the perpetrators accountable."

Tsikhanouski confirmed that he used to do business both in Ukraine and in Russia but refuted allegations of pro-Russian sympathies, affirming his support for Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“I believe Crimea is Ukrainian. Zelensky has the hardest fate and a heavy load that no other president has. Zelensky is my hero,” Tsikhanouski said.

He also said that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya remains the leader of the Belarusian opposition, and he will not challenge that.

Tsikhanouskaya stepped in as the opposition candidate in 2020 after her husband’s arrest, but was forced into exile after Lukashenko declared victory in what was broadly seen as massive election fraud.

“Do you think that anybody who serves in prison automatically becomes a leader? We have 1,200 such leaders,” Tsikhanouski added, referring to the number of political prisoners who remain in prison under Lukashenko’s regime.

“Belarus can’t be free until the Putin regime collapses. If it wasn’t for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, we would not be sitting here; it would have been over (after the Belarus' popular protests against Lukashenko) in 2020-2021,” Tsikhanouski said.

Lukashenko, in power since 1994, is a close ally of Putin and has allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory for military operations against Ukraine.

The Belarusian dictator has maintained a tight grip over his country by electoral fraud, surveillance, and brutal crackdown on free press, civil society, and political opposition, prompting Western countries to impose sanctions on Belarus.

Russia ‘afraid to admit’ scale of losses, trying to hide by dumping soldiers’ bodies on Ukraine, Zelensky says

Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that at least 20 of the bodies Russia returned as Ukrainian were actually Russian soldiers, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

June 22, 2025 2:03pm

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Ben Borges

Ukraine’s diplomatic corps and military intelligence (HUR) evacuated 176 Ukrainian and foreign citizens from Israel to Egypt ahead of U.S. attacks on Iran, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 22.

“Evacuation efforts are also ongoing from Iran to Azerbaijan,” Zelensky said on X after the U.S. launched air strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities, joining Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.

The foreign nationals evacuated by Ukraine included citizens of the U.S., Moldova, Latvia, Azerbaijan, and Estonia.

“We are responding to every request and will continue evacuation efforts,” Zelensky added.

The latest chapter of hostilities between Iran and Israel began with Israeli air strikes against the Iranian nuclear program and military leaders on June 13. Israel has accused Iran of developing a nuclear weapon, a claim that Tehran denied.

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly hopes that the U.S. attacks will push the Iranian leadership to the negotiating table, as the conflict was preceded by Trump’s efforts to find a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s nuclear aspirations.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry announced already on June 18 that evacuations of Ukrainian citizens from Iran and Israel are being prepared.

According to the Iranian Health Ministry, over 400 Iranians have been killed and over 3,000 wounded in Israeli attacks. In turn, at least 29 Israeli citizens have been killed and 900 injured in Iranian attacks.

Russia pulls its scientists out of Iranian nuclear plant, as Israeli strikes threaten decades of collaboration

Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have alarmed none more than Russia, the country that first brought nuclear power to Iran in defiance of Western objections. We’re “millimeters from catastrophe,” said Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on June 18 in response to a bombing campaign that Israel launched against

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

June 22, 2025 1:16pm

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ben Borges

Moscow condemned on June 22 the recent U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, calling them a violation of international law and Iran’s sovereignty, a statement in stark contrast to Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on June 21 that the U.S. air strikes targeted three nuclear sites in Iran, namely Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, joining Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program amid an escalating conflict.

“The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb strikes, no matter what arguments are used, is grossly violating international law, the U.N. Charter, and the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also warned of possible radiological consequences, despite Moscow’s own record of repeatedly placing nuclear facilities at risk during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and threatening to use nuclear weapons.

Russia and Iran are close strategic partners, with Tehran providing Moscow with ballistic missiles and thousands of Shahed attack drones for its war against Ukraine.

Moscow has diplomatically backed Iran after Israel launched the initial air strikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets on June 13, an operation that led to further waves of aerial attacks from both sides.

In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged a response from the U.N. Security Council, saying that “the confrontational actions of the U.S. and Israel must be collectively rejected."

“Of particular concern is the damage caused by the attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities to the global non-proliferation regime based on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)."

Israel has increasingly warned that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, an assertion backed by Trump despite U.S. intelligence previously disputing the claim. Tehran has rejected having a nuclear weapons program.

Though Trump announced a complete “obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities in the recent attacks, the scale of damage is not immediately clear. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had detected no increase in radiation at the targeted sites, while the Iranian state media and officials sought to downplay the damage.

Iran has called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council in the wake of the attacks. Both the U.S. and Russia hold a permanent seat and a veto power in the council.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for the operation, saying, “First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight, (President Donald) Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.

In turn, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that the U.S. “has committed a grave violation of the U.N. Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran’s peaceful nuclear installations."

Washington’s European partners have issued cautious responses to the U.S. attacks, calling for a diplomatic resolution.

“Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security,” top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said on X.

“I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table, and prevent further escalation."

Russia pulls its scientists out of Iranian nuclear plant, as Israeli strikes threaten decades of collaboration

Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have alarmed none more than Russia, the country that first brought nuclear power to Iran in defiance of Western objections. We’re “millimeters from catastrophe,” said Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on June 18 in response to a bombing campaign that Israel launched against

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

June 22, 2025 2:21am

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ben Borges

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

The United States conducted air strikes on nuclear sites in Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 21, calling the attacks a “spectacular success."

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air airspace,” Trump said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the U.S. attacks and warned they will have “everlasting consequences,” with Tehran requesting an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting.

Israel and Iran have exchanged strikes in recent days as Israel voices concern over Tehran’s continued development of nuclear weapons.

The White House has backed Israel, remaining cautious in escalating its role in the conflict. The strikes mark U.S. military involvement in the conflict.

“A full payload of bombs was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors,” Trump said.

The U.S. president shared a separate post with a screenshot that said, “Fordow is gone."

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had detected no increase in radiation at the targeted sites, while the Iranian state media and officials sought to downplay the damage.

“Iran must now agree to end this war,” Trump then said in another post on social media.

Trump later held a live address where he reiterated calls for Iran to join negotiations as the U.S. and Israel demand that Iran abandon its nuclear program.

“This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left,” Trump said.

Trump has called for Tehran to negotiate an end to the conflict as Israel and Iran exchange strikes.

The U.S. president hopes that the strikes will push Iran to the negotiating table, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, adding that the U.S. is not planning additional military actions in Iran.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has condemned Trump’s decision to conduct air strikes without congressional approval.

“President Trump must provide the American people and Congress clear answers on the actions taken tonight and their implications for the safety of Americans,” Schumer said.

Israel asked the U.S. to join military operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program, including a strike on the fortified Fordow uranium enrichment site, Axios reported on June 14, citing two Israeli officials.

Trump suggested in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would consider joining the operation if needed, an Israeli official told Axios.

A White House official denied that claim on June 13. Another U.S. official confirmed that Israel had urged the U.S. to take part, but said Washington is not currently considering involvement.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told Fox News on June 13 that “the entire operation… really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow."

Russia and Iran have cooperated to develop their own nuclear programs and weapons as both countries face Western sanctions.

Russia supplied Iran with the Middle East’s first nuclear power plant despite objections from the West.

Iran has assisted Russia in its war against Ukraine, providing drones and missiles. Tehran has helped Moscow develop weapons of its own. Russia’s Geran drone is modelled after the Iranian Shahed drone.

Russia pulls its scientists out of Iranian nuclear plant, as Israeli strikes threaten decades of collaboration

Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have alarmed none more than Russia, the country that first brought nuclear power to Iran in defiance of Western objections. We’re “millimeters from catastrophe,” said Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on June 18 in response to a bombing campaign that Israel launched against

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

June 21, 2025 10:08pm

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Ben Borges

The narrowed focus of the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague — which will have only a single session devoted to defense spending — is designed to appease U.S. President Donald Trump, Politico reported on June 21, citing European defense officials.

NATO leaders will convene in The Hague June 24-25 to discuss raising the alliance’s defense spending target to 5% of the GDP — a proposal the U.S. has championed but from whcih it considers itself exempt.

"(Trump) has to get credit for the 5% — that’s why we’re having the summit," one unnamed European defense official told Politico.

“Everything else is being streamlined to minimize risk."

The organizers of the summit have shortened the meeting from the typical two-day schedule to 24 hours in the hopes of keeping the focus on Trump and deliver a victory to the U.S. president. Trump plans to give an speech at the end of the summit celebrating the new spending benchmark and his own contributions to the pledge.

There will be no meeting of NATO’s Ukraine council at the summit.

The European Council confirmed on June 20 that President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the summit in The Hague, despite media reports that Zelensky was considering skipping the event altogether. The reports followed Zelensky’s disappointing venture at the G7 summit in Canada.

While Zelensky hoped to reset relations with the U.S. in a third face-to-face meeting with Trump, he never got the chance. Trump abruptly left the G7 summit, claiming he had to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

The Ukraine council’s absence from the upcoming summit represents another concession to Trump, whose attention has shifted to the Middle East and who continues to refuse to impose sanctions on Russia.

Trump has also been unable to fulfill his promises to end the war in Ukraine. Six months of U.S. peacekeeping efforts under the Trump administration have brought a ceasefire no closer, as Russia escalates attacks and the civilian death toll climbs.

Convening NATO’s Ukraine council could draw attention to Trump’s ongoing failure, Politico reported.

“The priority is really to announce success in The Hague,” a European official said. “The longer-term perspective is less important."

Trump’s “America First” doctrine has repeatedly cast doubt on Washington’s commitment to transatlantic alliances, especially NATO. In recent years, Trump has alarmed member states by questioning whether the U.S. should defend alliance members that do not meet military spending benchmarks.

Trump has also signaled that the U.S. will no longer be Ukraine’s main ally in its defense against Russia and has called on European countries to shoulder the burden of supporting Ukraine.

While NATO summits in recent years have focused heavily on Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, this year’s joint communique may exclude references to the war altogether. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on June 9 admitted that the language may not be included in the statement, but insisted the alliance remained committed to Ukraine’s future membership.

“The irreversible path of Ukraine into NATO is there, and it is my assumption that it is still there after the summit,” Rutte said. “Whether it is again in the communique or not, I think that’s not relevant, because all the language we previously agreed on is there — until we decide it is no longer there."

Pro-Russian ‘peace protestors’ set to descend on NATO summit

Dutch protesters who regularly call for an end to military aid to Ukraine will descend on The Hague next week to protest the upcoming NATO summit, which is set to take place on June 24-25. The group will protest against NATO alongside several other organizations and has urged supporters on

The Kyiv IndependentLinda Hourani

June 21, 2025 7:06pm

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Ben Borges

Kyiv is preparing to overhaul its Foreign Ministry and diplomatic corps in order to strengthen international support for Ukraine as the all-out war with Russia enters its fourth year, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on June 21.

The announcement is part of “a number of new decisions” Ukraine has made in response to Russia’s stated aim to conquer all of Ukraine, Zelensky said in his evening address.

"(W)e will make changes to certain staff positions, including within the Ukrainian diplomatic corps and institutional management, to increase Ukraine’s potential both in relations with partners and in internal Ukrainian resilience," Zelensky said.

The president said that all of Ukraine’s ambassadors will hold a meeting and that results of the diplomatic transformation should be apparent in a month.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, confirmed that the president had already made decisions regarding some diplomatic personnel and that the ambassadors' meeting was scheduled for July.

“The geopolitical situation requires the diplomatic service to find new arguments and approaches adapted to realities,” Sybiha said in a television broadcast on June 21.

“Therefore, the president has already made certain personnel decisions regarding the heads of some foreign institutions, because the criterion is very simple: results."

According to Sybiha, expected results include military aid packages, humanitarian and financial assistance, and support for Ukrainians living abroad.

Sybiha described the coming month as a “month of full diplomatic mobilization to bring about a just and sustainable peace for Ukraine.”

The announcement comes after the disappointing outcome of the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders' Summit in Canada and before the June 24-25 NATO summit in The Hague, where Zelensky will once again advocate for international support for Ukraine.

At the G7 summit, Zelensky hoped to reset relations with Washington during a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and potentially win an agreement to purchase weapons from the United States.

Trump’s abrupt departure from the summit quashed those hopes, and Zelensky himself left the conference early. The G7 summit produced no unified statement on Ukraine and Trump reportedly objected to other leaders' call for stronger sanctions against Russia.

Zelensky told G7 leaders that “diplomacy is now in a state of crisis."

‘My husband is free’ — Belarus opposition leader Siarhei Tsikhanouski freed after US envoy visits Minsk

Sergei Tikhanovsky was sentenced to 18 years in prison on politically motivated charges in 2021.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

June 20, 2025 3:02pm

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Reading Time: 7 minutes

Ben Borges

Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have alarmed none more than Russia, the country that first brought nuclear power to Iran in defiance of Western objections.

We’re “millimeters from catastrophe,” said Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on June 18 in response to a bombing campaign that Israel launched against Iran on June 13.

Decades of conflict with the West have united Iran and Russia, despite a cultural gulf between the two nations that dwarfs the Caspian Sea that physically divides them.

Russia has spent the past decade backing Iran-aligned regimes and militia groups throughout the Middle East. Most famous is Bashar al-Assad, a longtime dictator in Syria, on whose behalf Russia began actively fighting against rebels back in 2015. Assad fell in December.

“We’re dealing with the domino effects of those changes,” Anna Borshchevskaya, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute focusing on Russia’s policy toward the Middle East, told the Kyiv Independent.

“In my view, the Russians were not just mere opportunists. They weren’t just hedging their bets. They weren’t just watching on the sidelines. They were actively fueling chaos across the Middle East."

In addition to a broad sense of being at war with the West, nuclear energy is a rare concrete tie joining Russia and Iran, alongside the arms trade and a shared interest in dodging sanctions on fossil fuels. Strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities are, for Russia, personal.

"Of course, they've had such extensive nuclear cooperation because it was Russia that built the Bushehr nuclear reactor in the first place," said Borshchevskaya.

Opened in 2007 and providing power by 2010, Bushehr is to date the only functioning nuclear power plant in Iran. Originally a project by German company Siemens, construction was on hold for decades following the toppling of the Shah in 1979. Built and maintained by Russia, it was the first nuclear reactor in the Middle East.

On June 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had agreed with Israel as to the safety of the "over 200" specialists working at Bushehr on behalf of the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom.

The same day, Rosatom Head Aleksei Likhachov said at a conference in St. Petersburg that the agency had evacuated “tens” of their employees from Bushehr and were weighing a full evacuation, Russian news outlet Interfax reported.

Bushehr has yet to fall under Israeli strikes, at least in part because that would be a nuclear disaster.

The West stonewalled the Bushehr plant that Russia ultimately built out of concern that at least expertise, if not materials, would be redirected to Iranian nuclear weaponry. But Russia wanted a sale. Experts note that the uranium that Iran uses at its enrichment sites is separate from Bushehr, where Russia holds a monopoly.

But why Iran would pay Russia to build Bushehr and supply all of its uranium, as it does to this day, is an odd arrangement given that the oil and gas-rich Iran has little real need for nuclear energy.

"It is dubious to say that the reason why (Iran) did so is because they were absolutely desperate for having a nuclear power program. It is my belief that they did it to have a weapons program," Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s energy program and former U.S. President Joe Biden’s special envoy to Iran said to the Kyiv Independent.

John Erath, senior policy director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, echoed the sentiment.

“There was some question as to why they would build a nuclear power plant at great expense when they had no room for energy. I think the motives were pretty clear: Iran wanted experience with the technologies. They wanted to develop greater technical expertise and manage nuclear materials,” Erath told the Kyiv Independent. He maintained, however, that “Bushehr doesn’t have a role in the weapons program.”

Bushehr is the primary site of Russia’s nuclear engagement with Iran. But as a result of its ties as well as its position on the UN Security Council, Russia became a primary broker of the Barack Obama administration’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, colloquially the Iran nuclear deal.

The nuclear enrichment site that Israel is asking for U.S. aid in blowing up is Fordow, built under the mountains outside the city of Qom.

Nephew reminds that per the JCPOA, Russia was supposed to convert the Fordow plant from an enrichment facility to a “stable isotope separation plant.”

Experts interviewed by the Kyiv Independent all maintained that Russia was to all appearances a fair broker of the JCPOA in Iran. But it illustrates the resilience of Russia’s nuclear soft power and hard economics.

Kazakhstan is by far the largest source of uranium in the world. Russia, in turn, remains the largest seller of enriched uranium in the world, even as the European Union struggles to break free of energy dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

The equipment and even the fuel that goes into nuclear power plants are far less replaceable than oil and gas, providing an economic umbilical cord to Russia.

“Neither of them needs each other for the thing they primarily export, so it's all secondary stuff, and that secondary stuff is nuclear and arms,“ said Nephew.

One infamous example is Iran’s Shahed drones, which Russia began importing and firing at Ukraine near the end of 2022. Russia has since made more and more of its own copy, the Geran.

For Russia, nuclear generation and the prestige of being one of the few nations that can build nuclear reactors have been a rare source of geopolitical soft power, including the JCPOA.

Even U.S. President Donald Trump recently floated the idea of Russian President Vladimir Putin functioning as a mediator between Iran and Israel, which he subsequently backtracked.

Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear agency, announced the construction of another nuclear plant in Iran in 2019. And on June 9 of this year, news broke that Iran’s nuclear agency had inked a contract with Rosatom for eight more reactors, including four at Bashehr. On June 13, Israel’s strikes began.

Even without Israel attacking, experts were doubtful that Russia would build these new plants. Their announcement was, rather, a "symbolic" gesture of support.

"They want to show cooperation with Russia," said Erath. "The nuclear power sector is something that's important to the Russian government. It's one of the areas that they export that has high value, that the Russians still are exporting, profiting from, when the rest of their economy is in big trouble."

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There’s loads of video of Israeli air defenses, and none of Ukraine’s — this is why

As Israel and Iran continue to trade salvos, dramatic footage of air defenses battling ballistic missiles have flooded the internet. Several prominent online commentators have compared the videos coming out of Israel with those from Ukraine, questioning why Russian attacks like those on Kyiv are portrayed in relatively sparse detail,

The Kyiv IndependentYuliia Taradiuk