Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on June 5 that Russia could provide advanced long-range weapons to Western adversaries in an "asymmetric" response to Ukrainian missile strikes deep into Russian territory.

Putin, speaking in rare press conference with foreign news organizations at Russia's annual economic forum in St Petersburg, said Russia was thinking of delivering such weapons to regions of the world from which they could strike the countries that are supplying weapons to Ukraine.

"If someone thinks it is possible to supply such weapons to a warzone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why don't we have the right to supply weapons of the same class to regions of the world where there will be strikes on sensitive facilities of those [Western] countries?" Putin asked.

"That is, the response can be asymmetric. We will think about it," he told reporters.

His remarks came after U.S. President Joe Biden last week gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending the eastern city of Kharkiv. Germany announced a similar change in policy shortly afterward.

The changes followed pleas from Ukraine to allow its forces to defend itself against attacks originating from Russian territory, and after pressure from some European leaders.

Russia in recent weeks has stepped up strikes on civilian targets in the northeastern region of Kharkiv and in the eastern region of Donetsk.

Putin warned that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine were "a very dangerous step," especially if donors are "controlling" use of the weapons.

He specifically warned Germany, saying that talk of it sending missiles capable of hitting targets on Russian territory "definitively destroys Russian-German relations."

On the use of nuclear weapons, Putin cited Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which says if Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is threatened "we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal."

Putin also reiterated his claim that Russia "did not start the war," blaming a pro-Western revolution in 2014.

Putin has falsely claimed that months of massive and mostly peaceful protests that began in 2013 and lasted into early 2014 on Kyiv’s Maidan Square were a U.S.-backed coup. The protests resulted in the ouster of Russian-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych, but not before a crackdown that left more than 100 people dead.

Russia's response was to illegally annex Crimea and back a separatist rebellion in the east of the country.

Eight years later, in February 2022, despite weeks of warnings that Russia risked isolation and serious financial consequences if it invaded Ukraine, Moscow sent its forces into the country in a full-scale invasion.

Putin was also asked about the U.S. presidential election and what a victory for former President Donald Trump or incumbent President Joe Biden would mean for U.S.-Russia relations.

"For the most part, we do not care" who wins the U.S. election, he said, saying that Russia did not expect the November 5 election to change U.S. policy toward Russia, and Russia will work with any president the American people elect.

Putin also said Russia and the United States were in contact over a possible prisoner exchange that would free jailed U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested on espionage charges last year.

"The relevant services in the U.S. and Russia are in constant contact with one another and of course they will decide only on the basis of reciprocity," Putin said.

There was no mention of other Americans currently behind bars in Russia, including RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

Hossein Shanbehzadeh, an Iranian literary editor and online activist, has been detained for unknown reasons in the northwestern city of Ardabil.

Family sources said on June 4 that Shanbehzadeh confirmed his detention in a phone call.

The case highlights ongoing tensions in Iran regarding freedom of expression, particularly on social media, and adds to the growing concern over the treatment of intellectuals and activists in the country.

Shanbehzadeh, known for his biting criticism of the authorities, said he wasn't informed of the reason for his detention, but it comes after he posted a simple period in a social media response to a tweet by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posing with the Iranian national volleyball team.

The response went viral, garnering more likes than the original tweet by Khamenei.

Soon after, Shanbehzadeh's account on X (previously known as Twitter) was inaccessible, with his last post on it authored by someone else, according to his brother Abbas.

It's not the first time Shanbehzadeh has faced legal issues over his online activities.

In 2019, he was sentenced to prison on charges of "insulting the sanctities and the leader of the Islamic republic" for critical comments about Iran's leadership.

His professional work includes editing prominent literary works such as Naguib Mahfouz's Heritage And Life With Him, in addition to being a well-known social media activist.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said he hopes to return to work gradually starting around late June or early July. Fico was shot and seriously wounded in an assassination attempt on May 15. In his first appearance since the shooting, Fico said he will not take legal steps against the gunman, who he claims was "a messenger of evil and political hatred." In a campaign-style video released on June 5, Fico decried what he perceived as attacks on Slovak sovereignty, democracy, and free speech. He stressed that he believes the attack occurred because of political opposition, although Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok described the shooter as a "lone wolf."

France's domestic intelligence agency has detained a 26-year-old Russian-Ukrainian man on suspicion of planning a violent act after he injured himself in an explosion, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office said on June 5. The man was treated for burns on June 3 after an explosion in his hotel room, where the prosecutor's office said "products and materials intended to manufacture explosive devices" were found. The man was arrested close to Paris's Charles De Gaulle Airport. France is on maximum threat alert ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics in July.

The board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on June 5 approved a resolution calling on Iran to step up cooperation with the IAEA and to reconsider its decision to bar the agency's inspectors.

The resolution, proposed by Britain, France, and Germany, passed 20-2 with 12 abstentions, diplomats said. The two no votes were cast by Russia and China.

Iranian state TV said passage of the resolution "was hasty and unwise, and it will undoubtedly have a detrimental impact on the process of diplomatic engagement and constructive cooperation" between Iran and the opposite parties.

The resolution follows another passed 18 months ago that ordered Iran to immediately respond to questions from IAEA inspectors about the origin of uranium particles found at its undeclared sites.

Although the number of sites under inspection has decreased from three to two, the IAEA says that Iran has not yet given the agency a convincing explanation about the origin of these uranium particles.

Britain, France, and Germany said in a statement to the Board of Governors it should have held Iran accountable for its legal obligations long ago.

The statement emphasizes that "Iran must urgently, fully, and unambiguously cooperate with the agency."

Since the approval of the previous resolution, the list of issues faced by the IAEA in Iran has grown, and the new resolution requires Iran to resolve these numerous problems.

At the end of last summer, Tehran barred the participation of many senior IAEA experts in the inspection group, which IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said was "disproportionate and unprecedented" and a "serious blow" to the UN nuclear watchdog in carrying out its mission.

The board "calls on Iran to reverse its withdrawal of the designations of several experienced agency inspectors which is essential to fully allow the agency to conduct its verification activities in Iran effectively," the resolution said.

The resolution called the presence of these uranium-enrichment experts in inspections of Iran's nuclear activities "vital."

Grossi traveled to Iran last month hoping to break a deadlock on the probe into the uranium particles, address the issue of the barred inspectors, and expand IAEA monitoring to parts of Iran's nuclear program that were covered under a 2015 deal with major powers.

The deal fell apart after Iran responded to the U.S. withdrawal from the deal in 2018 by abandoning its provisions, including IAEA monitoring of activities such as the production of parts for centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium.

The agency currently does not know how many Iran has or where they are.

With reporting by Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived on June 5 on an official visit to Qatar for talks with the Qatari leader regarding the return of Ukrainian children deported by Russia.

Zelenskiy said Qatar "helps Ukraine return children kidnapped by Russia" and that he planned to hold talks with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani about continuing this work within the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children and a peace summit that is scheduled to take place in Switzerland later this month.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Qatar has been actively involved in preparations for the peace summit and is expected to become one of the Middle East's voices for the return of people, global food supplies, and nuclear and energy security, Zelenskiy said on Telegram.

He also planned to discuss bilateral economic and general security issues with Thani.

Zelenskiy spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov said 107 countries and international organizations had confirmed their participation in the June 15-16 summit at which Ukraine hopes to win broad international backing for its vision of the terms needed to end the war with Russia.

Nykyforov said on June 3 that Zelenskiy recently took part in the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, where he met with the leaders of several countries in the region who subsequently confirmed their participation in the summit.

The spokesman also confirmed that three points of Zelenskiy’s peace formula -- nuclear safety, food safety, and the return of children who have been forcibly taken to Russia -- will be emphasized at the summit, and Ukraine expects a dialogue on these issues.

Russia has not been invited to the peace summit. Moscow has said that without its participation the talks will be meaningless. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that any actions regarding Ukraine that "ignore Russia's position" are "detached from reality."

The White House announced on June 4 that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the United States at the summit. Kyiv on June 5 welcomed the announcement despite having urged President Joe Biden to attend.

"It is important news that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has been confirmed to participate in the peace summit to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland," Andriy Yermak, head of the president's office, said in a statement.

Zelenskiy had earlier said that if Biden did not attend the summit it would be like "applauding" Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

Kazakhstan's Supreme Court on June 5 rejected an appeal filed by Marat Zhylanbaev, the chairman of the unregistered Algha Qazaqstan (Forward Kazakhstan) party, against a seven-year prison term he was given in November on a charge of taking part in the activities of the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) movement and its financing. Zhylanbaev's lawyer, Meiirzhan Dosqaraev, said they will appeal. The DVK, led by the fugitive opposition politician Mukhtar Ablyazov, was labeled extremist and banned in the Central Asian country in March 2018. International and domestic human rights organizations have urged Astana to release Zhylanbaev. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.

A court in Lithuania on June 4 refused to extend the detention of Tajik opposition activist Sulaimon Davlatov, ordering his immediate release. Davlatov was arrested in early April on an unspecified charge related to an alleged violation of the Baltic country's national security. The 40-year-old Davlatov, who has lived in Lithuania for nine years, is known for his online criticism of the Tajik authorities. In 2015, the former member of Group 24 and the Congress of Constructive Forces opposition movements was detained in Finland at the request of the Tajik authorities, but later released. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Tajik Service, click here.

A Moscow court on June 5 sentenced Internet streamer Anna Bazhutova to 5 1/2 years in prison on a charge of distributing false information about Russia's military. The charge was related to Bazhutova's online reports in 2022 that cited residents of the Ukrainian town of Bucha near Kyiv about atrocities alleged to have been committed by occupying Russian troops against civilians. Bazhutova pleaded not guilty, saying that she was against all war, and that this wasn't specifically aimed at Russia. She added that she published her reports on her YokoBovich channel on Twitch while under heavy emotional stress and taking medication. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

Hungarian energy conglomerate MVM will buy a 5 percent stake in Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas field, the state-owned company said in a June 5 statement. The Shah Deniz field is one of the world's largest natural gas fields, with an annual production of 29 billion cubic meters (bcm), the MVM statement said. The stake's size would translate into an annual gas supply of 1.5 bcm for Hungary, which began a 15-year gas contract with Russia in 2021. Hungary is also buying 50 million cubic meters of natural gas this year from Azerbaijan, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

A special commission tasked with investigating Russian and Belarusian influence in Poland was to begin its work on June 5, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced. At a news conference in Warsaw, Tusk and other officials described the commission as a nonpartisan body of experts whose aim is to protect national security. Tusk issued an order in May to establish a commission to investigate Russian and Belarusian influence in the years 2004-2024. He and other Polish officials say the country is facing intensified hybrid attacks from Russia and Belarus that include alleged acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, and growing pressure along the Poland-Belarus border.

The Taliban has publicly flogged dozens of people in a sports stadium in northern Afghanistan after their convictions for crimes involving "immoral relations."

In a statement, the Taliban’s Supreme Court said 63 people, including 15 women, were flogged in Sar-e Pol Province in the presence of local officials on June 4.

The court said those flogged were accused of theft and so-called moral crimes, including adultery, homosexuality, and eloping.

Public punishments are on the rise in Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s spiritual leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, ordered the return of Islamic sentences in November 2022.

That included "qisas" and "hudood" punishments, which allow "eye-for-an-eye" retribution and corporal punishments for offenses considered to be in violation of the boundaries set by God.

Since then, hundreds across Afghanistan have been publicly flogged or had body parts amputated for crimes such as theft and adultery. The extremist group has also publicly executed at least five people convicted of murder.

The executions and punishments have underscored the Taliban’s commitment to imposing its extremist interpretation of Shari'a law.

The punishments have provoked strong criticism from human rights watchdogs and Afghans.

"Because of the bad deed of one person, the reputation of an entire family or community is destroyed," a resident of the southwestern province of Nimroz told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "Punishments shouldn’t be carried out in public."

Shaharzad Akbar, an Afghan rights campaigner who headed the former Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said the aim of the Taliban’s "theatrical acts" is to incite fear.

"The Taliban's form of governance is contrary to human rights," she told Radio Azadi. "The human rights and human dignity of men and women are not important to them."

Meanwhile, Islamic scholars have said the Taliban has failed to meet the stringent conditions required by Islamic law in implementing such harsh punishments.

Salahuddin Saeedi, an Afghan religious scholar, told Radio Azadi that the Taliban also lacks the legitimacy to carry out Islamic punishments.

The Taliban’s hard-line government is not recognized by any country in the world, while its extremist policies are opposed by many Afghans.

Under the Taliban’s first regime in the 1990s, public executions and punishments were common. The group gained international notoriety for using sports stadiums to carry them out.

Ukrainian men of conscription age who hold dual citizenship or foreign permanent residence permits are not allowed to leave the country as of June 1, Andriy Demchenko of Ukraine's State Border Service said on Telegram. Under the current martial law, Ukrainian men from 18 to 60 years of age are not allowed to leave the country. Kyiv does not recognize dual nationality and regards citizens who hold dual citizenship as Ukrainian nationals. "Before, we allowed dual citizens or Ukrainians with permanent residence abroad to leave the country, but not anymore," he said. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.

Systema, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit, said on June 4 that it had discovered the name and details of a person who it believes is Yelizaveta Peskova, the daughter of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in the national taxpayer registry of Kazakhstan.

Systema said it found personal data in online sources that aligns with Peskova, adding she most likely received an individual identification number (IIN) in the Central Asian country before September 2022 since it was registered when Astana was still officially known as Nur-Sultan.

The capital used that name between March 2019 and September 2022.

An IIN allows individuals to get social benefits and simplifies the process of opening bank accounts in Kazakhstan.

Tens of thousands of Russian citizens, including celebrities and other luminaries, have obtained an IIN in Kazakhstan to avoid sanctions imposed on Russian banks and companies over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022.

Kazakhstan's Agency of Financial Control has said that 9.2 billion tenges ($21.5 million at the time) belonging to Kazakh citizens have been frozen in branches of several Russian banks in Kazakhstan due to the international sanctions.

Systema said it was not clear if Peskova used her Kazakh IIN to open bank accounts in Kazakhstan.

Neither Peskova nor her father immediately commented on the report.

Peskova was hit by Western sanctions over her father's activities in support of Moscow's actions against Ukraine.

She has called the sanctions "unjust and ungrounded," insisting she has nothing to do with "the situation in Ukraine."

In May 2022, Kazakh banks had to tighten procedures for issuing payment cards to Russian citizens as banks in Kazakhstan were flooded by tens of thousands of Russian citizens seeking to open bank accounts and obtain credit cards after global payment giants Mastercard and Visa suspended operations in Russia due to the sanctions.

Several bank officials in Kazakhstan said at the time that the uncontrolled issuance of payment cards to Russian citizens could lead to Western sanctions on them.

Activist Dzyanis Zhalezka has gone on trial for participating in protests against the official results of a 2020 presidential election that declared authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka the winner as a crackdown on dissent continues almost two years after the vote.

The Homel regional court in the country's southeast began the trial behind closed doors on June 5.

Zhalezka was charged with inciting hatred, libel, illegal access of private information, organization of activities that blatantly disrupt social order, taking part in extremist activities, insulting the president, insulting an official, and discrediting Belarus.

Separately on June 5, the Homel regional court sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison Anatol Kireychyk, 74, on charges of libel, insulting a law enforcement officer, insulting a judge, and the illegal possession of ammunition. That trial also was held behind closed doors and details of the case remain unknown.

The Vyasna human rights center said on June 5 that Belarusian police arrested activist Aleh Astralenka for taking part in the anti-Lukashenka rallies in 2020.

SEE ALSO:

'Lukashenka's Revenge': Nearly Four Years After Mass Protests, State Crackdown Still Reshaping Belarus

Lukashenka was declared the winner of the August 2020 election, triggering protests by tens of thousands of Belarusians who, along with many Western observers and countries, said the vote was rigged.

The demonstrations lasted for months as Belarusians demanded Lukashenka, in power since 1994, step down and hold fresh elections.

At Lukashenka's direction, security officials cracked down hard on demonstrators, arresting thousands and pushing most leading opposition figures out of the country.

Several protesters have been killed in the violence, and rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used against some of those detained.

Lukashenka denies voter fraud and has refused to negotiate with the opposition led by Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who supporters say actually won the August 2020 election. Tsikhanouskaya is currently residing in Lithuania.

The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote and imposed several rounds of sanctions on him and his regime, citing election fraud and the crackdown.

Russia's Supreme Court on June 5 rejected an appeal filed by sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky against the five-year prison term he was handed in February on a charge of making online calls justifying terrorism. The charge stemmed from Kagarlitsky's comments online in October 2022 about reports about an attack on the Kerch bridge built by Moscow after it annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014. The 65-year-old Kagarlitsky was initially ordered to pay a 600,000-ruble ($6,680) fine after he was found guilty in December 2023. However, in February, a court of appeals replaced the sentence from a fine to a five-year prison term. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.

A court in Russia's northwestern city of St. Petersburg on June 5 sentenced U.S.-Russian citizen Yury Malev to 3 1/2 years of colony settlement on a charge of "rehabilitating Nazism." Colony settlement is a dormitory-like penitentiary located near an industrial facility where convicts work alongside regular employees. The charge against the 60-year-old Malev stemmed from two online posts in which, according to investigators, he desecrated St. George's ribbon. The orange-and-black striped ribbon, which dates to 1769, has become a symbol of support for Russia's war in Ukraine. Malev pleaded guilty. To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.

Self-exiled Russian journalist Dmitry Kolezev said on June 5 that investigators had requested a Moscow court issue an arrest warrant for him on a charge of "distributing of false information about the Russian military motivated by political hatred." The charge stems from Kolezev's 2022 online articles about atrocities allegedly committed by occupying Russian armed forces against civilians in Ukraine. If convicted, Kolezev faces up to 10 years in prison. Several self-exiled Russian journalists and public figures have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in absentia since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.

A Moscow court on June 5 fined an Iranian for wearing a sweatshirt featuring national symbols of Ukraine and a slogan calling for support of Ukraine in its efforts to repel invading Russian troops. The court found 30-year-old Hossein Heydari guilty of discrediting the Russian military and ordered him to pay a 50,000 ruble ($557) fine. Two days earlier, a court in Russia's southwestern city of Astrakhan ordered Azerbaijani Calal Alizada to pay 30,000 rubles ($334) and deported him from the country for wearing a shirt with Ukrainian symbols. To read the original story by Current Time. click here.

Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said on June 5 that it has detained six people, including two teenaged girls, in the southern region of Jalal-Abad for allegedly desecrating the Central Asian nation's flag last week. On May 30, two Kyrgyz national flags were removed from schools in the Suzak district's village of Bek-Abad and burned. The two flags were replaced with white banners carrying a religious statement in Arabic. According to the UKMK, those detained are members of Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group that is labeled extremist and banned in the former Soviet republic. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.

Moscow police have detained two women who came to pay their respects at the grave of late opposition politician Aleksei Navalny in Moscow's Borisov Cemetery, OVD-Info reported, citing a witness to the arrest. June 4 would have been Navalny's 48th birthday. Police first detained a young woman at the cemetery for allegedly displaying extremist symbols, the witness said, and then a second woman was detained when she called on police to leave the young woman alone. In Novosibirsk, police detained two women who had come to lay flowers at the monument to the victims of political repression -- a site used by activists to honor Navalny's memory. To read the original story by Current Time, click here.

U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during a trip to France this week to seek ways to further support Kyiv in its fight against Russia's unprovoked invasion, though not with the NATO membership reassurance that Ukraine is seeking.

The White House said the two leaders will meet some time during commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy during World War II.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine

RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.

Biden, who arrived in France on June 5, is scheduled to visit the beaches of Normandy on June 6 and the cemetery where rows of graves of U.S. soldiers who died in the battle are marked by white headstones.

Biden is also scheduled to speak on June 7 at Pointe du Hoc, a spot on the French coast where army rangers scaled seaside cliffs to overcome Nazi defenses.

White House national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden will stress how "the dangers of isolationism, and how if we bow to dictators...they keep going and ultimately America and the world pays a greater price."

Biden's meeting with Zelenskiy will be the first face-to-face talks between the two leaders since the U.S. Congress on April 20 finally approved a desperately needed $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine.

It comes shortly after Biden told Time magazine in an interview that he did not support NATO membership for Ukraine -- a position in contradiction with that of NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg -- which is likely to raise questions from Zelenskiy.

"While he's in Normandy, he'll have the opportunity to sit down with President Zelenskiy and have an engagement with him to talk about the state of play in Ukraine and how we can continue and deepen our support for Ukraine," national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

"He will also have an opportunity several days later to see President Zelenskiy at the G7 [summit] in Italy, and then as you saw, he has asked Vice President [Kamala] Harris to represent the United States at the peace summit in Switzerland, and I will accompany the vice president on that trip," he said.

In the wide-ranging June 4 interview with Time, Biden said that "peace looks like making sure Russia never, never, never, never occupies Ukraine. That's what peace looks like."

But, he added, "It doesn't mean NATO, [that] they are part of NATO."

"It means we have a relationship with them like we do with other countries, where we supply weapons so they can defend themselves in the future. But...I am not prepared to support the NATOization of Ukraine."

SEE ALSO:

Explainer: What Happens If Pro-Russian Populists Make Gains In European Parliamentary Elections?

In reaction to Biden's interview, a NATO source who spoke on condition of anonymity told RFE/RL that "my understanding is that the American line has been and still is that Ukraine should be offered 'a bridge to NATO membership.'"

Furthermore, the source said, NATO clearly stated in the final declaration of last year's summit in Vilnius that "Ukraine’s future is in NATO" and there are indications that the upcoming summit of the alliance in Washington next month would reinforce the message of support for Kyiv's eventual membership.

"My understanding is that the Vilnius declaration still stands, we haven't started drafting the Washington declaration yet but the understanding going in to the talks is that the language not only will stay the same but that there will be a 'plus up' or a 'tweak up' so that the text might be even slightly more positive towards Kyiv," the source said.

Ukraine was one of the first former eastern bloc countries to join NATO's Partnership for Peace plan in 1994, and applied for NATO membership in September 2022 after Russia proclaimed it had annexed part of Ukraine's southeast.

Oleksandr Krayev, program director of the analytical center Ukrainian Prism, told RFE/RL that Biden's statement "is not very positive" for Ukraine because it establishes the position that the United States is not ready to support Ukraine's membership in NATO.

But on the other hand, Biden's words are not unlike what the United States has said before: "Ukraine will not be in NATO, but Ukraine is perceived as an ally in NATO, and if someone wants to use weapons of mass destruction there or something similar, the Americans will react," Krayev said.

At a NATO summit in Bucharest in 2008, NATO members welcomed Ukraine and Georgia's aspirations to join but declined to provide a clear timeline for their possible membership.

The 2008 summit was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who participated in bilateral NATO-Russia talks.

Zelenskiy's talks with Biden will come amid a difficult battlefield situation for outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces on the eastern front.

Russia has stepped up almost daily strikes on civilian targets in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, where Moscow has been attempting to reestablish a bridgehead, and in the eastern region of Donetsk, where intense fighting continues.

Zelenskiy will also meet French President Emmanuel Macron on June 7 in Paris, the Elysee Palace announced. Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said Zelenskiy will take part in the G7 summit of the most developed nations that will be held on June 13-15 in the southern Italian region of Puglia.

With reporting by Rikard Jozwiak

The Sofia city prosecutor's office is taking part in an investigation into whether citizens were murdered in 2022 in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine. A pretrial proceeding has been initiated on the matter, according to a Bulgarian state news agency report quoting the Sofia city prosecutor's office. Bulgaria’s participation in the investigation comes after Sofia backed a clause in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s peace formula that provides for the restoration of justice and the prosecution of war crimes committed in Ukraine. The State Agency for National Security (DANS) said that an investigation had been opened based on data showing that war crimes had been committed in Ukraine by members of the Wagner mercenary group.

A multinational operation in Moldova has uncovered an international criminal organization with links to people from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine suspected of undermining an Interpol system for identifying fugitives, Moldovan authorities and Interpol said on June 4.

The operation, disclosed by Interpol and the Moldovan Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, was part of a crackdown on attempts to interfere with the Red Notice system, which is used by countries to locate fugitives and request a provisional arrest.

Moldovan authorities conducted 36 searches on June 3 with the assistance of French officers and the FBI, officials said in press releases issued by the Moldovan Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, and Interpol, which runs the Red Notice system. Prosecutors seized devices including mobile phones, laptops, and computers.

The operation led to the investigation of five people suspected of paying intermediaries and public figures in Moldova to inform wanted criminals of their Red Notice status, the head of Moldova's Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Veronica Dragalin, said in a June 4 press conference.

The scheme sought to have people subject to Red Notices obtain asylum or refugee status in Moldova and other countries with the aim of blocking and deleting the notices by bribing officials with a total of several million dollars, Dragalin said.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office said in a separate press release that a government official in the State Fiscal Service was detained on suspicion of accepting bribes from a subordinate, but it was not clear that this was related to the disclosure of the Red Notice investigation.

Interpol said the operation followed the detection of attempts to “block and delete” the notices within the Interpol system. Law enforcement authorities noted that the criminal organization is suspected of cybercrime but did not elaborate.

Moldova opened the investigation on April 2 after receiving information from France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, and subsequently requested the assistance of the FBI. Later, the Moldovan prosecutors received information from British authorities regarding the bribes.

“We are committed to fighting high-level corruption in all of its forms, particularly those schemes that put in jeopardy criminal investigations worldwide,” Dragalin said.

A statement from Interpol said the agency had taken steps to prevent further “misuse of its systems.”

“Our robust monitoring systems identified suspicious activity,” said Interpol Security General Jürgen Stock. “We took immediate action, including reporting the issue to law enforcement authorities in our host country France.”

Stock highlighted the vast number of individuals subject to Red Notices -- over 70,000 people -- but did not elaborate on the number of people involved in the scheme.

With reporting by AP

Romanian Culture Minister Raluca Turcan says she will ask French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton to acknowledge that a traditional Romanian blouse directly inspired items in one of its 2024 collections. Turcan said late on June 3 that she would contact the fashion house after a campaign by La Blouse Roumaine, an online community that claimed that it was “cultural appropriation,” pointing to the similarities between the Louis Vuitton blouse and the Romanian “ia” blouse and saying Louis Vuitton should “give credit” to Romanian heritage. The "ia" is recognized as a symbol of the country’s folk culture and was added in 2022 to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.