Ukraine early today staged a massive attack on Russia hours after Vladimir Putin snubbed Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for face-to-face talks to end the war. The Kremlin dictator, 73, accused his adversary of ‘rudeness’ in alluding to his ‘old age’ in an open letter.

The talks will come a day after Ukrainian drones travelled 1,000km (621 miles), targeting the Russian navy's "arsenals and a base" in St Petersburg.

Kyiv sent a barrage of missiles at Russia with a fire started at a military base hours after Vladimir Putin snubbed Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for face-to-face talks to end the war.

Ukraine has launched a drone attack on Vladimir Putin ’s home city – a day after the Russian leader refused an offer to meet Volodymyr Zelensky for peace talks. People living in St Petersburg were told to barricade themselves inside during the large-scale aerial assault.

Putin dismisses Zelenskyy's peace meeting proposal, insisting on pursuing war goals, while Zelenskyy criticizes him for choosing conflict.

In his evening address on June 5, President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having no interest in ending Russia's war in Ukraine, after the Russian leader dismissed Zelensky's open letter calling for the immediate reopening of peace negotiations.

Russia’s economic forecast is gloomy, with slow growth predicted for 2026. Economic forecasts range from around 0.8% to 1.1% of GDP, according to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, respectively.