War in Ukraine: kyiv's attack on Crimean bridge caused no damage, Kremlin assures

Ukraine's attack on the Crimean bridge caused no damage, the Kremlin announced on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, as the Russian army claimed control of a new village in the Ukrainian region of Sumy. The day before, any short-term settlement of the armed conflict in Ukraine had been ruled out.

Zelensky considered the peace terms proposed by Moscow to be unacceptable "ultimatums" for Ukraine, and added that the talks were being held only to "delay" new US sanctions.

The EU is proposing to extend the protection granted to Ukrainian refugees. In the United States, Ambassador to the Alliance Matthew Whitaker has declared that NATO must militarily outperform Russia. Putin accuses Kyiv of trying to "disrupt" the negotiations by ordering the train explosions in Russia. Le Figaro takes stock.

Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he had a "good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace" in Ukraine with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, in a message on his Truth Social network. "President Putin said, very firmly, that he was going to have to respond to the recent attacks" by Ukraine on Russian bombers, the American president added, specifying that the meeting lasted "an hour and fifteen minutes."

Earlier this evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for people not to show "weakness" toward Vladimir Putin. "If the world reacts weakly to Putin's threats, it interprets this as a desire to turn a blind eye to his actions. When it feels neither strength nor pressure, but rather weakness, it always commits new crimes," he said on X. "If the powerful do not stop Putin, it means they share his responsibility," he added.

No damage after Ukrainian attack on Crimean bridge

The Kremlin claimed on Wednesday, June 4, that Ukraine's attack the day before on the Crimean Bridge, which connects the peninsula annexed by Moscow to Russian territory, had not caused any damage, limiting itself to describing it as an "explosion." On Tuesday, the Ukrainian security services (SBU) claimed responsibility for a new attack on the bridge, which has already been targeted several times since the start of the Russian assault in Ukraine in February 2022. They claimed to have inflicted "severe damage" and released an unauthenticated video showing an underwater explosion near a pillar of the bridge.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Wednesday that "there had indeed been an explosion." But "nothing was damaged, the bridge is functioning," he added during his daily press briefing, which was attended by AFP. Inaugurated in 2018, this 19-kilometer-long structure is, for the Russian authorities, one of the symbols of the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Russian army claims conquest of new village

The Russian army claimed on the same day to have seized a new town in the Ukrainian region of Sumy (northeast), bordering Russia and where it has been claiming to have made advances for around ten days, with Kiev saying it fears a large-scale offensive there. In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared that the village of Kindrativka, located about three kilometers south of the Russian border, had been "liberated."

Moscow does not expect any rapid "progress"

The day before, the Kremlin had ruled out any short-term settlement of the armed conflict in Ukraine after new, unsuccessful Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul, prompting Kiev to call on Washington to sanction Russia.

While the Russian army has the advantage on the ground, Kiev has been accusing Russia for months of dragging out peace negotiations, as Moscow has refused its request for an unconditional truce, believing that it would allow Ukraine to regain its strength with the help of its Western allies. "Russia must really feel that continuing the war will have devastating consequences," Volodymyr Zelensky had pleaded on Tuesday evening on his Telegram account after new deadly Russian strikes during the day.

Zelensky denounces peace conditions presented by Moscow

The peace terms proposed by Moscow during Monday's talks in Istanbul are unacceptable "ultimatums" for Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky denounced, with Russia demanding that Kiev withdraw its troops from the four Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed. "This is an ultimatum that the Russian side is sending us. So, in my opinion, I think they (the Russians) did not send it (before the talks) because they understood that if it became public, Ukraine would have had every right not to come to this meeting" in Istanbul, the Ukrainian president declared at a press conference.

Talks to "delay" new US sanctions, Zelensky denounces

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday accused Russia of holding talks with Kyiv solely to please US leader Donald Trump and "delay" the imposition of new US sanctions against it. "They did this to show the United States that they can be constructive. Why? To obtain a delay, which depends personally on President Trump, to know whether or not he will delay the imposition of sanctions," Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv.

Senior Russian official discusses Ukraine conflict with Kim Jong-un

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu discussed the conflict in Ukraine with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whose country is helping Moscow with its military efforts, during a visit to Pyongyang on Wednesday. "The parties discussed cooperation issues in various fields and exchanged views on the situation surrounding the Ukrainian crisis and on the Korean Peninsula," the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said on Telegram.

Putin discussed the conflict in Ukraine with Pope Leo XIV

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict in Ukraine with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday by telephone, saying he wanted to achieve peace through "diplomatic" means but accusing Kiev of seeking "escalation" of hostilities. "Vladimir Putin drew attention to the fact that the Kiev regime is banking on the escalation of the conflict and is carrying out sabotage against civilian infrastructure on Russian territory," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Ukraine and Russia ready to exchange 500 prisoners of war from each side

Ukraine and Russia are ready to exchange 500 prisoners of war from each side this weekend, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, a few days after a new round of talks with Moscow in Istanbul. "The Russian side has indicated that this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, it will be able to transfer 500 people," and Ukraine will be ready to do the same, the Ukrainian head of state told journalists in Kiev, including those from AFP.

NATO must outperform Russia militarily

NATO must overtake Russia in military capabilities, as Russia is already preparing for a possible new conflict, US Ambassador to the Alliance Matthew Whitaker said Wednesday. "We already see that the Kremlin is aiming to rebuild its military. NATO allies must get ahead of Russia," he said during a press briefing ahead of a meeting of defense ministers from NATO member states on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels.

"Moscow is already preparing its next move," he added, stressing that, faced with these Russian threats, NATO countries had "no choice . " "Let's be clear, the time has come" to increase military spending, he insisted. "The Russian threat exists. It's here for the long haul, and the Russians, as we speak, are rebuilding their forces at a steady pace," Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte told the press.

EU proposes to extend protection for Ukrainian refugees

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday extending the protection granted to Ukrainian refugees in the EU by one year, until March 2027, while initiating a review of their future for the first time. Since 2022, Ukrainians fleeing the conflict with Russia have benefited from a single status allowing them to reside, work, and access aid in the European Union.

New Russian strike on training ground injures several soldiers

A Russian missile attack on a military training ground in Poltava , central Ukraine, left several people injured on Wednesday, the Ukrainian army announced. The army, which has opened an investigation, said the soldiers had been dispersed and had taken refuge in shelters, preventing "the worst."

Putin accused Kiev of trying to "disrupt" the negotiations by ordering train explosions

Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Wednesday of ordering the train explosions in two Russian regions last weekend, saying the "terrorist" attacks were aimed at sabotaging Russian-Ukrainian talks. These are the first statements by the Russian president regarding the explosions, which occurred overnight from Saturday to Sunday in the Russian regions of Kursk and Bryansk, which border Ukraine.

He also reiterated the official Russian position that an unconditional ceasefire, requested by kyiv, its European allies and Washington, would allow Ukraine to regain strength, while Ukrainian troops are fewer in number and less well equipped than those of Moscow.

Kim Jong-un pledges North Korea's 'unconditional support' for Russia's invasion of Ukraine

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged Russia "unconditional support" for its invasion of Ukraine, the North's official KCNA news agency reported Thursday. During a meeting Wednesday in Pyongyang with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, Kim assured that his government would "unconditionally support Russia's position and foreign policy on all crucial international issues, including the Ukrainian issue," according to the agency's report.

Five dead in Russian drone attack in Ukraine

A Russian drone attack overnight Wednesday into Thursday in northern Ukraine left at least five people dead, including a one-year-old child, the head of the Chernihiv region administration said. The strikes on the town of Pryluky "damaged buildings in a residential area," Vyacheslav Chaus said on Telegram, adding that six injured people had been hospitalized.