AG百家乐在线官网

Lithuania has become the latest eastern European country to initiate its withdrawal from the United Nations' landmine treaty.

It notified the UN that it would be leaving the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, which bans their use, triggering the country's exit after six months.

The parliaments of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Poland - all NATO and EU members bordering Russia - have approved withdrawal of their countries from the treaty, citing the increased military danger from their neighbour. 

The anti-landmine treaty was drawn up in 1997 to stop the killing and wounding of civilians and bystanders long after conflicts had ended.

More than 40 million stockpiled mines were destroyed as a result.

The war in Ukraine has seen the widespread use of drone warfare, with both Russia and Ukraine producing millions of drones every year. 

But some places in Europe are falling behind.

Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins explores whether machines could totally replace man on the battlefield. 

She meets manufacturers in Germany and films with US and Royal Navy crews training with drones in the EU to see how tech is changing war.

Russia's drone production jumped by 16.9% in May compared to the previous month, according to data from a thinktank close to the Russian government.

The average increase from the previous five months was just 3.7%, according to the Centre for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting.

The thinktank also said the level of production in May was 1.6 times higher than average monthly output in 2024. 

In April, Vladimir Putin said more than 1.5 million drones of various types had been produced last year, including around 4,000 first-person view (FPV) drones - lightweight models designed for precision targeting.

Both Russia and Ukraine have deployed drones on a huge scale, using them to spot and hit targets both on the battlefield and well beyond the frontlines.

In Kyiv, pictures show visitors observing Russian drones during the International Conference on Expanding Sanctions Against Russia.

Donald Trump says he thinks something will happen in Russia's war in Ukraine that would get it "settled", citing his recent call with Vladimir Putin. 

"We're working on that one. President Putin called up and he said: 'I'd love to help you with Iran'. 

"I said: 'Do me a favour, I'll handle Iran. Help me with Russia. We got to get that one settled'. 

"And I think something's going to happen there."

Ukrainian special forces have destroyed two bombers at an airbase deep inside Russia, according to Ukraine's intelligence agency, SBU.

A further two SU-34 aircraft were damaged in the operation, which saw long-range drones attack Marinovka airfield in the Volgograd region, the SBU said.

The overnight attacks also caused a fire in "critically important infrastructure" at the facility where planes are serviced and repaired.

Sky News cannot independently verify these battlefield reports.

"Together with our brothers, we continue to work on weakening the aviation component of the Russian army," the SBU said.

The general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces added: "Russian Su-34s are the main tactical aircraft that deliver missile and bomb strikes on Ukrainian positions and settlements. 

"In the Russian Aerospace Forces, they are classified as frontline fighter-bombers. 

"They are used, in particular, to drop guided bombs, including those with glide and correction modules."

We reported earlier that the Kremlin had taken issue with Estonia's intent to let NATO allies keep their nuclear-capable aircraft on its soil.

But what exactly has been said?

The story started yesterday, when Estonia's defence minister Hanno Pevkur told the Postimees news outlet that his country - which borders Russia - was ready to host nuclear-capable jets if necessary.

Estonia is already a rotating base for NATO jets tasked with protecting Baltic airspace.

"If some of them, regardless of their country of origin, have a dual-use capability to carry nuclear weapons, it doesn't affect our position on hosting F-35s in any way," the outlet cited him as saying. 

"Of course, we are ready to host our allies."

The comments came after the UK announced it would buy at least 12 F-35A jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads and that they would join NATO's airborne nuclear mission.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to the comments via Russia's Life news outlet, saying: "Of course it would be an immediate danger."

He said the statement was one of many "absurd thoughts" voiced by politicians in the Baltic region, which comprises Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

He added Russia had "practically no relations with the Baltic republics".

Tensions between Russia and its neighbouring Baltic states have grown since Vladimir Putin began his invasion of Ukraine, with the countries increasingly viewing Russia as a threat.

The White House has recommended terminating US funding for nearly two dozen programs investigating war crimes in various countries, including Ukraine.

The Office of Management and Budget has earmarked several programs for termination in Ukraine, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

This includes Global Rights Compliance, which is helping to collect evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity across Ukraine, such as sexual violence and torture. 

Another is Legal Action Worldwide, a legal aid group which supports local efforts to bring cases against Russian suspects of war crimes in Ukraine, the sources said.

An $18m grant for Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office should also be axed, the recommendation said, according to two sources.

One source said secretary of state Marco Rubio could argue to keep aiding potential war crimes prosecutions in Ukraine.

State department bureaus that would like to preserve any war crimes and accountability programs should send their justifications by close of business day on 11 July, said an internal state department email seen by Reuters.

"Even if secretary Rubio intervenes to save these programs, many of which he supported as a senator, there will be no one left to manage these programs," a source said.

Donald Trump has cut billions of dollars of foreign aid since taking office, effectively shutting down its aid arm, US Agency for International Development.

Vladimir Putin says that thanks to Donald Trump, the US and Russia are starting to align.

Putin says he had "great respect" for Trump and was willing to meet him and it would be  "quite possible".

"In general, thanks to President Trump, relations between Russia and the United States are beginning to level out in some ways."

Speaking to reporters in Minsk, he also says Russia plans to cut military spending in the long term, according to state media. 

Russia is facing budgetary pressures due to increased defence spending, which has fuelled inflation, he says.

Moscow is also ready to hold a new round of peace negotiations with Ukraine, he says.

They could potentially take place in Istanbul, Turkey, although the time and venue had yet to be agreed. 

Putin adds Russia is ready to return the bodies of 3,000 more Ukrainian soldiers.

At negotiations in Istanbul on 2 June, Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange a total of 12,000 bodies of fallen soldiers. 

Earlier we reported that Ukraine's air force said it downed 359 drones overnight in Russia's latest aerial assault. 

We can now bring you photos showing the moment Ukrainian servicemen fired towards some of the drones to intercept them over Kyiv.

The air force said it also downed six of eight missiles, while there were four drones that weren't intercepted.

Russia said it downed 39 Ukrainian drones overnight.