June 1, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Jessie Yeung, Christian Edwards, Schams Elwazer, Sarah Dean, Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt and Elise Hammond, CNN

Updated 10:22 AM ET, Fri June 2, 2023

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5:03 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Three people killed in strikes on Kyiv tried to enter closed bomb shelter, says Ukraine’s internal affairs minister

From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Sarah Dean in London

A child, her mother and another woman were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv after trying to enter a bomb shelter that was closed, Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs Ihor Klymenko said in a statement.

Klymenko said Kyiv police have launched an investigation into the incident regarding “negligence that caused grave consequences.”

Ukraine's national police said earlier that a 9-year-old girl, her 34-year-old mother, and a 33-year-old woman were killed in Kyiv on Thursday after missiles that targeted the capital were shot down. Twelve others were injured.

The husband of one of the women told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspline that when they heard the air raid alarm, people ran to the shelter but found it locked.

“People knocked... They knocked for a very long time... There were women, children. No one opened. My wife and child [were there]. The child is fine, but my wife died,” the man -- named Yaroslav -- said.

“I just ran to the other side, calling for them to open. And just at that moment everything happened, at that moment something flew - I don't know, fragments or something,” he added.

Another eyewitness named Kateryna Didukh said: “They ran here to hide but unfortunately it was closed. This is the largest bomb shelter. They were all standing at the entrance. There is a polyclinic and a kindergarten here, and it fell right between them.”

Klymenko said that after “the 16th month of full-scale war,” he believes “responsible officials should have identified and fixed all the flaws in the issue of people's safety. The enemy continues large-scale shelling of cities. But some shelters still remain closed during the air raid alarm.”

Closed bomb shelters during the war are not just indifference. It is a crime,” he added, calling for shelters to be kept open around the clock.

“As part of the investigation, we will find and bring to justice all those responsible. In addition, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, together with the National Police, will regularly inspect the accessibility and condition of bomb shelters in all settlements of the country,” he said.

4:24 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

German foreign minister says NATO can't accept new members while they are at war

From CNN’s Nadine Schmidt

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrives at Oslo City Hall during NATO's informal meeting of foreign ministers in Oslo, Norway, on June 1. Hanna Johre/NTB/Reuters

NATO cannot accept new members that are currently embroiled in war, Germany's foreign minister said Thursday, as foreign ministers from member nations of the military alliance meet in Oslo.

"NATO's open door policy remains in place, but at the same time it is clear that we cannot talk about accepting new members (who are) in the midst of a war," Annalena Baerbock told reporters ahead of the informal talks.

Her remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that his country is ready to join the defense alliance.

Baerbock said the meeting in Oslo is another step ahead of the NATO leaders' summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, scheduled for July, which aims to foster agreement on how to strengthen relations with Kyiv.

Baerbock also said NATO expects to welcome Sweden as a new member at the Vilnius summit. Sweden's application for membership, though supported by most NATO members, has been so far been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

Sweden's membership will be a key topic at the foreign ministers meeting this week, the UK foreign secretary said earlier Thursday.

4:09 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

NATO's "extraordinary" solidarity a main reason Ukraine has been able to fend off Russia, says Blinken

From CNN's Radina Gigova

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg give a doorstep statement during an informal meeting of NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers at The Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway on June 1. Hanna Johre/NTB/AFP/Getty Images

The "extraordinary" solidarity of NATO members is one of the main reasons for Ukraine's success in pushing back Russian aggression, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Blinken spoke as he arrived in Oslo for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, standing beside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"We have said from day one what we would do in terms of supporting Ukraine, in terms of putting pressure on Russia, and in terms of strengthening our own alliance. We've done what we've said. We'll continue to do that," Blinken said.

He added that support for Ukraine, as well as strengthening the NATO alliance further, would be the focus of the meetings.

NATO membership: Part of Russia’s premise for its invasion of Ukraine was to fend off NATO from expanding close to its borders.

Stoltenberg said Thursday that it is not for Moscow to decide when the alliance expands, adding that NATO allies and Ukraine will decide “when the time is right” for Ukraine to join. Last month, he had said he expects Ukraine will join the alliance when the war is over.

Zelensky, who is in Modolva attending another summit of European leaders, said on Thursday that Ukraine "is ready to be in NATO."

3:53 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Ukraine is ready to join NATO, Zelensky says at European leaders' summit in Moldova

From CNN's Olga Voitovych

Zelensky arrives at Mimi Castle in Bulboaca, Moldova, on Thursday. Vladislav Culiomza/Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that his country is ready to join NATO as he arrived in Moldova for the European Political Community summit.

Dozens of leaders from across Europe are gathering for the meeting, where they will discuss security issues and areas of cooperation across the continent.

"Ukraine is ready to be in NATO," Zelensky said, standing alongside Moldovan President Maia Sandu. "We are waiting [for] when NATO will be ready. And I think security guarantees are very important not only for Ukraine, for our neighbors, for Moldova — because of Russia and of their aggression in Ukraine and potential aggression for their part of Europe."

Earlier Thursday, NATO's chief said all members of the defense alliance agree "Ukraine will become a member," as NATO foreign ministers meet in Oslo to discuss the war.

Moldovan leader Sandu also expressed support for Kyiv and for Zelensky's proposed peace formula, saying: "Ukraine keeps Moldova safe today, and we're very, very grateful for that."

She also said she supported creating a special international tribunal to handle those "committing crimes of aggression in Ukraine."

The summit: The first meeting of the European Political Community was held in October 2022, with the leaders primarily discussing the war in Ukraine and global energy crisis.

“We are developing a coalition of fighter jets and offering a coalition of Patriots. EU, NATO, peace formula. Everything to protect our future,” Zelensky said Thursday in a Telegram post.

This post has been updated with additional reporting.

3:34 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Sweden's foreign minister to send "clear message" that it has met all commitments to join NATO

From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said he will send a “clear message” at Thursday’s NATO meeting that Sweden has fulfilled all the commitments needed to join the alliance, with the country's membership so far blocked by opposition from Hungary and Turkey.

Speaking to journalists on his way to the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo, Billström highlighted new Swedish terrorism legislation which recently came into effect as an example of the commitments met.

“It is time for Turkey and Hungary to start the ratification of the Swedish membership to NATO,” the foreign minister told journalists.

When asked if he was disappointed that his Turkish counterpart will not attend Thursday’s meeting, Billström said it was “quite natural” given the recent Turkish elections.

He stressed that the “more important” event will be the trilateral meeting between Finnish, Swedish and Turkish representatives of the joint mechanism established at last year's NATO summit in Madrid.

Billström also played down concerns over the delay in approving Sweden’s membership bid, saying: "This was never a sprint; it’s a marathon and we now see the end of it."

Also on Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he would visit Turkey at an unspecified time to discuss Sweden's membership — which Billström said was "something positive."

3:33 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

NATO meetings will discuss Sweden's membership and Ukraine war, says UK foreign secretary

From CNN's Radina Gigova

The war in Ukraine and Sweden's NATO membership will be key topics during informal meetings between NATO foreign ministers this week in Oslo, said UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Thursday.

"We will continue to focus on the issues that we've been discussing recently — how we ensure that Vladimir Putin's aggression against Ukraine is unsuccessful, how we strengthen our alliance, how we work to welcome Sweden into our numbers in the very near future, whist also ensuring that NATO remains a strong defensive alliance to support all the members within it," Cleverly said as he arrived for the meetings.

The meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who said on Thursday that all the bloc's allies agree Ukraine will become a member — and that he would travel to Turkey to discuss Sweden's application for membership, which remains in limbo.

3:18 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

All NATO allies agree "Ukraine will become a member," says head of military alliance

From CNN’s Jake Kwon and Radina Gigova

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is seen at Oslo City Hall in Norway on Thursday. Hanna Johre/NTB/Reuters

All NATO allies agree that "Ukraine will become a member of the alliance," its chief Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

“All allies agree that the NATO’s door is open for new members,” Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Oslo. “It's not for Moscow to have a veto against the NATO enlargement.”

Part of Russia’s premise for its invasion of Ukraine was to fend off NATO from expanding close to its borders.

Even though Ukraine is not a member of the alliance, and NATO has insisted that it is not a party to the conflict, the bloc has played a critical role in supporting Kyiv, donating billions in military aid and other support.

On Thursday, Stoltenberg said NATO's most important task was to ensure that Ukraine prevails in the war against Russia — and to prevent the conflict from spilling over beyond Ukraine's borders. “That's the reason why we have increased our major presence in Eastern lines on NATO territory,” he said.

New faces at NATO: Finland’s accession to the alliance earlier this month marked a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe, more than doubling NATO’s frontier with Russia.

Finnish public support for accession snowballed following the invasion of Ukraine, and also reignited calls from Kyiv to join.

Sweden also applied to join the bloc shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion began, with the support of an overwhelming majority of NATO members — but its membership has so far been held up by Turkey and Hungary.

Turkey has accused Sweden of harboring members of terrorist groups, which Stockholm denies, while Hungary has claimed Sweden behaved hostilely toward its government.

Stoltenberg said Thursday he would soon travel to the Turkish capital of Ankara to discuss Sweden's NATO membership, though did not specify the timing.

"My message is that Swedish membership, full-fledged membership of NATO, is good for Sweden, it is good for the Nordic countries, it is good for Norway, for the Baltic region, but it is also good for the whole of NATO," he said.

3:28 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Russian dissidents claim they are "fighting on Russian territory," deny harming civilians

From CNN's Olga Voitovych and Sarah Dean

The Russian Volunteer Corps, a group of anti-Putin Russian nationals aligned with the Ukrainian army, has denied shelling civilians as it claimed its “second phase” inside Russia had begun on Thursday.

In a video message, a fighter from the Russian Volunteer Corps said they were “once again fighting on Russian territory.”

“Very soon the outskirts of Shebekino will appear," the group said, referring to a village in Russia's border region of Belgorod.

The message comes amid an uptick in cross-border mortar and artillery in Shebekino and other border districts in recent days. Belgorod's governor said five people were injured by shelling early Thursday.

A day earlier, the governor said children will be evacuated from Shebekino and the nearby town of Grayvoron.

The Russian Volunteer Corps on Telegram accused “Putin's army” of hitting “Russian villages and hamlets.”

"Unfortunately, we cannot ensure the evacuation of civilians from the border areas, because the Army of the Russian Federation is shelling these areas and thus making evacuation difficult,” the Russian Volunteer Corps said. “Stay in your homes, don't worry. Soldiers of the Russian Volunteer Corps are not at war with civilians."

Anti-Putin Russians: The Russian Volunteer Corps and another anti-Putin Russian group, the Freedom for Russia Legion, last week claimed responsibility for an attack in Belgorod.

The legion also posted a video message Thursday claiming they were “near the border of our homeland.”

"Very soon we will advance again into Russian territory to bring freedom, peace, and calm," they said, adding: "We are going to liberate the whole of Russia — from Belgorod to Vladivostok."

2:35 a.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Russian ambassador slams new $300 million US aid package for Ukraine

From CNN's Clare Sebastian

Anatoly Antonov, Russian ambassador to the United States, departs after a meeting at the US State Department in March. Patrick Semansky/AP/FILE

Moscow's ambassador to the United States on Wednesday accused Washington of aiming to deliver “strategic defeat on Russia” after the White House announced a new military aid package for Ukraine.

“(The US is) zombified by their efforts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, by wearing down our economy," Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said in a statement shared by Russian Embassy. "And at the same time they continue to encourage the irrational actions of their 'clients', by delivering them more and more lethal weapons.”

The Biden administration said Wednesday that it will send an estimated $300 million worth of additional weaponry and equipment to Kyiv, focusing the latest military aid package on air defense systems to help Ukraine fend off Russian aerial attacks.

Moscow drone attack: Antonov also accused the US of being indifferent to a drone attack on the Russian capital on Tuesday, which Moscow has blamed on Kyiv. Ukraine has denied direct involvement.

By not holding Ukraine "to account" over the strike, "Washington is clearly demonstrating its indifference to the crimes,” Antonov said. “They supposedly don’t support incursions by the Ukrainian armed forces into the heart of our motherland (but the claim is) not worth a penny.”

The White House reiterated on Wednesday that US officials have told Ukraine they do not support attacks on Russian territory, especially not with US-provided equipment. However, two US officials said there is no evidence right now that the drones used in Moscow were provided by the US.