Ukraine has received more than 1,000 bodies of dead soldiers amid a dispute with Russia over the action. A Kremlin aide says the two countries will start exchanging seriously wounded POWs on Thursday.
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Below you can read the main developments fromRussia's war in Ukrainefrom Wednesday, June 11, 2025:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has thrown his support behind the current Ukrainian leadership in handlingthe delicate relationship with Washington.
"So it is a bipartisan decision to impose additional severe and harsh sanctions on those who purchase Russian oil," he dded.
"The thing is that there is a political will inside the US political establishment to help Ukraine. Look at the polls: More than 60% of Americans still support Ukraine."
"So it plays directly into the hands of Trump. If he wants to retain power, if he wants to win the mid-terms, which are expected to be in a year and a half or so, it's in his interest, in his political interests to support Ukraine."
Yatsenyuk was also asked if he thought Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyywas an asset in improving ties between Washington and Kyiv in view of the notorious "dressing-down" given to the Ukrainian leader by Trump on February 28.
"You know, he is doing a good job and the German chancellor did a good job," he said, referring to the recent meeting between Friedrich Merz and Trump.
"My take is that my president is walking a tightrope. On the one hand, he is not allowed to criticize the US president; on the other hand, he managed to mitigate the tension," he said, pointing out the recent and apparently more amicable talks at the Vatican between Trump and Zelenskyy ahead of the funeral of Pope Francis.
"At this meeting, that's what I know for sure, he got along with President Trump," Yatsenyuk said, conceding that "it is the question of how long they get along."
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Ukraine has taken back the bodies of 1,212 of its fallen soldiers from Russia after days of dispute during which Russia accused Kyiv of not accepting the remains.
The agency dealing with prisoners of war in Kyiv said the soldiers had died in fighting in Russia's Kursk region and the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Ukraine said its experts "will identify the deceased as soon as possible".
Russia's top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, also confirmed the handover and said Russia had "received the remains of 27 Russian soldiers."
Ukraine did not say how many bodies it returned to Russia.
Russia has for days said Ukraine was refusing to accept the bodies, calling on Kyiv to honoragreements reached at talks in Istanbul at the beginning of the month.
According to Moscow, the bodies had been made ready for handover at the weekend, but Ukraine said no handover date had been agreed, accusing Russia of unilateral and uncoordinated actions.
The Istanbul talks provided for the return of the remains of more than 6,000 fallen soldiers from each side.
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Russiacarried out more drone attacks acrossUkraineovernight, with the northeastern city of Kharkiv one of the main targets.
Three people were confirmed killed, according to Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov.
According to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, 17 drones struck two residential districts.
"Those are ordinary sites of peaceful life — those that should never be targeted," Terekhov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Scores of people were also wounded in the attacks.
In a statement, Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyyreiterated his calls for greater international pressure on Moscow.
"Every new day now brings new vile Russian attacks, and almost every strike is telling," he said. "We must not be afraid or postpone new decisions that could make things more difficult for Russia," he said.
"Without this, they will not engage in genuine diplomacy. And this depends primarily on the United States and other world leaders. Everyone who has called for an end to the killings and for diplomacy must act."
Kharkiv has been frequently targeted in recent months as Russia launched large scale drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure.
A Russian court has ruled that opposition lawmaker Lev Shlosberg should be placed under house arrest and other restrictions after he was charged with discrediting the Russian army.
His Yabloko party said he was detained on Tuesday for remarks made in January where he described the war in Ukraine as a game of "bloody chess."
The 61-year-old Shlosberg made the comment in a video debate in which he urged an end to the war.
The Kremlin has made it a punishable offense to make comments that it deems to be derogatory about the Russian military, which includes any remarks criticizingMoscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Shlosberg, who the court in the Pskov region said was already designated as a "foreign agent" by Russian authorities, faces up to five years' imprisonment if convicted.
Ukraine and Russia are proceeding with exchanges of POWs and the remains of thousands of fallen soldiers from both sides following talks in Istanbul on Monday.
Russia has meanwhile continued with its aerial bombardment of its neighbor as it pushes on with its full-scale invasion.
Stay with DW for real-time news, analysis, and analysis from our correspondents on the ground as we followMoscow's war in Ukraine.