**US Efforts to Pressure Russia into Ukraine Peace Talks Dwindle**
The White House has disbanded a US government working group that aimed to pressure Russia into peace talks and end the war in Ukraine, according to Reuters. The move comes as the conflict escalates, with Russia launching drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and killing at least 15 people.
Established this spring, the working group was staffed by officials from various government departments, including the National Security Council, State Department, Treasury Department, Pentagon, and intelligence community. However, it reportedly lost steam in recent weeks as President Donald Trump showed no willingness to impose concrete pressure on Moscow during peace talks.
“It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn’t there,” an anonymous official told Reuters. “Instead of doing more, maybe he wanted to do less.” The working group was decimated in a purge of personnel around three weeks ago.
**Escalating Violence in Ukraine**
Meanwhile, Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian civilians continue to escalate. Overnight on June 17, Russian drone strikes killed at least 15 people and injured scores of others in Kyiv. In another attack earlier that day, Russian drone strikes on Odesa killed one person and injured 17, including a pregnant woman and a child.
The conflict in Ukraine has been ongoing for months, with Russia maintaining maximalist demands and rejecting all proposals for an unconditional ceasefire. The international community has urged Russia to end its aggression, but so far, there is no indication of a willingness from Moscow to compromise.
**Global Tensions Rise**
The situation on the ground remains dire, with reports emerging of Russian forces attempting to push into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which neighbors the embattled Donetsk Oblast. The international community is watching the situation closely, with concerns about global stability growing as conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere escalate.
**Trump’s Response**
US President Donald Trump has expressed frustration with Moscow’s intransigence and growing violence but has yet to impose any new sanctions on Russia. Speaking in Canada ahead of a G7 summit, Trump said that barring Russia from the G8 for its invasion of Ukraine in 2017 was a “mistake.”
The US government’s decision to disband the working group has sparked concerns about Washington’s commitment to finding a solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
**Global Developments**
Meanwhile, Israel and Iran are locked in a conflict that threatens stability in the Middle East. Iranian missiles were guided in a way that caused Israeli interceptor missiles to target each other, according to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The situation on the ground remains complex, with multiple conflicts unfolding across the globe.
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