Russia – Ukraine
(Volodymyr Ivanyshyn – The Kyiv Indendent) Ukrainian drones targeted a power plant in Russian-occupied Crimea, with additional strikes reported in other occupied territories and Russia’s Moscow Oblast overnight on June 22, social media channels reported. Russian air defenses were engaged as Ukrainian drones targeted the Tavriyska thermal power plant in a massive attack, Pro-Ukrainian Telegram news channel Crimean Wind reported. Explosions were also reported in Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, according to pro-Ukrainian Telegram Channel Exilenova Plus. A large fire was reported in occupied Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the outlet reported. – Ukrainian drones bombard occupied territories, Russia in overnight strikes
US – Iran
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran and the United States wrapped up the first round of talks to end the Middle East war at the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland on Monday, with technical talks to continue. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi hailed the “major progress” achieved with the help of mediators Pakistan and Qatar, while the United States government has yet to issue a statement. – Key points from the first round of Iran-US talks
(AFP/Al Arabiya) Iran and the United States agreed Monday to set up communications lines to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open and end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, after their first round of talks in Switzerland toward ending the war in the Middle East. The teams led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf opened talks Sunday, as part of a two-month negotiating period set out under a preliminary deal agreed last week. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the negotiators reached agreement on a “roadmap towards reaching a final deal within 60 days,” with technical talks to continue for the rest of the week at the Swiss resort of Burgenstock. – ‘Progress,’ say mediators, after Iran-US talks towards ending war
(Stephen Collinson – CNN) Making peace with Iran is going to be just as painful as waging war. Vice President JD Vance’s first attempts at talks in Switzerland to solidify a memorandum of understanding with Tehran into a permanent end to the war are already in treacherous waters. The MOU signed by Trump in France last week halts fighting, opens the Strait of Hormuz and offers economic carrots to Iran in exchange for a pledge never to develop nuclear weapons. But it leaves vital details like the future of Tehran’s nuclear program and its stocks of enriched uranium to be hashed out over 60 days of high-stakes negotiations. The best thing in the agreement’s favor is the end of direct US-Iran hostilities. “There’s decent chance at least that the truce holds simply because it is in the interest of both sides,” Philip Gordon, a former senior US national security official, told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, citing Tehran’s capacity to begin earning millions of dollars a day in oil revenues. “Iran has an interest in sticking with this. And the United States certainly has an interest in sticking with this, because it doesn’t want to resume the war.” – Analysis: Iran shows Trump just how hard making peace will be | CNN Politics
(Barak Ravid – Axios) U.S. and Iranian negotiators held marathon talks in Switzerland into Sunday night as they worked to launch a 60-day effort toward a new nuclear agreement. The nearly nonstop talks at the Lake Lucerne Summit signal both sides remain engaged despite significant differences and may be laying the groundwork for broader discussions on regional security. The talks, led by Vice President JD Vance and including White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, continued through Sunday night despite Iran’s claim Saturday that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz in response to alleged Israeli ceasefire violations in Lebanon. As the negotiations started at Lake Lucerne on Saturday, President Trump issued several threats to Iran both on his Truth Social account and in an interview with Fox News. – Inside US, Iran talks in Switzerland
US – Ukraine
(Volodymyr Ivanyshyn – The Kyiv Independent) U.S. President Donald Trump plans to ask U.S. weapons manufacturers to produce air defense missiles under production licenses in Ukraine and Europe, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a June 21 interview. “President Trump plans to ask American defense companies to manufacture missiles for air defense systems under licenses in Europe and Ukraine,” he said. Kyiv and its allies discussed the possibility of Ukraine producing Western weapons under license at the most recent Group of Seven (G7) summit that took place June 15-17. – Trump plans to ask US arms firms to produce air defense missiles under license in Ukraine, Zelensky says
