Seoul says concerned by Pyongyang's threat to abandon advance notice of satellite launches

South Korea is concerned by Pyongyang's threat that it would stop notifying the International Maritime Organization (IMO) about its future satellite launches due to criticism voiced with regard to the issue, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Koo Byoung-sam said on Monday.

On May 31, the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's missile launches as a serious threat to the safety of international shipping. On Sunday, North Korea responded with a statement, in which it threatened to stop informing the organization about the country's future launches.

"North Korea's attitude, which is drifting further and further away from international norms and common sense, is very disappointing," Koo was quoted as saying by a South Korean news agency.

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❗️Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️On June 4, Ukrainian forces made an unsuccessful attempt at a large-scale offensive in the South Donetsk direction, but didn't achieve their goals. Six mechanized and two tank battalions were involved. In this direction, Russian forces destroyed over 300 Ukrainian troops, 26 armored combat vehicles, and 16 tanks;

▪️The actions of two Ukrainian terrorist groups that tried to infiltrate the Belgorod region were thwarted; As a result, more than 10 terrorists who tried to force the Seversky Donets River, two boats, one armored car, one Grad MLRS combat vehicle, and a Polish Krab self-propelled howitzer were eliminated;

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 90 Ukrainian troops, three armored combat vehicles, two Grad MLRS combat vehicles, one D-20 howitzer, as well as one ammunition depot. The actions of five Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were thwarted;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 65 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, one Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer, one Msta-B and one D-20 howitzer, and a Nona-S self-propelled mortar;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 425 troops, one German-made Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer, one infantry fighting vehicle, one Msta-B and one D-30 howitzer, as well as two ammunition depots;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian troops neutralized up to 20 Ukrainian soldiers, one Grad MLRS combat vehicle, one D-30 howitzer, as well as one ammunition depot;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down one Su-27 aircraft, eight HIMARS and Uragan missiles, and 13 unmanned aerial vehicles in the LPR, DPR, Kharkov, and Zaporozhye regions.

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📹 A statement by the head of Center, the Russian Army’s press office:

In the course of a counter-attack, the position of an enemy M-777 howitzer was discovered in the Krasny Liman direction which was destroyed by a Russian UAV Lancet.

Russian aviation used missile and bomb strikes to destroy Ukrainian strongholds, including areas of concentrated manpower and firepower near eight settlements.

Russian forces also discovered the movement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 63 and 67 mechanized brigades and five brigades of the National Guard of Ukraine. As a result of artillery and aviation fire, the enemy suffered significant losses and the forces were dispersed in the forest.

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📹 Russian motorized riflemen keep Kupyansk-Novoselovskoye highway in Kharkov region under fire

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📹 Russia's Ministry of Defense has published a video showing the Russian Army repelling an attempt by Ukrainian forces to launch a large-scale attack in the South Donetsk direction, using airstrikes and artillery fire in the Donetsk People's Republic and the Zaporozhye region, inflicting significant losses on Ukrainian troops

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Russia sees no prospects for extending grain deal - Foreign Ministry

"We have agreed on the next round of consultations in an interdepartmental format to take place in Geneva on the June 9," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told a briefing.

At the same time, the diplomat noted that Russia sees no prospects for extending the grain deal.

Vershinin also noted that vessel inspections as part of the grain deal have been resumed.

"As far as we know, the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul is working to overcome all the problems that arise, based on the procedural rules that were approved last year and assume that there will be a consensus solution to the problems that arise. Now, these inspections have been resumed," Vershinin told reporters.

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❗️The Russian Ministry of Defense reports that attempts by the Ukrainian Army to break through the defenses in the South Donetsk direction on June 4 were unsuccessful, and by the morning of June 5, they had been pushed back to their original positions.

Only one brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which attacked in the area of the settlement of Neskuchnoye, lost more than 250 soldiers, 16 tanks, 24 armored combat vehicles, including three Bradleys armored vehicles.

Ukrainian forces made new attempts to attack in the areas of the Oktyabr collective farm and the settlement of Novodonetskoye. The offensive is successfully being held back by the the Russian Army.

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Poland to receive first South Korean missile systems Chunmoo in August - Defense Minister

Since July 2022, Warsaw has signed a number of contracts with Seoul to acquire 1,000 tanks, 672 self-propelled howitzers and three squadrons of FA-50 fighter jets. In October, Poland also signed a deal to purchase 288 K239 Chunmoo systems from South Korea.

"My role is to strengthen the Polish Military, and thanks to cooperation with [flag of South Korea], the first Chunmoo rocket artillery sets, with a range of up to 300 km, will go to [flag of Poland] Army this August. They will be mounted on [flag of Poland] Jelcz trucks - yet another example of our cooperation," the Polish Defense Ministry quoted Blaszczak as saying after his talks with South Korean Deputy National Security Advisor Lim Jong-deuk.

The Polish defense chief added that FA-50 fighters would also arrive in Poland this summer, while some South Korean tanks and howitzers were already at the disposal of the country's military.

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Ukrainian defense chief says Kiev won't use F-16 Jets in summer counteroffensive

"F-16 will not [be a] game-changer this summer … it will take time to train our pilots and not only pilots. Training courses, we will arrange [them] with our partners for pilots and engineers, technicians," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told a Japanese broadcaster on Sunday.

Kiev will possibly be ready to deploy the aircraft this autumn or winter, the Ukrainian defense chief added.

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⚡️ Former US Vice President Mike Pence files paperwork to run for US president in 2024, according to Federal Election Commission

EU special envoy arrives in Pristina, Belgrade to address Kosovo issue

"EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak is traveling to the region. He will be in Pristina later today and in Belgrade tomorrow, accompanied by the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Balkans, Mr Escobar. They will follow up on the European and American calls for Serbia and Kosovo to immediately de-escalate the situation and take steps towards sustainable solutions," EU Foreign Affairs Spokesman Peter Stano said during a briefing.

The EU is ready to provide a platform for a meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, the spokesperson said.

"Of course, we are always ready to host and call for the next high-level dialogue meeting between President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti, when the conditions are ripe, when they both agree. But at this stage, the most important thing is de-escalation, concrete steps on the ground," Stano added.

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Milley says there is 'always risk' of escalation amid Ukraine attacks inside Russia

There is "always risk," Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said in a interview, when asked if the recent drone strikes on Moscow and the continued shelling of the Belgorod region would risk escalating the conflict.

The US is watching it "very, very carefully," he added.

Speaking of Ukraine’s expected counteroffensive, the general said that the Ukrainian armed forces are "very well prepared," but that it was too premature to tell what possible outcomes would be.

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Austin, Indian counterpart commit to strengthening defense cooperation

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to India from June 4-5 to reinforce defense partnership and advance cooperation with the country in the run-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US.

"The Secretary and Minister Singh also committed to strengthen operational collaboration across all military services, with an eye to supporting India's leading role as a security provider in the Indo-Pacific," the statement said.

They also welcomed the conclusion of a new roadmap for bilateral defense industrial cooperation.

"This initiative aims to change the paradigm for cooperation between U.S. and Indian defense sectors, including a set of specific proposals that could provide India access to cutting-edge technologies and support India's defense modernization plans," the statement said.

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🇦🇲🇦🇿 Armenia, Azerbaijan deny agreeing return to 1975 borders

Armenia and Azerbaijan have disputed reports of progress in border dispute talks held in Moldova on June 1.

While Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan claimed that the leaders of the two countries had agreed to use Soviet-era maps for border demarcation talks, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry denied the claim, stating that Armenia should focus on delimitation work instead.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed no agreement had been reached, but reiterated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's assurances that Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial claims as set out in the 1991 Almaty Declaration.

Mirzoyan added that Armenia considers the 1975 borders acceptable, and that negotiations on the status of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region should be with the local authorities, not Armenia.

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⚡️ EU extends restrictions on import of Ukrainian agriculture products to several EU countries until September 15

Ben Wallace: British Defence Secretary running for top NATO job

With Norway's Jens Stoltenberg stepping down in the autumn, political figures from across Europe are jockeying to replace him.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reportedly lobbying US President Joe Biden to back his Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to fill the former Norwegian PM's boots as the public face of the military bloc.

Who is the ambitious cabinet minister and what can we expect from him as head of the US-led military bloc?

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North Korea remains active at Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site - IAEA Chief

"The Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site remains ready to support a nuclear test, and we continue to see signs of activity in the vicinity of Adit 3 and in the support area. The reopening of the nuclear test site is deeply troubling," Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said in his opening statement at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting.

Grossi expressed regret over the continuation of North Korea's nuclear program, which is "a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions."

The IAEA chief also noted an increase in construction work at North Korea's main nuclear site at Yongbyon.

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