Key occasions
Rutte insists US stays dedicated, confirms Ukraine to be invited to Nato summit
Nato secretary normal Mark Rutte has been talking in Brussels, addressing one of the most key problems forward of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group assembly.
Asked about US protection secretary Pete Hegseth’s absence nowadays, he insisted america remained “completely committed” to Nato and serving to Ukraine and that it will be represented at every other degree.
He added that Hegseth would sign up for Nato talks the following day.
Rutte additionally showed that Ukraine has been invited to the Nato summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, later this month, and promised to show extra main points sooner or later.
The former Dutch high minister additionally spoke about the desire for the alliance to undertake extra formidable objectives to organize for brand new, rising threats.
“These targets set out what forces and concrete capabilities every ally needs to provide to strengthen our deterrence and defence. Air and missile defence, long-range weapons, logistics, and large land manoeuvre formations are among our top priorities,” he mentioned.
Britain plans to ramp up supply of drones to Ukraine

Dan Sabbagh
Britain mentioned it will ship 100,000 drones to Ukraine within the yr from 1 April, a tenfold build up from the former yr, forward of Wednesday’s assembly in Brussels of the 57 nation Ukraine touch crew.
It is a part of a £350m spend on drones through the United Kingdom for Ukraine – however whilst the step trade in manufacturing is vital, the determine continues to be considerably under the 4.5m goal that Ukraine has for indigenously manufactured drones in 2025.
The UK mentioned it used to be supplying one-way assault first individual view (FPV) drones, easy bombers that may carry out repeat missions, and new stressed fibre optic drones that have emerged over the last six months, all on a regular basis battlefield guns.
Though it has taken over 3 years of battle to get to the 100,000 determine, additional increments of provide will lend a hand Ukraine in its battle towards Russia. Russia’s personal manufacturing goal is 3m to 4m drones.
Britain additionally mentioned it will spend an extra £247m on coaching Ukrainian troops as a part of Operation Interflex, and that the United Kingdom had delivered 140,000 artillery shells up to now in 2025, sufficient to maintain Kyiv for just about a month on estimated utilization charges.
This yr, Ukraine has set it expects to obtain 3m shells from allies in overall, in addition to generating round 2.5m shells and mortars indigenously. That compares favourably with an estimate given in April through Nato’s most sensible army commander, Gen Christopher Cavoli, who mentioned he anticipated Russia to provide 3m shells this yr.
Although the British contribution of fundamental guns stays a fragment of Ukraine’s overall necessities, through 2025 it is coming near militarily important ranges at a time, in particular along EU allies, elevating the query of whether or not Russia can stay up.
Morning opening: Ukraine Defence Contact Group

Jakub Krupa
A gaggle of 57 international locations, together with all individuals of Nato, serving to Ukraine meets nowadays in Brussels for the most recent spherical of coordination of how one can best possible lend a hand Kyiv in its proceeding struggle towards the Russian invasion.
The assembly comes an afternoon after Ukraine detonated a huge underwater blast that “severely damaged” the bottom of pylons retaining up the illegally constructed Kerch Bridge, which connects the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula of Ukraine to Russia. The signature challenge of Vladimir Putin used to be hit with the identical of greater than a metric tonne of TNT, mentioned Kyiv’s SBU safety provider, write Peter Beaumont and Artem Mazhulin.
But, as Reuters famous, in an indication of the way a long way america has moved in contemporary months underneath Donald Trump, officers mentioned US protection secretary Pete Hegseth gained’t even attend the the Ukraine Defence Contact Group assembly nowadays – although he’s nonetheless coming for a Nato ministerial the following day.
The focal point then shifts to Nato and main European allies, together with Germany and the United Kingdom. I will be able to keep watch over this and produce you the important thing strains from their press meetings this afternoon.
I will be able to additionally carry you key updates from the creating state of affairs within the German town of Cologne, which sees the most important evacuation because the finish of the second one international battle because it offers with the invention of 3 wartime bombs within the town centre, and updates on govt crises within the Netherlands and Poland.
Let’s see what the day brings us.
It’s Wednesday, 4 June 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Live.
Good morning.