The Ukrainian news agency ArmyInform reported on June 5 that an unnamed NATO official stated that Russian forces are suffering average casualties of 1,140 soldiers a day, of whom nearly 975 are killed in action - a much higher number of deaths than the standard one-to-three ratio of killed in action.
This is according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The NATO official noted that Russian forces suffered about 160,000 casualties from January to April 2025 and that losses remain high despite a slight decline in May 2025 "due to a slowdown in the pace of hostilities." Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrsky reported on May 13 that Russian forces had suffered around 177,000 casualties since January 1, 2025 (an average of 1,351 per day).
This daily rate is lower than the record high average casualty rate of 1,523 that Russian forces reported for November 2024, but they are still using amounts of manpower that are disproportionate to their insignificant territorial gains.
Ukrainian Deputy Head of Presidential Administration Pavlo Palisa stated on June 4 that Russia had captured only 0.4% of Ukraine's total territory in 2024 and only 0.2% so far in 2025. This is largely consistent with ISW's assessment of Russian progress in 2024 and 2025, respectively. d.
The Kremlin continues its efforts to portray Russia as willing to engage in good faith negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, despite Russia's repeated refusal to offer any concessions. Russian President Vladimir Putin used his first phone call with Pope Leo XIV on June 5 to falsely claim that Ukraine was escalating the war, while Russia was interested in achieving a resolution to the war in Ukraine through "political and diplomatic means".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 5 that Putin had thanked the pope for the Vatican's readiness to contribute to a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Putin did not offer any Russian concessions, nor did he indicate that the Kremlin had backed down from any of its demands on Ukraine, which amounted to a complete surrender of Ukraine.
Instead, Putin told the pope that any potential solution must eliminate the "root causes" of the war, repeating a long-standing Kremlin rhetoric aimed at falsely blaming Ukraine for the Russian invasion. Senior Russian officials have repeatedly identified these root causes as NATO's alleged violation of its obligations not to expand eastward and Ukraine's alleged violations of the rights of Russian-speaking minorities in Ukraine.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on June 3 that Russia was seeking a "quick victory" in Ukraine and the "complete destruction" of the Ukrainian government, indicating that the Kremlin remains uninterested in bona fide peace talks and a short-term resolution to the war that does not meet its demands.
Ukraine's allies and partners continued to provide military assistance to Ukraine during the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine (the Ramstein format) on June 4 and 5. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on June 4 that the Netherlands would provide a €400 million package to strengthen Ukraine's military security.
The package will include over 100 ships, including patrol boats, transport boats, interceptors, and special operations ships; over 50 naval drones; weapons systems; sensors; spare parts; and training for Ukrainian specialists. Luxembourg Defense Minister Yuriko Backes said on June 5 that Luxembourg would increase its military aid to Ukraine by 50 percent by the end of 2025.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on June 4 that Belgium had announced a long-term initiative to provide annual aid of one billion euros until 2029 and that Belgium would transfer a mine clearance ship to Ukraine.
Belgium, Sweden, Italy, Turkey and Estonia have joined the electronic warfare coalition, and Swedish Defense Minister Pál Jónsson said that Sweden would co-chair the coalition with Germany.
Umerov said on June 5 that Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Norway and Iceland would initially contribute 428 million euros (approximately $489 million) to develop the "Danish model", in which Ukraine's partners buy Ukrainian-made weapons for the Ukrainian army, and that Ukraine's partners expect to contribute 1.3 billion euros to the "Danish model" in 2025.
Umerov said that part of the funds would come from profits from frozen Russian assets.
On June 5, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced the launch of a new initiative for joint production of Ukrainian weapons in the Ramstein states, with the aim of supplying the Ukrainian army with weapons and increasing the industrial capacity of the Ramstein states.