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Joe Biden has said the US will defend “literally every inch of NATO” in the face of Russian aggression – as Moscow welcomed China having a more active role in “resolving” the Ukraine war.

The US president has met leaders from the Bucharest Nine – a collection of nations in the most eastern parts of the NATO alliance that came together in response to Putin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

The alliance includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

The countries have expressed concerns that Mr Putin could launch military action against them next if he is successful in Ukraine.

Biden warns freedom is at stake in NATO meeting – follow live updates

“You’re the frontlines of our collective defence,” Mr Biden said of the group.

“And you know, better than anyone, what’s at stake in this conflict. Not just for Ukraine, but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world.”

He pledged that NATO’s mutual-defence pact is “sacred” and that “we will defend literally every inch of NATO”.

Vladimir Putin greets Chinese Communist Party's foreign policy chief Wang Yi in Moscow. Pic: AP
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Vladimir Putin greets China’s foreign policy chief Wang Yi in Moscow. Pic: AP

China’s top diplomat meets Putin in Russia

Meanwhile, Russia has welcomed Beijing taking a more active role in efforts to “resolve” the war after China’s top diplomat Wang Yi met Vladimir Putin in Russia.

Following the meeting, Mr Putin said he was looking forward to a visit to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

No other countries could influence the relationship between China and Russia, he added.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Mr Wang’s trip had shown Moscow and Beijing agreed on many issues.

Ms Zakharova praised China’s “balanced approach” towards the war.

“We welcome China’s readiness to play a positive role in resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” Ms Zakharova said.

Mr Wang was quoted in Russian state media as saying China will “firmly adhere to an objective and impartial position and play a constructive role in the political settlement of the crisis”.

China has refused to criticise the invasion of Ukraine while condemning sanctions imposed on Russia.

In return, Russia has supported China amid tensions with the US over Taiwan.

Russia is due to begin military exercises with China in South Africa on Friday and has sent a frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles.

A Russian officer said Moscow would fire artillery, but not the missiles, whose speed makes them difficult to shoot down.

Putin ‘proud’ of those fighting in Ukraine

The top Chinese diplomat’s visit to Russia came as Mr Putin spoke at a huge rally in Moscow.

He said Russia is “proud of those who are fighting in Ukraine to defend the fatherland”, adding that the “whole country” supports them.

Chants of “Russia, Russia, Russia” were heard around him as he spoke.

Some 200,000 people had gathered in Moscow to hear Mr Putin’s address.

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‘There is a fight on our historic borders’

Biden criticises Russia’s move to pause nuclear treaty cooperation

Meanwhile, Mr Biden said Mr Putin had made a “big mistake” in deciding to suspend participation in the last nuclear treaty between the US and Russia.

He made the comment to reporters as he arrived at the presidential palace in Warsaw for a summit of the Bucharest Nine countries.

Moscow has insisted its decision to pull out of the New START treaty does not raise the risk of nuclear war.

The move is expected to have an immediate impact on US visibility into Russian nuclear activities as it allowed each side to conduct up to 18 inspections of strategic nuclear weapons sites each year.

Biden wants to project strength, resolve and unity


Dominic Waghorn - Diplomatic editor

Dominic Waghorn

International Affairs Editor

@DominicWaghorn

Joe Biden is putting diplomatic weight behind all the fine words and imagery of this week.

The White House says he wants to project strength, resolve and unity. After his surprise trip to Kyiv and passionate rallying cry for freedom in this speech in Warsaw, he is meeting allies.

They want reassurance that the US understands their anxieties and stands with them in the face of renewed Russian aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere.

The meeting of the Bucharest Nine countries on NATO’s eastern flank followed Vladimir Putin’s ominous speech in Moscow.

He delivered another perverse view of history, saying NATO started the war, then announced Russia’s suspension from the START nuclear arms treaty in a major blow for nuclear arms reduction efforts.

The move is being seen in western capitals as more nuclear bullying by the Russian president as the war enters another year.

Joe Biden condemned the move as a mistake before meeting his central European allies.

The treaty also imposes a cap on the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia can deploy.

Russia has said it is not withdrawing from the pact altogether and would respect the caps on nuclear weapons set under the treaty.

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“I do not believe that the decision to suspend the New START Treaty brings us closer to nuclear war,” deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to the Interfax news agency.

Despite the foreign minister’s comments, Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev said the world was “on the verge of a global conflict”.

“If the US wants Russia’s defeat, we have the right to defend ourselves with any weapons, including nuclear,” he wrote.

Speaking of Russia decision to pause its cooperation in the New START treaty, Mr Biden said: “It’s a big mistake.”

The remark, and his promise that the US would protect eastern NATO territory, came a day after he gave a highly-anticipated speech in the gardens of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Mr Biden warned that Russian aggression, if unchecked, wouldn’t stop at Ukraine’s borders. “Appetites of the autocrat cannot be appeased,” he said. “They must be opposed.”

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‘Putin left with his forces in disarray’

He also met Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Warsaw, who last week claimed Moscow was behind a plot to overthrow her country’s government using external saboteurs.

She spoke out after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country had intercepted plans by Russian secret services to destroy Moldova. Those claims were later confirmed by Moldovan intelligence officials.

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the right-wing populist leader who argued last week that the European Union is partly to blame for prolonging Russia’s war in Ukraine, skipped the Bucharest Nine meeting with Mr Biden.

President Katalin Novak attended instead.

‘We must break the cycle of Russian aggression’

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who attended the meeting, said: “We don’t know when the war will end, but when it does, we need to ensure that history does not repeat itself.”

Pointing to past Russian actions in Georgia and Ukraine, he said: “We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security. We must break the cycle of Russian aggression.”

Meanwhile, Kyiv has said there can be no talk of peace with Russian troops in Ukraine.

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Two dead and hundreds of arrests across France after PSG’s Champions League win

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Two dead and hundreds of arrests across France after PSG's Champions League win

Two people are dead and nearly 560 people were arrested after disorder broke out in France following Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the Champions League final, the French interior ministry has said.

The ministry added 192 people were injured and there were 692 fires, including 264 involving vehicles.

A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the city of Dax during a PSG street party after Saturday night’s final in Munich, the national police service said.

The second person killed was a man who was hit by a car while riding a scooter during PSG celebrations, the interior minister’s office said.

Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez has said the man was in his 20s and although the incident is still being investigated, it appears his death was linked to the disorder.

Meanwhile, French authorities have reported that a police officer is in a coma following the clashes.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Final - Paris St Germain fans gather in Paris - Paris, France - May 31, 2025 A burning bike is seen on
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A burning bike on the Champs Elysees during the disorder. Pic: Reuters

The officer had been hit by a firecracker that emerged from a crowd of supporters in Coutances in the Manche department of northwestern France, according to reports in the country.

Initial investigations reportedly suggest the incident was accidental and the police officer was not deliberately targeted.

The perpetrator has not been identified.

A man walks past teargas during incidents after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan. Pic: AP
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A man walks past teargas during incidents after the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan. Pic: AP

Soccer Football - Champions League - Final - Paris St Germain fans gather in Paris - Paris, France - May 31, 2025 A burning bike is seen on
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A burning bike on the Champs Elysees during the disorder. Pic: Reuters

The interior ministry earlier said 22 security forces workers were injured during the chaos – including 18 who were injured in Paris, along with seven firefighters.

In a news conference today, Mr Nuñez said only nine of the force’s officers had been injured in the French capital.

He added that fireworks were directed at police and firefighters were attacked while responding to car fires.

There were 559 arrests across the country during the disorder, including 491 in Paris. Of those detained across the country, 320 were taken into police custody – with 254 in the French capital.

Mr Nuñez said although most people wanted to celebrate PSG’s win, some only wanted to get involved in fights with police.

He also said the force is only at “half-time” in its response because the PSG team will be celebrating their Champions League victory on the Champs Élysées later today.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Final - Paris St Germain fans gather in Paris - Paris, France - May 31, 2025 Riot police on the Champs
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Police in Paris during the disorder. Pic: Reuters

Soccer Football - Champions League - Final - Paris St Germain fans gather in Paris - Paris, France - May 31, 2025 Riot police on the Champs
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Police in Paris during the disorder. Pic: Reuters

Mr Nuñez said that the police presence and military presence in Paris will be increased on the ground for the parade.

It comes after flares and fireworks were set off in the French capital after PSG beat Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich – the biggest ever victory in a Champions League final.

Around 5,400 police were deployed across Paris after the game, with officers using tear gas and pepper spray on the Champs Élysées.

A man runs away from teargas during incidents on the Champs Elysees avenue after PSG won the Champions League. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Fireworks explode over police in Paris after PSG win the Champions League. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

At the top of the Champs Élysées, a water cannon was used to protect the Place de l’Etoile, near the landmark Arc de Triomphe.

Police said a large crowd not watching the match tried to push through a barrier to make contact with officers.

Some 131 arrests were made, including 30 who broke into a shoe shop on the Champs Élysées.

Police have said a total of four shops, including a car dealership and a barbers, were targeted during the disorder in Paris.

Two cars were set alight close to Parc des Princes, police said.

PSG forward Ousmane Dembélé appealed for calm in a post-match interview with Canal+, saying: “Let’s celebrate this but not tear everything up in Paris.”

A PSG supporter on a traffic sign in Paris while red flares are set off after the team won the Champions League. Pic: AP
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Pics: AP

PSG supporters invade a street in Paris after the team won the Champions League. Pic: AP

After the final played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, thousands of supporters also tried to rush the field.

Police lined up in front of the PSG end of the stadium at the final whistle, but struggled to contain the fans for several minutes when they came down from the stands following the trophy presentation.

PSG fans rush the field at Allianz Arena in Munich after the team win the Champions League. Pic: AP
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Pics: AP

Police try to contain PSG fans on the field at Allianz Arena in Munich. Pic: AP

Désiré Doué, the 19-year-old who scored two goals and assisted one in the final, said after the game: “I don’t have words. But what I can say is, ‘Thank you Paris,’ we did it.”

Despite being a supporter of PSG’s rivals Olympique de Marseille, French President Emmanuel Macron also said on social media: “A glorious day for PSG!

“Bravo, we are all proud. Paris, the capital of Europe this evening.”

Mr Macron’s office said the president would receive the players at the Elysee Palace on Sunday.

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Hamburg hospital fire kills three as people call for help from windows

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Hamburg hospital fire kills three as people call for help from windows

Three patients have been killed and dozens of other people were reportedly injured after a fire at a hospital in Germany.

The blaze broke out in a room in the geriatric ward of the Marienkrankenhaus early on Sunday.

It started on the ground floor and spread to the level above, with smoke affecting much of the four-storey building in the city of Hamburg.

Firefighters were alerted soon after midnight.

They said they found several patients calling for help from windows, and some people were rescued using ladders.

Fire at the Marienkrankenhaus hospital. Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Hospital fire. Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

Three adults died and more than 30 were injured in the fire, the German news agency dpa said.

One of the injured is in a life-threatening condition, while 18 have serious injuries and 15 have minor injuries, the agency added.

Read more from Sky News:
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Part of the building had to be evacuated, though the wounded were mostly treated at the hospital.

Two injured people were taken to other nearby clinics.

The blaze was put out within about 20 minutes. The cause is not yet known.

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At least 26 people killed in Israeli attack near aid distribution site, Gaza health ministry says

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At least 26 people killed in Israeli attack near aid distribution site, Gaza health ministry says

At least 26 people have been killed near an aid distribution centre in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry.

Earlier, a nearby hospital run by the Red Cross reported that at least 21 people had been killed. The hospital, which has been receiving bodies and the wounded, also said another 175 people had been injured.

Witnesses said the deaths came after Israeli forces opened fire at a roundabout near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub, a new aid organisation backed by Israel and the US.

However, Palestinian and Hamas-linked media have attributed the deaths it has reported on to an Israeli airstrike.

It is not yet clear if eyewitnesses and Hamas-affiliated media are giving different accounts of the same incident.

Sky News has contacted the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for comment.

Witnesses tell of shooting

The area where the reported shooting took place is controlled by Israeli forces.

Ibrahim Abu Saoud, an eyewitness, said Israeli forces opened fire at people moving toward the aid distribution centre.

“There were many martyrs, including women,” the 40-year-old man said. “We were about 300 metres away from the military.”

Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene. “We weren’t able to help him,” he said.

Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and another woman as they were heading to the hub.

He said his cousin was shot in his chest and died at the scene. Many others were wounded, including his brother-in-law, he said.

“They opened heavy fire directly toward us,” he said as he was waiting outside the Red Cross field hospital for word on his wounded relative.

Palestinians arrived to collect aid from a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub in Rafah last week. File pic: Reuters
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Palestinians arrived to collect aid from a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub in Rafah last week. File pic: Reuters

Controversial new aid system

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) operates as part of a controversial aid system which Israel and the US says is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance.

Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred.

The foundation’s distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.

UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.

Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded, according to local health officials.

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From 31 May: Moment Israeli warplane strikes Gaza

GHF says aid distributed ‘without incident’

The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites did not fire on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions.

The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the hospital’s claims.

In an earlier statement, it said it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early on Sunday “without incident”. It dismissed what it referred to as “false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos”.

Meanwhile, the UN’s aid system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its total blockade of the territory last month.

Those groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza’s roughly two million Palestinians.

Experts have warned that the Palestinian territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in.

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From 29 May: Meet Gaza’s paramedics

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251.

They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants.

The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory, displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid.

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