Moscow, June 20: The Russian Defence Ministry on Friday stated that its air defences shot down 61 Ukrainian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over several Russian regions overnight.

“On-duty air defences intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles between 8 pm and 7 am. Moscow time, 22 over the Oryol Region, 14 over the Kursk Region, seven over the Belgorod Region, five over the Voronezh Region, three over the Volgograd Region, three over the Rostov Region, three over the Tula Region, three over the Bryansk Region and one over the Moscow Region,” read the statement.

The Voronezh Region Governor, Alexander Gusev mentioned on Telegram that the drones had been destroyed over the city of Voronezh and on the region’s border, adding that there were no casualties or damage as per the preliminary reports.

Bryansk Region Governor Alexander Bogomaz stated that there were no casualties or damage in the region. “Response teams are working on the ground,” Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.

Meanwhile, in an interview with British media outlet Sky News, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has no plans to lose its strategic advantage over Ukraine by agreeing to a ceasefire.

“Now we have a strategic advantage. Why should we lose it? We are not going to lose it. We are going further. We’re advancing and we’ll continue to advance,” he stated.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it will only agree to a ceasefire if Kyiv stops receiving foreign military aid, as any pause in hostilities would allow Ukraine to rearm and regroup its forces.

Stressing that Russia would not take advantage of a potential ceasefire, Peskov said, “A ceasefire is a ceasefire, and you stop.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a “final phase” of negotiations, but again questioned his Ukrainian counterpart’s legitimacy.

“I am even ready to meet him (Zelensky) but only if it is some kind of final phase,” he said at a press conference with foreign media in St. Petersburg.

Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible,” preferably through peaceful means, and is ready to continue negotiations, provided that Kyiv and its Western allies are willing to engage, Putin added.

He also added that he is ready to meet with Zelensky and “Russia does not care who represents Ukraine in negotiations, but insists that any final agreement must bear the signature of legitimate authorities”.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are prepared to resume direct talks after June 22, Putin said.

“I am ready to meet with anyone, including Zelensky,” the Russian leader said. “That is not the issue. If Ukraine entrusts him to negotiate, let it be Zelensky. The real question is: who will sign any resulting documents? We are not dealing with propaganda here; when it comes to serious matters, what matters is not political messaging but legal legitimacy,” he added.

Putin also said that if no peaceful resolution is reached, Russia will pursue its objectives in Ukraine by military means.

“Undoubtedly, if we fail to reach an agreement through peaceful negotiations, we will achieve our goals by military means,” he added.

He reiterated that the aim of Russia’s special military operation is the demilitarisation of Ukraine, depriving it of the capacity to maintain military forces that could endanger Russia.

United Nations, June 20: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for investment in development to prevent conflict.

Prevention is the best cure for instability and conflict. And there is no better preventive measure than investing in development, he told a Security Council open debate on poverty, underdevelopment and conflict.

“Peace is not built in conference rooms. Peace is built in classrooms, in clinics, in communities. Peace is built when people have hope, opportunity and a stake in their future,” he said on Thursday. “Investing in development today means investing in a more peaceful tomorrow.”

He warned that the world is losing ground in this respect, Xinhua news agency reported.

“After decades of steady progress, we’re facing a development emergency. Ten years after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, two-thirds of the targets are lagging,” said Guterres. “And developing countries are being battered and bruised by limited fiscal space, crushing debt burdens and skyrocketing prices.”

The engine of development is sputtering, he said. “We must renew domestic and global commitments to get public and private finance flowing to the areas of greatest need. We need to provide urgent debt relief for countries drowning in unsustainable debt service. And we must reform the global financial architecture to reflect today’s realities and the urgent needs of developing countries.”

The UN chief voiced concern over the vicious cycle of conflict and poverty.

The flames of conflict are too often lit and fed by persistent poverty and growing inequalities, he said. “Time and again, we’ve seen conflict engulfing lives and institutions, wiping out development gains, and uprooting millions of people. At the same time, we’ve seen how poverty, underdevelopment, inequality, injustice, hunger and exclusion can light the fuse of instability and conflict.”

It is no coincidence that nine of the 10 countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators are currently in a state of conflict. Forty per cent of the 700 million people living in extreme poverty live in conflict-affected or fragile settings. And the situation is only getting worse, he said.

Solutions are in short supply because of rampant geopolitical mistrust and divisions. The global economy is slowing, trade tensions are rising and aid budgets are being slashed while military spending soars. If current trends continue, two-thirds of the world’s poor will live in conflict-affected or fragile countries by 2030, warned Guterres.

The message is clear. The farther a country is from sustainable and inclusive development, the closer it is to instability, and even conflict, he said. “Let’s re-commit to the solidarity and multilateral spirit that has defined our organization across eight decades. And let’s ensure that the dividends of peace, prosperity and security are shared by all.”

New York, June 20: US President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether he will order a strike against Iran in the next two weeks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks,” Leavitt read a statement on Thursday, from Trump who responded to speculation about whether the United States would directly get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel.

Iran must agree to no enrichment of uranium, and Tehran must not be able to achieve a nuclear weapon as part of any diplomatic agreement, Leavitt said.

Correspondence between the United States and Iran “has continued” as the two sides engage in negotiations, Leavitt said, echoing earlier Thursday reports that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have talked by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran on Jun 13, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis, media reported.

The talks included a brief discussion of a US proposal for Iran aiming to create a regional consortium that would enrich uranium outside of Iran, which Tehran has so far rejected, local media quoted three diplomats as saying on the condition of anonymity.

Araghchi told Witkoff that Tehran “could show flexibility in the nuclear issue” if the US government pressured Israel to end the war, adding Tehran would not return to negotiations unless Israel stopped the attacks, local media quoted a regional diplomat.

Trump approved attack plans on Iran on Tuesday night, but held off making a final decision in case Iran agrees to abandon its nuclear program, media reported.

Trump has met with his national security team in the Situation Room each day since Tuesday.