Rabia Ali
03 June 2025•Update: 04 June 2025
ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday with, including Ukraine and Russia agreeing on a major exchange of prisoners in a deal reached in Istanbul, the Israeli army killing and injuring dozens of Palestinians in fresh attacks, and South Koreans voting in a snap election to pick a new president.
TOP STORIES
Ukraine and Russia have reached a major agreement in Istanbul to conduct the largest exchange of prisoners and bodies since the war began in February 2022, officials from both sides confirmed following peace talks hosted by Türkiye.
“We agreed on an ‘all-for-all’ exchange of seriously wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war. The second category is young soldiers aged 18 to 25,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said at a press conference.
“We also agreed on the return of 6,000-for-6,000 bodies of dead soldiers,” he added, and reiterated Kyiv’s broader demands, saying: “We insist on the release of all prisoners and the return of all our captives and abducted children.”
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, also confirmed the agreement, and added that Moscow would return the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
The Israeli army killed at least 34 Palestinians and injured dozens of others in fresh attacks in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, medics said.
An Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinians and injured several others after targeting a residential home in central Gaza City, a medical source told Anadolu.
Several victims remain trapped beneath the rubble of the destroyed home. Civil defense teams are working to rescue them, despite having limited resources and equipment.
Israeli fighter jets also struck a home in Jabalia in northern Gaza, killing 16 people, a medical source said.
The attacks came hours after three people lost their lives and 35 others were injured by Israeli fire while heading to receive aid from an Israeli-American established aid distribution site in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
South Koreans headed to the polls in a snap election being held to pick a new president, months after Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office for declaring martial law in the country.
Polling stations opened at 6 am local time (2100GMT Monday) and will close at 8 pm (1100GMT).
Millions of citizens are expected to participate in the day-long voting to choose a new president who will serve a one-time five-year term.
Nearly 29,000 police officers have been deployed across the country, where people will cast their ballots at around 14,295 polling stations.
The early election was triggered by the Dec. 14 impeachment of former President Yoon following his failed attempt to impose martial law on Dec. 3.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Russia handed over to Ukraine the draft of a peace proposal during the second round of talks held in Istanbul, the head of the Russian delegation said, with the proposal divided into two sections – one outlining steps toward achieving a full ceasefire and the other focused on reaching lasting peace.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to hold a summit involving the leaders of Russia and Ukraine as well as the US, turning Istanbul into a "center of peace."
- Former Foreign Minister of Germany Annalena Baerbock was elected president of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, which will begin in September.
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan praised the "constructive atmosphere" of the second Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, saying the “parties built on the points they had agreed upon during the first meeting.”
- Germany said it has approved nearly half a billion euros worth of weapons sales to Israel since October 2023.
- Israel said it is planning to block a ship carrying international activists sailing toward the Gaza Strip to break the Israeli siege on the enclave amid a worsening humanitarian crisis due to Israel’s genocidal war.
- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may dissolve parliament if the opposition submits a no-confidence motion against him, local media reported.
- US President Donald Trump is open to sitting down with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in Türkiye as part of a broader initiative to end the Kremlin's war on its eastern European neighbor, the White House said.
- The UN said more than 40% of dialysis patients in Gaza have died since October 2023 due to Israeli attacks on health facilities or a lack of access as ongoing hostilities and displacement deepen the humanitarian crisis.
- A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck in the Mediterranean Sea, according to Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
- The Boulder attack suspect planned his assault for a year and specifically targeted demonstrators at a "pro-Israel" rally, according to an FBI criminal complaint.
- Students at the University of Cambridge in the UK set up a protest encampment demanding that the educational institution end all investment ties with Israeli companies and firms supporting or supplying arms to Israel.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- EU warns of retaliation over US steel tariff hike
The European Union has expressed deep concern over a decision by the US to double tariffs on steel imports, warning that it may impose retaliatory measures unless a negotiated solution is reached.
In a statement, European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said the EU "strongly regrets" Washington's move to raise tariffs on steel from 25% to 50%, calling it a step that "adds further uncertainty to the global economy and increases costs for consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic."
"The tariff increase also undermines ongoing efforts to reach a negotiated solution," Gill noted, adding that the EU had paused its own countermeasures on April 14 "in good faith" to allow room for continued negotiations with the US.
- Turkish monthly exports hit all-time high of $24.8B in May: Trade minister
Türkiye's exports increased 2.7% year-on-year to reach an all-time monthly record of $24.8 billion in May, Türkiye's Trade Minister Omer Bolat announced.
"Our exports are increasing despite weak demand and tough competition," Bolat said at a press conference in Istanbul.
On a monthly basis, the exports jumped 19.4% from April's $20.8 billion.
Türkiye's imports also rose by 2.1% on an annual basis to $31.3 billion in May.
