Russia said it destroyed the Ukrainian warship Yuriy Olefirenko (pictured). (Source: Mil.gov.ua)

* On May 31, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said: "The last warship of the Ukrainian Navy, Yuriy Olefirenko, was destroyed at the warship's anchorage in the port of Odessa." He confirmed that on May 29, "high-precision weapons" of Russia hit this ship, but did not give details. Ukraine has not commented on this information yet.

Earlier, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said a counterattack could begin in the next few days.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been planning a counterattack for months, but Kiev wants as much time as possible to train its troops and receive military equipment from the West, according to a key figure in President Volodymyr Zelensky's cabinet.

* On the same day, the Financial Times (UK) quoted sources as saying: "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made it clear to NATO leaders that he will not attend the Vilnius summit without specific security guarantees and a roadmap for joining (the alliance)."

Earlier, speaking to his NATO counterparts, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the bloc to ensure Ukraine’s security on its path to joining the alliance. In addition, according to him, the summit in July should strengthen institutional ties between Ukraine and the military organization.

* In related news, on May 31, a German government spokesman announced that Berlin believes Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory are "legitimate under international law".

However, on the same day, US National Security Council Strategic Coordinator John Kirby said that the US does not encourage attacks inside Russia because it does not want the conflict to escalate. According to him, Ukraine has assured that it will not use weapons provided by the US to attack inside Russian territory.

However, he also affirmed that Kiev has the right to self-defense and that after the weapons are transferred to Ukraine, the country will have full use of these assets.

According to CNN , the conflict is witnessing a new turn with drone attacks and artillery shelling taking place inside Russia's borders.

* Also in his speech, Mr. Kirby said the US will provide Ukraine with a new military aid package worth 300 million USD, including missiles and additional ammunition for air defense systems.

“This package will provide Ukraine with additional ammunition for the Patriot air defense systems that are already in service, new Avenger systems, Stinger MANPADS and, of course, ammunition for HIMARS,” the official said.

* Also on May 31, speaking at the opening session of the NATO Conference in Oslo, Norway, host country Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said that all NATO allies agreed that Ukraine must join the alliance. According to her, Ukraine's accession to NATO is now just a matter of form and when, with the final decision coming from Kiev and the bloc's members.

In addition, the Norwegian diplomat also said that all NATO members must increase both military and civilian support for Ukraine. On the Oslo side, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt emphasized that the country decided to contribute a support package worth 7 billion Euros and this package will be allocated to Ukraine over 5 years.

* Hurriyet (Turkey) on May 31 quoted a source saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky will visit Turkey and meet with their counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the presidential inauguration.

Several foreign heads of state have confirmed that they will attend Erdogan’s inauguration on June 3. Hurriyet stressed that Putin will make a “private and special” visit to Turkey, before Zelensky will meet his counterpart Erdogan.

At these meetings, the parties will discuss the developments of the conflict and the Black Sea Initiative on grain transportation through the safe corridor.