A reduction in the number of US soldiers in Eastern Europe would be seen as Washington moving another step closer to Moscow and a worrying sign for Europeans, according to analysts. The NBC news channel, quoting US and European sources, said this week that the US Department of Defense was looking at the withdrawal of 10,000 troops from Europe. President Putin announced billions in investments for the rearmament of his country's navy. "In the next decade, 8.4 trillion roubles [around 97bn] are earmarked for the construction of new boats and ships for the navy," Putin said at a meeting on navy development in Saint Petersburg, according to Russian news agencies. Putin said the navy would develop drone and robot technology, and he claimed that 49 warships of various classes have been built in Russian shipyards in the past five years, including nuclear submarines that can be equipped with new Zircon hypersonic missiles.

Russia launched overnight air attacks on Ukraine's south and east using drones and possibly ballistic missiles, Ukrainian officials said. The southern port of Odesa and the Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions were under threat of Russian drone attacks. Ukraine's air force said it downed 31 out of 36 Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones, all six Kalibr cruise missiles and one reconnaissance drone launched by Russia overnight. Russia's defence ministry said it carried out overnight attacks on two Ukrainian port cities in what it called "a mass revenge strike", a day after an attack on the Crimean Bridge. The ministry said in a statement it struck Odesa and Mykolaiv and hit all targets.

China on Tuesday said it would react "strictly and strongly" should the European Union slap sanctions on Chinese companies accused of selling equipment for Russia to use in its ongoing war against Ukraine. Foreign Minister Qin Gang said China would "take the necessary response to firmly protect the legitimate interests of Chinese companies." German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang address the media during a press conference on May 9, 2023, in Berlin, Germany. Following talks in Berlin with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Qin said Chinese and Russian companies enjoy "normal exchanges and cooperation" which "should not be affected." As first reported Sunday by The Financial Times, the EU has proposed sanctions on Chinese companies accused of selling equipment that could be used in weapons to support Russia's war machine.