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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived on Saturday at a gathering of top security officials in Singapore. (AP video by Syawalludin Zain )

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US would continue to adapt and adjust to the military situation in Ukraine, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the go-ahead to use American munitions to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv. "Over the past few weeks, Ukraine came to us and asked for the authorisation to use weapons that we provided to defend against this aggression, including against Russian forces that are massing on the Russian side of the border and then attacking into Ukraine," Blinken told journalists in Prague where he was attending a NATO summit. AP video shot by Stanislav Hodina

STORY: :: Ukrainian prisoners of war are released in the first exchange with Russia in months :: May 31, 2024 :: Undisclosed location, Ukraine :: Nataliia Manuilova, released female soldier :: “I am glad to be back in my land, in my beloved Ukraine. Thank you!” :: “I used to live in my beloved Ukraine. I love Ukraine. They took everything I had. Thank God I have my son and my sister. Thank you very much! I cannot believe it.” :: “How come you are so tall now?” :: "I don’t have any emotions yet. But I am certain that I am already home.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said 75 Ukrainian prisoners had been returned from Russia. They included four civilians while the rest were members of the military. Russia's Defense Ministry said Ukraine handed over 75 people, RIA news agency reported. Ukrainian officials said they brought back 19 defenders of Snake Island, a tiny rocky outcrop in the Black Sea that became a symbol of Ukrainian defiance in the first days of the war when Ukrainian guards refused to surrender to Russian forces. Ukraine's Coordinating Committee on Dealing with Prisoners of War said that as a part of the swap, the bodies of 212 Ukrainians were handed over by Russia.

STORY: :: 'We have the right to help Ukraine uphold the right to self-defense,' says NATO's Stoltenberg :: May 31, 2024 :: Prague, Czech Republic :: Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General :: "Ukraine has the right for self-defense, we have the right to help Ukraine uphold the right to self-defense, and that does not make NATO allies party to the conflict. That was the case back in February 2022, that was the case last year and that remains the case. And escalation - well, Russia has escalated by invading another country, and Russia has escalated just last weeks by opening a new front, where they are hitting Ukraine from inside Russia. And of course, to assume that Ukraine should not hit back is in no way reasonable, because Ukraine must be able to defend their territory, also by hitting the artillery, the missiles, which are launched against them." The talks in Prague will focus on hammering out the details of a Ukraine support package, meant to be agreed at NATO's Washington summit July 9-11, that will also include changes to the way weapons and ammunition supplies are organised. NATO ministers are also expected to address what is seen as the latest shift in Western support for Ukraine, with several allies lifting restrictions that banned Kyiv from using donated weapons to strike targets inside Russia - a move that Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West against.

President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to utilize U.S.-provided munitions against military targets in only a limited area of Russia to avoid sparking a wider conflict with the West.

Col. Oleksandr Bakulin sat down for an exclusive interview with ABC News' foreign correspondent James Longman.

STORY: "We are very grateful to our partners, that they are helping, but this is happening so slow." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Monday that his Western allies are taking too long to make key decisions on sending military support to Ukraine. "Every decision takes ages. We arrive at this decision later on, but it's like one year too late." Zelenskiy also said he was pushing Western partners to get more directly involved in the war by helping to intercept Russian missiles and to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons against enemy military equipment at the border and further inside Russian territory. "I'm sure we can have a proper dialogue and we can reach the consensus [regarding] the long-range missiles to hit the weapons of Russians located alongside the Ukrainian border. I believe we will reach this decision. Because the same happened with giving us tanks and armored vehicles, Patriots, right?" The United States has resisted Ukrainian calls to use its missiles against internationally recognized Russian territory, reflecting concerns in the West about the risk of escalation. "Everybody is afraid of escalation. So Ukrainians are dying. Well, everybody got used to that. That's not escalation." Zelenskiy's remarks come at a perilous time for his forces. They are outnumbered and outgunned by Russia's army, which recently crossed the border into the city of Kharkiv. Zelenskiy acknowledged Ukraine was losing territory in the northeast but he said the situation on the battlefield had improved. "Today the situation is controlled. A week ago it was more difficult." The United States finally passed a bill to provide military aid to Ukraine in late April, but it had been held up for months by opposition from some Republicans in Congress. Zelenskiy said he didn't see big risks to future aid if Republican Donald Trump, a Ukraine aid skeptic, wins the November election, but that didn't mean there were no concerns. "Both parties supported this package, which is why I wouldn't say that as of today I don't see some maximal risks. I don't believe that Republicans are against support for Ukraine, but some messages we can hear from them, well, they are causing concerns, in any case."