La remontada: In case you missed it, Argentina beat England 2-1 in the second of the FIFA World Cup semi-finals last night, scoring both goals after the 85th minute in what was one of the most extraordinary comebacks of the tournament so far. They now face Spain in Sunday's final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Lucy Davalou has this review.
Getting Putin to the table: But first, European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius has told our morning show Europe Today that Ukraine’s successes targeting Russian maritime vessels and energy infrastructure are putting Kyiv in a position of strength – and should hopefully force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
“Such kind of development should be a clear argument for Putin and his surroundings – that he is not able to achieve any significant development in his war aims, and that is the moment when real negotiations on just peace should start,” Kubilius said in an exclusive interview with Euronews’ Angela Skujins. The EU defence tsar also highlighted the need for Europe to continue supporting its neighbour to the east, also to ensure the continent is prepared for potential future aggression.
Kubilius will today participate in the trilogues at the European Parliament regarding military mobility, which is a suite of measures designed to slash red tape and improve infrastructure. The overall aim is to ensure the speedy movement of troops and tanks from one side of the continent to the other in case of wartime.
“I would call it a revolutionary package and, of course, we need that package to be implemented as soon as we can be ready,” he said. Watch.
‘A truly historic step’: This was how Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the EU-Ukraine drone deal signed on Wednesday with President Ursula von der Leyen in Kyiv. The agreement aims to merge Ukraine’s cutting-edge expertise with Europe’s industrial scale to create a drone-making powerhouse.
Speaking of which: during her visit, von der Leyen and her delegation, including our very own Jorge Liboreiro, were briefly taken to an underground shelter after a Russian drone triggered an air raid siren. Watch footage from the moment. Ukrainian forces swiftly shot down the drone, and business returned to normal.
Meanwhile, Brussels is preparing a new €10 billion military package under the €90 billion loan that, for the very first time, will have a dedicated share to the purchase of PAC-3, the Patriot interceptors that Kyiv desperately needs to shoot down Russia’s ballistic missiles. As you know, the loan comes with stringent “Made in Europe” requirements, so a derogation will be needed to allow the procurement of the US-made air defence systems.
Meet me in the middle: Besides drones and missiles, von der Leyen’s visit had a strong flavour of accession. The topic was high on the agenda, as von der Leyen and Zelenskyy pushed to open the remaining clusters of negotiations “as soon as possible”.
The synchrony was much appreciated after their awkward exchange in February, when von der Leyen last visited Kyiv. Back then, Zelenskyy doubled down on his controversial request to secure membership by 2027. A stone-faced von der Leyen did her best to shoot it down.
“This time, nobody said a word about 2027. The date has completely disappeared from the conversation. The focus is now on the clusters,” Jorge tells me as he returns from Kyiv. “Von der Leyen and her team couldn’t be more relieved. For them, setting a date ran roughshod over the ‘merit-based’ process. It was simply untenable.”
A band aid for a deal: EU ambassadors failed once again to agree on the 21st package of sanctions against Russia. To save face and prevent a disastrous revision of the oil price cap, they decided to do a Brussels classic and kick the can down the road. The review was delayed, but only until Thursday next week, to allow ambassadors more time to patch over their differences.
Asked about the impasse, von der Leyen and Zelenskyy struck a conciliatory tone, acknowledging that “compromises” are often needed to find common ground and fulfill the ultimate goal of exhausting Moscow’s war machine
EU sharpens language on China: The EU’s 27 foreign ministers have adopted a paper accusing China and Russia of “reshaping the global order in line with their interests”, the South China Morning Post’s Finbarr Bermingham reports this morning.
The document – written by the EU’s diplomatic arm, the European External Action Service (EEAS), and discreetly adopted by ministers on Monday – contains some of the EU’s sharpest-worded criticism of Beijing to date, accusing China along with Russia of a “return to a sphere-of-influence logic”.
Zelenskyy dismisses Ukraine’s popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, sparking public outrage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov as part of his latest government reshuffle, our correspondent Sasha Vakulina writes in to report, a decision that has triggered an avalanche of criticism towards Zelenskyy and outrage in society.
Fedorov was allegedly dismissed due to clashes with Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi over key reforms and challenges facing Ukraine's military, including mobilisation. He is highly respected in Ukrainian civil society.
Federov was the first to confirm the dismissal, posting on social media “It was a great honour to serve the Ukrainian people as Defence Minister.”
For the first time since the protests over the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs last summer, calls appeared on social media for a peaceful demonstration on Thursday morning to “show the president that we are against constant reshuffles in the government and replacing effective ministers with convenient opportunists”.
The demonstrations are scheduled in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities starting from 9:01 am local time, immediately after the daily nationwide minute of silence commemorating fallen Ukrainian defenders.
In another move that has slipped under the radar amid the defence ministry scandal, Zelenskyy has also nominated Serhii Koretskyi, chief executive of the state‑owned oil and gas company Naftogaz, to be Ukraine’s next prime minister, with parliament scheduled to vote on his candidacy on 16 July.
Sasha has the full story.
More from our newsrooms
EU extends temporary protection for Ukrainians but restricts access for military-age men. Ambassadors of EU countries agreed on Wednesday to extend the temporary protection status granted to Ukrainians fleeing the war until 4 March 2028, but with men aged 23 to 60 excluded from the scheme. Vincenzo Genovese hasthe details.
EU pushes US to exempt €150 billion worth of EU goods from Turnberry deal. Brussels is seeking carve-outs from the 15 percent tariffs imposed by Washington on EU goods under the trade agreement reached in Scotland in 2025. The list, obtained by Euronews, includes iconic products such as Roquefort cheese, olive oil and wine. Peggy Corlin has seen the document, and hasthis write-up.
Why Jared Kushner is crucial in the EU plan for Gaza. On Monday, dozens of Foreign Ministers from all over the world came together to discuss Gaza’s recovery under the auspices of the Palestine Donor Group (PDG). Among them, appearing by video link, was a controversial US businessman who has no official position in the government, but is ultimately running the show. Vincenzo has more.
Former Hungarian foreign minister Szijjártó resigns from parliament to join Chinese carmaker. Péter Szijjártó announced his resignation and details of his new position with the world's largest electric carmaker, China's BYD, on his Facebook page on Wednesday, detailing that he'll be filling an "international executive position". Malek Fouda and Greta Ruffino havethe details.
We're also keeping an eye on
- EU Home Affairs ministers gather for an informal meeting in Dublin, Ireland.
- The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is in Djibouti to visit the EU Aspides mission’s naval operations.
- European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič receives Mr Ömer Bolat, Minister of Trade of Türkiye.
That’s it for today. Angela Skujins, Jorge Liboreiro, Sasha Vakulina and Vincenzo Genovese contributed to this newsletter.
