Russia launched fresh missile strikes on Kyiv in the early hours today, triggering fires and injuring at least two people, officials said. It was the third round of attacks on the Ukrainian capital this week.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strikes caused a fire in a storage area and a non-residential building in two areas on either side of the Dnipro river. The attacks left two people injured, one of whom required treatment in hospital, and prompted an air raid alert that lasted for about an hour.
Earlier, a missile strike in the southern port city of Odesa injured 10 people, eight of whom needed to be taken to hospital, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
The latest strikes came as Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his plea to join Nato at a gathering of the group's leaders in Ankara, Turkey. The Ukrainian president, who was expected to meet Donald Trump later today, said his war-torn country “belongs in Nato”.
He also said that Europe needed to ram up anti-ballistic missile production “urgently”.
Key Points
- Two injured in missile attack on Ukrainian capital Kyiv
- Zelensky says Nato should let Ukraine join to ‘make all of us stronger’
- Watch: Russia launches fresh strikes on Odesa, injuring six
- Monaco bombing suspect found dead in Ukraine
UK general to take over key Nato command as alliance rebalances towards Europe
05:25 , Arpan Rai
A British general has been appointed to a key Nato command as the alliance shifts to a more European focus under pressure from Donald Trump.
Lieutenant General Nick Perry will take over Nato’s US-based Joint Forces Command (JFC) in Norfolk, Virginia, in September.
He will be the first British officer to command JFC Norfolk, a role usually undertaken by an American, and will be responsible for Nato’s operations in the High North and the Arctic, where the UK’s Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed.
The switch comes as European allies take over more leadership roles within the alliances, with Italy assuming command of JFC Naples and Germany and Poland sharing leadership of a third JFC in Brunssum, in the Netherlands.
The announcement of Lt Gen Perry’s appointment on Tuesday came as Sir Keir Starmer arrived in Ankara, Turkey, for a Nato summit set to be dominated by further rows about defence spending and questions about America’s commitment to the alliance.
Zelensky says Nato should let Ukraine join to ‘make all of us stronger’
05:03 , Arpan Rai
President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a fresh appeal for Ukraine to be allowed to join the alliance, saying Ukrainian armed forces are highly experienced and would only boost Nato’s defence capabilities.
“I have a question for you. Do you really believe it? Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside Nato, a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?” Zelensky said, addressing the alliance’s leaders at the Nato’s defence industry forum.
“If we already have these capabilities, if Ukrainians already know how to fight like this, then it does make sense for these capabilities to become a part of the alliance’s collective defence that would make all of us stronger,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky, who is expected to meet with Donald Trump in Ankara today, highlighted Ukraine’s adaptability and its ability to strike deep inside Russia, hit Moscow’s oil refineries and other energy targets.
He said Ukraine’s armed forces are “eliminating” on an average 30,000 Russian troops every month.
Watch: Russia launches fresh strikes on Odesa, injuring six
04:33 , Arpan Rai
Monaco bombing suspect found dead in Ukraine
04:13 , Arpan Rai
The woman suspected of trying to kill a Ukrainian business tycoon in a bombing attack in Monaco last week was found dead in Ukraine with gunshot wounds to the head, Ukraine’s Security Service said.
A Ukrainian military intelligence officer confessed to killing the bombing suspect, Anastasiia Berezovska, with the help of a former law enforcement officer, said the security service, known as the SBU.
The military intelligence officer said he acted on his own and without the knowledge of his superiors, the SBU said.
Both men were detained on suspicion of murdering Berezovska, a Ukrainian national whose last known residence was in Germany, according to authorities.
They also “may have been involved in planning” last week's bombing, Monaco prosecutor Stéphane Thibault said late Tuesday.
Authorities have not disclosed possible motives for the bombing attack, or the killing of Berezovska.
Based on the sophistication of the remote-controlled explosive device that was used, investigators in Monaco said last week that they believed multiple people were involved in the attack.
The bombing attack at an apartment building entrance in Monaco reportedly injured Vadym Yermolaiev, a tycoon with links to Russia. A woman and a child who were with him were also injured, and the Monaco prosecutor said last week that one of the victims was in a life-threatening condition.
The attack shocked Monaco, a coastal playground for the rich and famous known for its tax-friendly incentives, royal family and Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Zelensky confirms Ukraine's 'drone deals' with three countries at Nato summit
04:02 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine has signed three more "drone deals" with Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands, making available its expertise gained from more than four years of war with Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky announced the deals in posts on social media on the sidelines of the Nato summit in the Turkish capital Ankara and said that Kyiv had now clinched nine such accords.
Zelensky has pointed to Ukraine's need to boost defences against Russian ballistic missiles after two attacks on the Ukrainian capital in the past week. At least 19 people died in Kyiv in the latest assault on Monday.
In announcing the deal with Denmark, Zelensky said the agreement "opens up greater opportunities for joint defence production, the exchange of expertise, and transparency in weapons exports".
He said Denmark had been the first country to offer joint production in Ukraine "and it is absolutely fair that Denmark will now have access to Ukrainian exports of weapons tested in war".
In a post on X at the end of the first day of meetings, Zelensky said Ukraine "rightfully belongs here" and repeated that Kyiv's main aim at the gathering was to "secure more air defence and stronger diplomatic positions”.
Two injured in missile attack on Ukrainian capital Kyiv
03:54 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine's capital Kyiv came under a Russian missile attack in the early hours today, triggering fires and injuring at least two people, mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Klitschko said strikes in the capital had caused a fire in a storage area and a non-residential building in two areas on either side of the Dnipro River.
Two people were injured, with one requiring treatment in hospital.
The air alert lasted for about an hour.
A missile strike in the southern port of Odesa earlier in the evening injured 10 people, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. Eight were being treated in hospital.
South Korea to provide $100m in aid for Ukraine
03:47 , Arpan Rai
South Korea will provide a package of aid to Ukraine worth $100m that excludes any lethal weapons, a senior South Korean official said late on Tuesday.
The official was speaking in Ankara where South Korean president Lee Jae Myung is attending the Nato summit.
Ukrainian midrange drones reshape the battlefield by targeting Russian supply lines
03:00 , Holly Evans
Through the grainy gray-and-white haze of thermal images streamed from a drone, Ukrainian pilots watch the roads that keep Russian forces supplied, hunting for targets with a fleet of midrange drones that is reshaping the battlefield.
In a basement command post in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, hundreds of kilometers from the drone over Russian-held territory, pilots wait for movement. When a vehicle appears, they will nudge the controller, sending the aircraft diving toward its target to disrupt Russian supplies deep behind the front.
“Our mission is to cut logistics,” said Kat, commander of Ukraine’s K-2 brigade, which fires midrange drones. “Cut off their supply lines, and the infantry on the front line have no food, no ammunition, no night vision, no batteries. Nothing. That’s how we’re wearing them down in every sense.”
Read the full article here:
Ukrainian midrange drones reshape the battlefield by targeting Russian supply lines
Suspect in Monaco bombing that injured Ukrainian oligarch found shot dead near Kyiv
02:00 , Holly Evans
A Ukrainian woman suspected of being behind the bomb attack on Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev has been found shot dead near Kyiv, Ukrainian prosecutors said.
The body of Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, was discovered at around 11pm local time on Monday (9pm BST), law enforcement sources told Ukrainska Pravda.
Prosecutors said they also detained an employee of Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR), who said he killed the woman together with another suspect – reported to be a law enforcement officer.
Read the full article here:
Suspect in Monaco bombing that injured Ukrainian oligarch found shot dead near Kyiv
The countries that spend the most on Nato - and who needs to do more
01:00 , Holly Evans
Europe finds itself in an increasingly precarious position amid the ongoing threat posed by Vladimir Putin and the withdrawal of US military support - and data suggests that defence spending has not kept up.
The dual risk posed by a belligerent Russia and a disengaged Washington has underlined the need to develop the continent’s military independence, European allies have said.
Nato chief Mark Rutte has insisted that “Europeans are already backfilling what the US cannot any longer promise” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Read the full article here:
The countries that spend the most on Nato - and who needs to do more
UK ‘under daily attack’ from Russia, Starmer’s military adviser warns
Wednesday 8 July 2026 00:00 , Holly Evans
The UK is “under daily attack” from Russia and needs to wake up to the threat following “profoundly dangerous” defence spending delays, Sir Keir Starmer's military advisers have warned.
Lord Robertson and Sir Richard Barrons, two of the authors of Sir Keir’s strategic defence review, sounded the alarm as they gave evidence to MPs on the defence select committee.
Sir Keir is expected to come under pressure from Donald Trump to make further commitments on defence at the Nato summit in Ankara, which begins on Tuesday.
Read the full article here:
UK needs to ‘wake up’ to threats from Russia, Starmer’s military adviser warns
Russia attacks Kyiv with missiles
Tuesday 7 July 2026 23:16 , Holly Evans
Ukraine's capital Kyiv came under a Russian missile attack early on Wednesday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Klitschko, writing on Telegram, said strikes in the attack had triggered fires in two districts. There was no immediate indication of casualties or damage.
Protesters march peacefully against NATO in Istanbul
Tuesday 7 July 2026 23:00 , Holly Evans
Thousands of protestors from leftist, pro-Palestinian and Kurdish parties in central Istanbul marched against the NATO summit being held in Ankara Tuesday, chanting, "Murderer, USA, get out of our country."
"We are here to protest the hosting in Ankara — at a cost of millions of dollars — of NATO, an organization we regard as a massacre machine established to preserve global hegemony," said Ali Gültekin, 21.
Günça Aydn, 42, a spokesperson for the leftist Red Party, said that leftist groups faced intense pressure from the government ahead of the summit.
"Hundreds of our friends have been detained, but we continue to speak out, saying that NATO is a coalition of what we regard as killers and imperialist powers," Aydn insists.
The protest ended peacefully and without arrests.
Earlier Tuesday, police broke up a small demonstration in Ankara, where protests were banned during the NATO summit, and arrested about 20 people.
NATO leaders dine on sea bass, beef, dumplings and baklava
Tuesday 7 July 2026 22:00 , Holly Evans
The White House shared details of the menu for the dinner, which had a first course of flatbread and a honeycomb.
It was followed by vegetables and yogurt, traditional dumplings and a choice of sea bass or beef.
Dessert was Baklava with milk, a pistachio foam and traditional Turkish Maras ice cream.
Trump gave a thumbs-up as he walked the blue carpet past a military honor guard to meet Erdogan and his wife who waited at the top of some stairs for him.
US establishes energy framework with Japan and Korea on sidelines of NATO summit
Tuesday 7 July 2026 21:00 , Holly Evans
The trilateral cooperation agreement was agreed to by Secretary Marco Rubio and his Korean and Japanese counterparts on the margins of the summit to "advance our mutual security interests and paves the way for partner countries to meet their energy security needs," the US State Department announced in a press release Tuesday.
The memorandum of understanding between the three countries is aimed at accelerating deployment of advanced nuclear reactors in other countries, initially focusing on the Indo-Pacific region.
The release said the US is also committing more than $10 million in new funding for a State Department program aimed at providing technical support to relevant countries.
Nato allies will be ‘disturbed’ by UK’s defence investment plan, ex-chief says
Tuesday 7 July 2026 20:30 , Holly Evans
“A sunny place for shady people” is how the English writer William Somerset Maugham described Monaco, the tiny Mediterranean principality that was once perceived as glamorous but is now tainted by money laundering, murder, and, most recently, a parcel bomb meant for a sanctioned Ukrainian-born oligarch.
The latest scandal to envelop Monaco reads like a bad thriller. Vadym Yermolaiev, who is linked with various dodgy business dealings in Russia before he became a Cypriot resident, was the victim of a parcel bomb planted in the foyer of his apartment building in the district of La Rousse. The homemade device was deposited minutes before it struck him and his mistress (who, according to French media, lost both her legs) and their 13-year-old son. All are currently in hospital. Interpol named a 39-year-old woman from Ukraine, Anastasiia Berezovska, as the suspect.
She has now been found shot dead in Kyiv, according to a Ukrainska Pravda report. The report says that two individuals have been detained in connection with the case. One is an active officer of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, while the other is a former law enforcement officer.
Read the full analysis here:
Russian deals and a Ukrainian hit job: Inside Monaco’s darkest chapter
Nato allies will be ‘disturbed’ by UK’s defence investment plan, ex-chief says
Tuesday 7 July 2026 20:00 , Holly Evans
Britain’s allies will be “disturbed” by the UK’s defence investment plan – and relations between Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump at the Nato summit “may well be quite frosty”, Lord Robertson has said.
The former Labour defence secretary and key Government adviser said lengthy delays to the now-published blueprint for future-proofing the UK’s armed forces would have “dismayed” partners in the military bloc.
Meanwhile, General Sir Richard Barrons – who with Lord Robertson co-authored a major review which informs the plan – suggested the new government needed to act before recess to speed up delivery by engaging with the City to unlock private sector support.
The two men appeared alongside one another on Tuesday for an evidence session of the Commons Defence Committee, where they were questioned about delays to the defence investment plan (Dip).
The Dip was meant to deliver the vision set out in Lord Robertson and Sir Richard’s strategic defence review (SDR) and was originally due last year, but it was published last week after wrangling within Government over the amount of funding required to fund the military.
Lord Robertson, a former Nato secretary general, told MPs: “I think our allies are dismayed at how long it has taken to go from the SDR, which they thought was brilliantly, brilliantly done and an ideal model designed to inspire them as well as to intimidate our enemies, and therefore the delay in putting the flesh on the bones of that, I think, would have confused them as well.
“So, the Prime Minister is in Ankara today at the Nato summit and he’ll be sitting tomorrow morning beside President Trump in alphabetical order around the North Atlantic Council table, and I think relations may well be quite frosty, and the allies round the table, who are all stepping up to the mark, and who are all now spending more on defence, and of course some of the bigger countries, like Germany and Poland, are spending considerably more than we are spending.
“I think the delay and the reality will have disturbed and made uncomfortable a lot of our allies who have expected more of the United Kingdom, given that we have always claimed to have a leading role in Nato.”
UK general to take over key Nato command as alliance rebalances towards Europe
Tuesday 7 July 2026 19:30 , Holly Evans
A British general has been appointed to a key Nato command as the alliance shifts to a more European focus under pressure from Donald Trump.
Lieutenant General Nick Perry will take over Nato’s US-based Joint Forces Command (JFC) in Norfolk, Virginia, in September.
He will be the first British officer to command JFC Norfolk, a role usually undertaken by an American, and will be responsible for Nato’s operations in the High North and the Arctic, where the UK’s Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed.
The switch comes as European allies take over more leadership roles within the alliances, with Italy assuming command of JFC Naples and Germany and Poland sharing leadership of a third JFC in Brunssum, in the Netherlands.
The announcement of Lt Gen Perry’s appointment on Tuesday came as Sir Keir Starmer arrived in Ankara, Turkey, for a Nato summit set to be dominated by further rows about defence spending and questions about America’s commitment to the alliance.
‘You’re not going to have a Europe anymore’: Trump commandeers Erdogan’s Turkey Q&A and warns NATO over immigration
Tuesday 7 July 2026 19:00 , Maira Butt
President Donald Trump on Tuesday lashed out at Nato members as he threatened to pull American troops from Europe over the high levels of non-white immigration to European countries.
The president was nearing the tail-end of a marathon press conference alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he was asked about negotiations over whether the Danish territory Greenland could be “given” to the United States — something Greenlandic and Danish authorities have rejected.
He told reporters that the Greenland row, which nearly blew up last year’s Nato summit, had “hurt my relationship with Nato” and claimed Denmark “doesn’t help Greenland.”
The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg reports:
Trump commandeers Erdogan’s Turkey Q&A and warns NATO over immigration
UK and the Netherlands sign new $3.2 billion maritime partnership
Tuesday 7 July 2026 18:52 , Holly Evans
British and Dutch forces will be equipped with new amphibious transport ships under a £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) maritime partnership signed on Tuesday, the British government said.
"Combining the UK's industrial expertise with The Netherlands’ design and sea-faring experience to deliver first-rate platforms for our elite amphibious forces, this partnership will strengthen NATO," Prime Minister Keir Starmer - who is attending the NATO summit in Turkey - said in the statement.
US tells Nato that spending must increase ‘immediately’ or alliance will face consequences
Tuesday 7 July 2026 18:00 , Maira Butt
The Trump administration has warned that Nato allies must step up defence spending “immediately” or face the consequences ahead of a summit with the military alliance this week.
Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato, said on Sunday that some partners were “doing more than others”, and that president Donald Trump expects all to “step up” and honour their commitments.
“Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way,” he said.
“But many others are lagging behind, and President Trump expects all allies to step up immediately and not only get on a sustainable path to the 5 per cent [of GDP spent on defence] but to get to 5 per cent as soon as possible.”
Nato leaders will meet in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday to review progress made since last year and talk through pressing topics from defence investment to support for Ukraine.
James C Reynolds reports:
US tells Nato to increase spending ‘immediately’ or face consequences
Nato backs Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes to force Putin to negotiate, says Finnish PM
Tuesday 7 July 2026 17:00 , Maira Butt
Nato leaders back Ukraine’s campaign of long-range strikes deep inside Russia as it looks to pressure Moscow back into negotiations, Finnish president Alexander Stubb has said.
Kyiv is in the “best” position it has been in since the war began and Ukraine’s long distance strikes on Russian oil and military infrastructure have changed US strategic thinking on the war, significantly strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position, Mr Stubb told the Financial Times.
“I think that [all Nato leaders] understand why Ukraine is doing this,” he said, speaking on the eve of the Nato leaders’ summit in Ankara. “Everyone believes that we need to continue to increase the pressure.”
Alex Croft reports:
Nato backs Ukraine’s long-range strikes to force Putin to negotiate, says Finnish PM
Ukraine steps up strikes on Russian 'shadow fleet' tankers
Tuesday 7 July 2026 16:30 , Maira Butt
Ukrainian drones have attacked a dozen tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet" over the past two days that were delivering fuel to Crimea, Kyiv's military said, as it intensifies efforts to isolate the Russian-occupied peninsula.
In a statement on Tuesday, Ukraine's drone forces said they had struck eight sanctioned vessels in the Sea of Azov each with a deadweight of around 7,000 metric tons. Two more tankers were hit later in the day, they added.
The strikes followed attacks on two other shadow-fleet vessels in the same area a day earlier, according to the drone forces. The Sea of Azov is a key supply route for Russian forces in Crimea and other occupied parts of southern Ukraine.
The countries that spend the most on Nato - and who needs to do more
Tuesday 7 July 2026 16:00 , Maira Butt
Europe finds itself in an increasingly precarious position amid the ongoing threat posed by Vladimir Putin and the withdrawal of US military support - and data suggests that defence spending has not kept up.
The dual risk posed by a belligerent Russia and a disengaged Washington has underlined the need to develop the continent’s military independence, European allies have said.
Nato chief Mark Rutte has insisted that “Europeans are already backfilling what the US cannot any longer promise” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Those shortages include midair re-fuelers and long-range strategic bombers that the US has in abundance, but is in worryingly low stock in Europe.
The countries that spend the most on Nato - and who needs to do more
Nato summit forum yields new defence deals of at least $50 billion, official says
Tuesday 7 July 2026 15:34 , Maira Butt
A Nato defence industry forum ahead of the alliance's Ankara summit on Tuesday yielded new procurement deals of at least $50 billion, a Nato official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the precise tally of all the deals was still being calculated.
Suspect in Monaco bombing that injured Ukrainian oligarch ‘found shot dead near Kyiv’
Tuesday 7 July 2026 15:00 , Maira Butt
A Ukrainian woman suspected to be behind the bomb attack on Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev has been found shot dead near Kyiv, Ukrainian prosecutors said.
The body of Anastasiia Berezovska, 39, was discovered at around 11pm local time on Monday (9pm BST), law enforcement sources told Ukrainska Pravda.
Prosecutors said they also detained an employee of Ukraine's military intelligence service (HUR), who said he killed the woman together with another suspect - reported to be a law enforcement officer.
Alex Croft reports:
Suspect in Monaco bombing that injured Ukrainian oligarch ‘found shot dead near Kyiv’
Watch: Anti-ballistic missile system needed in Europe, warns Zelensky
Tuesday 7 July 2026 14:30 , Maira Butt
Trump says he was "very disappointed" with Nato
Tuesday 7 July 2026 13:58 , Maira Butt
President Donald Trump has expressed his disappointment with Nato during a press conference ahead of his appearance at the Nato summit on Tuesday.
“I was very disappointed with Nato,” he said as the administration encouraged the alliance to up its spending on defence this week.
“We’ve invested trillions of dollars in Nato. Why? To protect European countries and others... You would think that they'd be very willing to do something to help us, and they really weren't...
“I've long said that we help them, but I'm not sure that they'd be there for us — and Italy turned us down, and Germany turned us down, and France turned us down. And that's okay, but why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they're not there for us? We've always been there for them.”
Trump boasts US military ‘never been stronger’ and war department ‘never hotter’ as he joins Nato summit
Tuesday 7 July 2026 13:30 , Maira Butt
President Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to talk up the might of the U.S. military, insisting it has “never been stronger” and that the Department of Defense has never been “hotter” than under Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership.
“The United States Military has never been stronger, or more powerful,” the president wrote as he jetted out for a two-day Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey.
“No other Nation can do what we do (It’s not even close!). This year we set even more Historic Recruiting Records, months ahead of schedule. Morale has never been higher. Our Military’s unmatched POWER was on full display during our Celebration of 250 Years of American Independence and, like our Country, the WAR DEPARTMENT has never been ‘HOTTER.’
Joe Sommerlad reports:
Trump boasts US war department ‘never hotter’ as he joins Nato summit
Watch: Zelensky says Kyiv urgently needs Patriot interceptor missiles after massive Russian attack
Tuesday 7 July 2026 13:00 , Maira Butt
Ukraine belongs in Nato, says Zelensky
Tuesday 7 July 2026 12:28 , Maira Butt
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine “belongs in Nato” as he thanked allies and expressed pride in the Ukrainian people and their resilience throughout the war.
Zelensky: Ukraine and Europe 'urgently' need anti-ballistic missiles
Tuesday 7 July 2026 12:26 , Maira Butt
Europe urgently needs to develop its anti-ballistic missile production, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“Europe needs its own effective ant-ballistic missiles and systems. This work is already underway. I urge you and all of our partners to give it the attention it deserves,” he said.
Providing an example of Patriot missiles, he also said other versions were available. He said Europe could not wait until 2030 but needs the equipment “today”.
“Please help us get more air defence missiles,” he said. “We are capable of doing everything else ourselves.”
He said that he hopes air defence supplies will be the outcome of the Nato summit.
Zelensky says drone technology is the biggest revolution in warfare since WW2
Tuesday 7 July 2026 12:20 , Maira Butt
President Volodymyr Zelensky is explaining the revolutionary nature of drone warfare, describing it as the biggest change in conflict since machine guns were used in World War II.
He has described his country’s war aims as “defending Ukraine from Russian attacks and carrying out our long-range sanctions” as well as medium-range strikes.
Zelensky says that Ukraine is a source of “extraordinary” defensive capability.
Rutte reiterates the importance of transatlantic alliance
Tuesday 7 July 2026 12:13 , Maira Butt
Nato chief Mark Rutte is reiterating the importance of the transatlantic alliance, while he emphasises the need for Europe to develop independence from the US.
It is also important “not to see governments as the only stakeholders it but should be combination of contributions, including industry,” says Chairman of the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) Tacan Ildem.
President Trump arrives at Nato summit in Ankara
Tuesday 7 July 2026 12:04 , Maira Butt
President Donald Trump has arrived at the Nato summit in Ankara on Tuesday.
Russia says it will follow Nato summit closely, says Kremlin
Tuesday 7 July 2026 11:49 , Maira Butt
Russia will closely follow the outcome of Nato’s summit in Turkey, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, adding that “confrontational” statements about Russia had been made in the run-up to the meeting.
Nato leaders plan to unveil arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Ankara on Tuesday to show they are heeding US calls to spend more to defend Europe, before joining President Donald Trump for the summit.
Zelensky due to speak at Nato summit imminently
Tuesday 7 July 2026 11:42 , Maira Butt
President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at the Nato summit in Ankara on Tuesday.
He is set to give a speech alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte at 2pm BST (1pm CEST).
We will bring you the updates as they come in.
You can watch a live stream of the summit here:
Zelensky arrives at Nato summit
Tuesday 7 July 2026 11:31 , Maira Butt
Russia’s population crisis is driving a new push for marriage and bigger families
Tuesday 7 July 2026 11:00 , Maira Butt
One Saturday afternoon in May 2026, families gathered on Poklonnaya Gora, a hilltop war memorial park in western Moscow. They came for a procession and a “moleben,” an Orthodox prayer service, for the well-being of Russian families. Church media billed it as the first Day of the Sanctity of the Family.
May 30 is the feast of St. Evdokia of Moscow, a 14th-century princess who took monastic vows late in life after being widowed. Her husband, St. Dmitry Donskoy, a prince who led a victory over the Mongols, is commemorated on June 1. The church joined the two into a single couple’s feast in 2015, with a decree stressing that they were “parents of twelve children.”
Just over five weeks later, Russians will celebrate another “holy couple.” July 8 honours Sts. Peter and Fevronia, a 13th-century prince and princess venerated as patrons of marriage and famed for their devotion to each other. First celebrated in 2008, the day became an official national holiday in 2022, though not a day off from work.
Inside Russia’s campaign to promote marriage, families and more births
Ukraine strikes Russian military-industrial plants in Bryansk region, Kyiv says
Tuesday 7 July 2026 10:25 , Maira Butt
Ukraine's military said on Tuesday it struck two plants linked to Russia's military-industrial complex in the Bryansk region overnight.
One of the plants was run by Kremniy EL Group - a microelectronics group in Bryansk, which makes elements for military electronic warfare systems - the military's General Staff said in a statement on Telegram.
A chemicals plant which makes gunpowder, explosives and rocket fuel components used in the manufacture of ammunition and missiles, was also hit in the surrounding region, it added.
Ukraine strikes eight Russian 'shadow fleet' tankers, Kyiv drone commander says
Tuesday 7 July 2026 09:55 , Maira Butt
Ukrainian drones struck eight tankers with fuel belonging to Russia's so-called “shadow fleet” in the Sea of Azov overnight, Kyiv's top drone commander said on Tuesday.
A dry cargo ship and a ferry were also hit, Robert Brovdi said in a statement on Telegram.
Watch: Rescue operations continue in Kyiv after Putin's deadly attack
Tuesday 7 July 2026 09:30 , Maira Butt
Nato backs Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes to force Putin to negotiate, says Finnish PM
Tuesday 7 July 2026 09:00 , Maira Butt
Nato leaders back Ukraine’s campaign of long-range strikes deep inside Russia as it looks to pressure Moscow back into negotiations, Finnish president Alexander Stubb has said.
Kyiv is in the “best” position it has been in since the war began and Ukraine’s long distance strikes on Russian oil and military infrastructure have changed US strategic thinking on the war, significantly strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position, Mr Stubb told the Financial Times.
“I think that [all Nato leaders] understand why Ukraine is doing this,” he said, speaking on the eve of the Nato leaders’ summit in Ankara. “Everyone believes that we need to continue to increase the pressure.”
Alex Croft reports:
Nato backs Ukraine’s long-range strikes to force Putin to negotiate, says Finnish PM
UK sanctions Russians it says developed chemical weapons used to kill Navalny
Tuesday 7 July 2026 08:30 , Maira Butt
Britain on Monday imposed sanctions on two Russian research institutes and senior staff it said were linked to Moscow's chemical weapons programme and involved in developing toxins used to poison Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
The sanctions, cast by Britain as a way to expose and deter Russia's use of chemical weapons, come ahead of the Nato summit in the Turkish capital Ankara and after a similar move by the European Union.
In 2020, Navalny fell seriously ill on a flight in Siberia and Western laboratories concluded he had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, a class of military-grade nerve agents developed during the Soviet era.
In 2024, Navalny died after being poisoned with Epibatidine, a toxin from poison dart frogs, Britain and other European allies have said. Russia denied accusations it was behind that death.
The British government said on Monday that those sanctioned were involved in developing the Novichok agent and Epibatidine.
Foreign minister Yvette Cooper said Russia's "repeated use of chemical weapons" was a violation of international law and a threat to global security.
"From the use of Novichok nerve agents in Salisbury to Epibatidine in Siberia, poisoning Dawn Sturgess and Alexei Navalny, Russia continues to use barbaric tools to inflict death and suffering on innocent civilians, including in Ukraine," she added.
Russia's embassy in London said in a post on messaging platform Telegram that it "categorically" rejected such allegations, calling them "slander".
The embassy said the allegations were being used to promote what it described as an imaginary Russian threat and to justify confrontation with Moscow.
Nato readies for a 'big reveal' on arms deals to prove its firepower to Trump
Tuesday 7 July 2026 07:55 , Maira Butt
Nato on Tuesday will showcase a series of new military projects worth billions of dollars in an attempt to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that the allies are stepping up defence spending and converting investment into real firepower.
At an event dubbed the “big reveal,” several leaders are due to announce new deals with defense companies, plenty of them in the United States. Trump has branded Nato a “paper tiger” that would cease to function without American arms and leadership.
NATO readies for a 'big reveal' on arms deals to prove its firepower to Trump
Death toll in Kyiv rises to 28 as Ukraine battles air-defence shortages
Tuesday 7 July 2026 07:16 , Arpan Rai
Russia hammered Kyiv and the surrounding region with missiles and drones early on Monday, killing at least 28 people and exposing Ukraine's critical shortage of US-made air-defence interceptors, officials said.
Rescuers were digging bodies from the rubble of a Kyiv high-rise ripped open in the overnight bombardment.
At least 18 people were killed in Kyiv, the Emergency Services said on Telegram as search and rescue operations recovered more bodies as crews worked through the night.
Prosecutors said 10 were killed in the wider Kyiv region.
Emergency Services reported repeated explosions and many damaged residential buildings in Vyshneve, outside the capital.
The governor of southeastern Zaporizhzhia region said a drone strike on a filling station killed two people later on Monday.
And in Sumy region on the Russian border, where Moscow wants to broaden a buffer zone, the regional governor said two residents died in separate Russian drone strikes.
In Kyiv, nearly 30 buildings were significantly damaged, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said.
A search operation dragged into Monday afternoon as crews combed mountains of rubble and twisted metal in the multi-storey building whose top floors had been torn open.
Ukraine's military was unable to down any of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia, according to air force data, reflecting its increasing vulnerability to Moscow's strikes as stocks of its prized Patriot missiles run out.
Nato to unveil big arms deals in Ankara before summit with Trump
Tuesday 7 July 2026 07:14 , Arpan Rai
Nato leaders plan to unveil arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Ankara today to show they are heeding US calls to spend more to defend Europe before joining president Donald Trump for a summit.
European governments will announce the deals at a Nato defence industry forum before Trump flies in to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and join fellow leaders of the military alliance for the summit, which begins with a dinner on Tuesday evening.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said on Monday Europeans had made “staggering” increases in defence spending in part due to fears of Russia, which have surged since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but also because Trump had been “extremely forceful” in encouraging them to do so.
Trump has long accused European governments of over-relying on the US to defend them through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which has protected the continent since the early years of the Cold War.
“We are now creating an alliance which is sustainable, where the US knows it is a fair deal,” Rutte told reporters in Ankara on the eve of the summit.
Rutte said last month that Nato's European members and Canada spent $90bn more on defence in real terms in 2025 than in 2024, to reach a total of more than $570bn – an increase of around 20 per cent in a single year.
Ukrainian drone attack sparks fire at industrial facility in Russia's Kaluga
Tuesday 7 July 2026 06:47 , Arpan Rai
Six Ukrainian drones have hit an industrial enterprise in Russia's Kaluga region in southwest of Moscow, causing the facility to catch fire overnight on Tuesday, the regional governor said.
There were no casualties, the governor, Vladislav Shapsha, wrote on Telegram. He did not specify which facility was hit.
Ukraine attacks Moscow with more than 430 drones overnight
Tuesday 7 July 2026 06:37 , Arpan Rai
Russian air defences detected more than 430 drones heading towards the wider Moscow region overnight, the city's mayor said, adding that most of the drones were neutralised at long-range.
A total of 36 drones were destroyed as they were approaching the Russian capital, which has a population of 13 million, mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.
Russia typically reports only how many drones its air defences say they downed, not how many Ukraine launched, and rarely discloses the full extent of damage unless civilians are killed or civilian sites are hit.
Witnesses recount harrowing escape after Kyiv attack
Tuesday 7 July 2026 06:21 , Arpan Rai
Emergency workers are continuing to search for survivors in the rubble of residential high-rises in two locations that suffered direct hits.
But those who survived the deadly barrage from Russia said they saw a scene of complete destruction.
In Kyiv's suburb of Vyshneve, about 600 residents were evacuated due to the risk of unexploded munitions, Ukraine's emergency service said.
Khrystyna Piatetska, 20, a resident of Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, said she began screaming after the first strike, which was followed by a second blast that blew out the windows in her apartment building.
The lights went out, a burning smell filled the air and the stairwell was thick with smoke.
“When we were leaving the building, bodies were lying there,” Piatetska said.
“When we got downstairs, cars started exploding, and we came out from under the rubble straight into the fire.”
Halina Ivanivna, 61, said she was awakened by the first strike at about 2am.
Moments later, her apartment building began collapsing around her.
“Everything was falling down,” she said. Water poured through the building as smoke filled the air while emergency crews rushed to evacuate residents.
About five minutes after the initial impact, a second strike hit, she said.
Missile test shows Nato 'can't be naive' about China, Rutte says
Tuesday 7 July 2026 05:53 , Arpan Rai
The test-firing by China of a missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific on Monday sends a message to Nato, the alliance's secretary general Mark Rutte said.
“This, again, is evidence that we cannot be naive," Rutte told reporters when asked about the Chinese action on the eve of a Nato leaders' summit in Ankara. "And we are not."
Rutte also referred to China's support for Russia as a "key enabler" in its war against Ukraine.
Kremlin says Putin and Trump agreed during weekend call to talk again in 'near future'
Tuesday 7 July 2026 05:48 , Arpan Rai
The Kremlin said Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump had agreed in a weekend call that they would talk again "in the near future," suggesting they are likely to talk this week during or after the Nato summit.
Trump is planning to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday in Turkey where he will be attending the Nato summit, a senior US official said on Sunday.
The idea, the official said, was to make a renewed push to end the war in Ukraine. The same official said Trump would likely follow up with Putin after talking to Zelensky.
Asked on Monday if Trump would phone Putin after meeting Zelensky, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “Yes, indeed, both president Putin and president Trump have agreed that their contacts will continue in the near future.”
Peskov said Trump had held a pretty consistent position on the conflict in Ukraine.
“You know, president Trump, the US president, has a fairly consistent stance, and all these fabrications about him supposedly changing his views like a weather vane are, of course, untrue," said Peskov.
“He is consistent and confident in his understanding of what is happening, but, most importantly, he (Trump) is open to listening to the information that is conveyed to him by Putin.”
Watch: Rescue operations continue in Kyiv after Putin's deadly attack
Tuesday 7 July 2026 05:35 , Arpan Rai
Death toll in Kyiv rises to 28 as Ukraine battles air-defence shortages
Tuesday 7 July 2026 05:21 , Arpan Rai
Russia hammered Kyiv and the surrounding region with missiles and drones early on Monday, killing at least 28 people and exposing Ukraine's critical shortage of US-made air-defence interceptors, officials said.
Rescuers were digging bodies from the rubble of a Kyiv high-rise ripped open in the overnight bombardment.
At least 18 people were killed in Kyiv, the Emergency Services said on Telegram as search and rescue operations recovered more bodies as crews worked through the night.
Prosecutors said 10 were killed in the wider Kyiv region.
Emergency Services reported repeated explosions and many damaged residential buildings in Vyshneve, outside the capital.
The governor of southeastern Zaporizhzhia region said a drone strike on a filling station killed two people later on Monday.
And in Sumy region on the Russian border, where Moscow wants to broaden a buffer zone, the regional governor said two residents died in separate Russian drone strikes.
In Kyiv, nearly 30 buildings were significantly damaged, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said.
A search operation dragged into Monday afternoon as crews combed mountains of rubble and twisted metal in the multi-storey building whose top floors had been torn open.
Ukraine's military was unable to down any of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia, according to air force data, reflecting its increasing vulnerability to Moscow's strikes as stocks of its prized Patriot missiles run out.
US tells Nato that spending must increase ‘immediately’ or alliance will face consequences
Tuesday 7 July 2026 04:58 , Arpan Rai
The Trump administration has warned that Nato allies must step up defence spending “immediately” or face the consequences ahead of a summit with the military alliance this week.
Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato, said on Sunday that some partners were “doing more than others”, and that president Donald Trump expects all to “step up” and honour their commitments.
“Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way,” he said.
US tells Nato to increase spending ‘immediately’ or face consequences
Kyiv says it is facing interceptor missiles shortage as Russia increases attacks
Tuesday 7 July 2026 04:36 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 351 drones and 68 missiles overnight into Monday, targeting mainly Kyiv, and all 29 ballistic missiles struck their targets.
“To intercept ballistics, we need the means for interception,” air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said on national television.
“Russians are certainly using the fact that there is a serious deficit of interceptor missiles now, in Ukraine and the world.”
Ukraine’s defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Russia is deliberately ramping up ballistic missile attacks on a scale unseen before, exploiting the acute shortage of Patriot interceptors.
“Fewer such missiles are produced worldwide each month than the enemy fires at Ukraine in that same period,” he said.
Ahead of the Nato summit in Turkey, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had performed well against drones and cruise missiles but not against ballistic missiles — a shortfall he blamed on insufficient supplies of interceptors.
He urged US and European partners at the summit to bolster Ukraine’s air defense and protect civilians.
“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” he said on X following the attack.
Russia's defence ministry threatened that any increase in the supply of drones, missiles and ammunition produced in the West "will not go unnoticed and will be countered by a corresponding increase in the number and power of retaliatory strikes by the Russian armed forces on Ukrainian territory.”
Trump says Ukraine war is 'getting closer' to settle after talks with Putin and Zelensky
Tuesday 7 July 2026 04:19 , Arpan Rai
US president Donald Trump said on Monday that a resolution to the more than four-year-old war in Ukraine is "getting closer than people realise" and that he will talk about Ukraine during talks in Turkey this week at a Nato summit.
“This is one that I think we're getting much closer than people realise. And president Putin wants it to end. I will tell you that very strongly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump made his remarks after speaking at the weekend with both Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
He gave no specific reason for his assertion that a solution to the conflict was in sight, and overnight Russia hammered Kyiv and the surrounding region with missiles and drones, killing at least 28 people.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he believed the US position on how to resolve the conflict remained unchanged.
But Zelensky, interviewed by the Financial Times, said he believed the US president was viewing the conflict in a new light in view of recent Ukrainian successes.
Trump said he had held a "good call" with Putin on the Fourth of July holiday, a conversation a Kremlin aide said lasted 85 minutes and was marked by the US president offering to help find a way to move towards peace.
“And president Zelensky actually wants it to end now. And we're going to be going to Nato, and we're going to be talking about it, and I think we're going to get it," he said.
“I think we're going to get it ended. It's been a terrible situation." Trump is scheduled to meet Zelensky on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Nato summit in Ankara and a US official said the idea of the talks was to make a renewed push to end the war.
The same official said Trump would likely follow up with Putin after talking to Zelensky.
Norway seeks China's intervention to help bring Russia to Ukraine peace talks
Tuesday 7 July 2026 04:08 , Arpan Rai
Norway wants China to use its ties to the Russian leadership to help bring about a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraineand improve Beijing's relations with Europe, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Monday.
"China is probably the country with the best and most direct access to the Russian leadership. We expect, hope and strongly urge China to use that channel," he told reporters after meeting Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Oslo.
The biggest chunk of their discussion was devoted to Ukraine, Stoere said.
“There is a potential for deeper cooperation between Europe and China, but as long as this war goes on and China is a close partner of Russia, that is a limitation on that opportunity," he added.
Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide, speaking earlier on Monday, said dialogue with China on ending the war had been "constructive and promising".
“I'm not a spokesperson for China. I'm not going to quote them, but there are some hints in what they say,” he said when asked whether China had indicated it would help to bring Russia to the negotiating table.
Norwegian officials said negotiations should begin without conditions, starting with a ceasefire based on the current front line in Ukraine.
“That is, in itself, a major concession from Ukraine's side. It is inside their territory,” Stoere said.
Nato to unveil big arms deals in Ankara before summit with Trump
Tuesday 7 July 2026 03:53 , Arpan Rai
Nato leaders plan to unveil arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Ankara today to show they are heeding US calls to spend more to defend Europe before joining president Donald Trump for a summit.
European governments will announce the deals at a Nato defence industry forum before Trump flies in to meet Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and join fellow leaders of the military alliance for the summit, which begins with a dinner on Tuesday evening.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said on Monday Europeans had made “staggering” increases in defence spending in part due to fears of Russia, which have surged since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but also because Trump had been “extremely forceful” in encouraging them to do so.
Trump has long accused European governments of over-relying on the US to defend them through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which has protected the continent since the early years of the Cold War.
“We are now creating an alliance which is sustainable, where the US knows it is a fair deal,” Rutte told reporters in Ankara on the eve of the summit.
Rutte said last month that Nato's European members and Canada spent $90bn more on defence in real terms in 2025 than in 2024, to reach a total of more than $570bn – an increase of around 20 per cent in a single year.
Nato backs Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes to force Putin to negotiate, says Finnish PM
Tuesday 7 July 2026 03:00 , Bryony Gooch
Nato backs Ukraine’s long-range strikes to force Putin to negotiate, says Finnish PM
Recap: Russia advertises on job website for drone operator to ‘defend Moscow’
Tuesday 7 July 2026 02:00 , Bryony Gooch
Russia forced to advertise on job website for drone operators to ‘defend Moscow’
Watch: Rescue operations continue in Kyiv after Putin's deadly attack
Tuesday 7 July 2026 01:00 , Bryony Gooch
Recap: Zelensky demands ‘strong decisions’ at Nato summit after ballistic missiles strike Kyiv
Tuesday 7 July 2026 00:00 , James Reynolds
Volodymyr Zelensky urged Nato allies to make “strong decisions” to stop Russia’s blitz of Ukraine after at least 12 people were killed in heavy strikes in Kyiv on Monday.
Ahead of Tuesday’s summit in Ankara, the Ukrainian president said it was “critically important” that the US and Europe come out of the summit with “strong decisions in support of our air defence, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives”.
“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies' stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” he said, as shortages of the US-made interceptors left the Ukrainian capital struggling to defend itself, just days after the deadliest attack this year.
Ukraine's air force data showed it was unable to down any of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia overnight. Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 drones in total, the air force said.
The heavy overnight bombardment came ahead of a NATO summit in Turkey this week, where U.S. President Donald Trump is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to make a renewed push to end the war, now in its fifth year.
In pictures: Residents reel from Russian strikes near Kyiv on Monday
Monday 6 July 2026 23:00 , James Reynolds
US tells Nato that spending must increase ‘immediately’ or alliance will face consequences
Monday 6 July 2026 22:00 , James Reynolds
The Trump administration has warned that Nato allies must step up defence spending “immediately” or face the consequences ahead of a summit with the military alliance this week.
Matt Whitaker, the US ambassador to Nato, said on Sunday that some partners were “doing more than others”, and that president Donald Trump expects all to “step up” and honour their commitments.
“Some allies are doing more than others. Poland, the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries lead the way,” he said.
Read the full story:
US tells Nato to increase spending ‘immediately’ or face consequences
Death toll in Kyiv region rises to 26
Monday 6 July 2026 21:48 , Bryony Gooch
At least 26 people have been killed in the Kyiv region as part of Russia’s latest bombardment.
Russian strikes killed at least 16 in the capital, with 10 dead in wider Kyiv region, officials said on Telegram as search and rescue operations proceeded.
Emergency Services reported repeated explosions and many damaged residential buildings in Vyshneve, outside the capital.
The governor of Zaporizhzhia region in southeast Ukraine said a drone strike on a filling station killed two people later on Monday. In Kyiv, nearly 30 buildings were significantly damaged, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
A search operation dragged into Monday afternoon as crews combed mountains of rubble and twisted metal in the multi-storey building whose top floors had been torn open.
