12:58 NATO countries: No agreement on multi-year Ukraine aid
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg failed in his attempt to get NATO members to make multi-year commitments for military aid to Ukraine. The 32 allies could only agree in the lead-up to the Washington summit to provide support in the amount of at least 40 billion Euros within the next year. This is reported by the German Press Agency and refers to statements from several delegations.
12:24 Ukraine: 5 Dead after Attack on DniproThe number of casualties from the Russian attack on Dnipro has increased, according to Ukrainian reports, to 5 dead. At least 34 people were injured, including a 14-year-old girl. The attack reportedly occurred with rockets and drones and caused several explosions and fires in the city. Reports indicate that a shopping mall and a weapons factory were hit.
11:31 Ukraine receives another 2 billion from the IMFFinancially stricken Ukraine has received an additional tranche of over 2 billion Euros from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The money is part of an ongoing credit program worth around 15 billion Euros. The money will be used by the government, according to Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal, primarily for social welfare and salaries of public servants, including doctors and teachers. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has reportedly received over 80 billion Euros in aid from foreign partners in the form of budgetary support.
11:01 Military base in Russian Kursk on fireVideos from the Russian city of Kursk show a large smoke cloud over the city. A Ukrainian attack is said to have set several vehicles on fire on a military base in the city center. The regional governor has confirmed a fire in the city center.
10:40 Multiple civilians killed in Russian attacksRussian troops reportedly shot at the village of Borova in the Charkiw region last night. The Military Administration of Charkiw reported on Telegram that a man was killed and two others were injured. In a Russian rocket and drone attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, authorities report that at least 3 people were killed and 18 others were injured.
10:19 Kremlin: No dialogue with Trump over UkraineAccording to Kremlin statements, Russia is not in dialogue with former US President Donald Trump over Ukraine. This was reported by the Interfax news agency, citing a spokesperson for the Russian Presidium. Trump had stated during a TV duel with President Joe Biden last week that, if he won the November election, he would resolve the war in Ukraine before his inauguration in January.
09:46 Ukraine lacks Hangars to protect Combat jetsAccording to a report from the Ukrainian "Defense Express", the Ukrainian army does not have sufficient hangars to protect all their fighter jets from Russian attacks. The newspaper reports that a military airbase in the Oblast Poltava does not have sufficient large hangar spaces for Su-27 combat jets. Therefore, Russia has released images of a recent air raid on the airfield, in which several Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft are seen damaged in the open. The Ukraine is lacking hangars to protect all the fighters.
09:16 Defense Committee approves purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 TankThe Defense Committee of the German Bundestag is set to approve the purchase of 105 Leopard-2A8 combat tanks today. "We are exhausting all options", writes the new committee chairman Marcus Faber on the platform "X". "We are fully equipping the Brigade Litauen with combat tanks, replacing older Leo2 in the army and creating space for further expenditures to Ukraine", adds the FDP politician. According to the proposal, the order has a volume of approximately three billion Euro. The defense consortium KNDS is expected to deliver the tanks to the Bundeswehr by 2030.
08:44 Russia: Ukrainian attack on Black Sea port repelledRussia claims to have repelled attacks from two unmanned Ukrainian explosive boats on the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The Defense Ministry reports that the drone boats were destroyed in the Black Sea. In Novorossiysk, there is a large port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Russia has stationed many of its warships used in the conflict against Ukraine there after the Ukrainian forces attacked the ports on the Crimean peninsula. The ministry did not comment on possible damages. The authorities in Novorossiysk urged people to stay in their homes and buildings during the night.
08:21 Majority of Ukrainians feel unity in societyForty-four percent of Ukrainians believe that Ukrainian society is currently united, according to the results of a nationwide survey conducted on July 2 by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). A smaller percentage of interviewees, 15 percent, consider Ukrainian society to be divided at present. Corruption is cited as the main problem, followed by language issues. Unfairness during the war, collaboration, and Russophilism are also identified as factors contributing to the division within society.
07:55 Kremlin: Ten Ukrainian attack drones destroyed over Russian territoryRussia claims to have shot down ten Ukrainian attack drones over Russian territory. Five drones were shot down over the Belgorod border region, four over the Brjansk border region, and one over the Moscow region, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry on Telegram. Additionally, two Ukrainian seed drones were destroyed that had been heading towards the Noworossijsk Black Sea port in the Krasnodar region.
07:20 Ukrainian General Staff: nearly 1200 Russian casualties yesterday
The Ukrainian General Staff reports 1,180 casualties on the Russian side in the past 24 hours. Accordingly, 16 destroyed tanks, 17 armored vehicles, 57 artillery systems, and 63 tank and other vehicles were also destroyed. Two Russian air defense systems and a missile were allegedly destroyed by the Ukrainians. The number of dead or wounded soldiers on the Russian side, as reported by the General Staff, has exceeded 546,000 since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
06:48 Putin arrives at the SOZ summit in Kazakhstan
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Kazakhstan, according to Kremlin reports. He is participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana. During the two-day conference, issues of regional security, defense, and cooperation will be discussed. The heads of state and government of the SCO member states will discuss "the current situation and prospects for further deepening of multifaceted cooperation," Moscow reports. Putin plans to hold bilateral talks, including with China and Turkey. Representatives from 16 countries are participating in the summit - among them India, Iran, and Pakistan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also expected.
06:11 Ukraine rejects territorial concessions to Putin again
Ukraine continues to reject territorial concessions to Russia to end the war, according to the words of Andrij Yermak, chief of staff of the Ukrainian president. "We are not willing to make compromises on important things and values," Yermak told journalists. He mentioned "independence, freedom, democracy, territorial integrity, sovereignty." In response to statements from Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump, who claimed he could quickly end the conflict, the Ukrainian government is open to advice to achieve a "just peace." Trump said during the television debate that he would not accept Putin's conditions. Putin had stated that Russia would end the war if Kiev was willing to surrender the territories in the east and south of the country that Moscow claims and occupies. In response to a question about how the Ukraine views Trump's approach to the war, Yermak replied: "Honestly, I don't know. We'll see."
05:42 USA to provide new military aid to Ukraine shortly
The Ukrainian military urgently needs supplies. The USA will make available to Ukraine, in the near future, additional military aid in the amount of around 2.3 billion US dollars (around 2.14 billion Euros) to help Ukraine defend against the Russian aggression. This was announced by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit by his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umjero in Washington. The package, approved by US President Joe Biden, includes "additional air defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, and other important ammunition from US stocks," Austin explained. A "realignment of certain foreign military sales deliveries" would also allow the USA to provide Munition for Patriot and other air defense systems "in an accelerated timeframe."
04:49 NATO strengthens presence in Kiev
The NATO is expanding its civilian presence in Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia. A spokesperson confirmed that the 32 alliance members have decided to send special representatives to the capital Kiev. The high-ranking official is supposed to oversee political and practical support for the alliance on site. The background is mainly that NATO intends to give the green light for a new deployment to coordinate weapons deliveries and training activities for the Ukrainian armed forces at the upcoming summit in Washington. The headquarters for this should be built in Wiesbaden. Who will receive the new NATO post in Kiev is still unknown.
03:42 UN calls for release of Gershkovich
Experts of the United Nations have called for the immediate release of US journalist Evan Gershkovich, who is in Russian custody on espionage charges. "The detention of Evan Gershkovich is arbitrary" and violates several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the experts write in a statement. In light of the circumstances of the case, the "immediate" release of Gershkovich is appropriate.
02:40 Serbian President Vucic receives Russian deputy foreign minister
The Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received the Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Gruschko in Belgrade. He spoke with Gruschko about the bilateral relations between Serbia and Russia and evaluated them as "very good", Vucic said in a post on Instagram. He also thanked Russia "for its support for Serbia's territorial integrity, as well as in relation to the UN resolution on Srebrenica". Moscow still refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence. Serbia has been an EU membership candidate since 2012, but despite the Russian intervention in Ukraine, it continues to maintain good relations with the Kremlin.
01:29 Russian court sentences 19-year-old to twelve years
A Russian court has sentenced a 19-year-old man to twelve years in prison for "treason," after he was accused of donating money to the Ukrainian army. "The Rostov Regional Court found him guilty and sentenced him to a twelve-year term in a penal colony," it says in a comment from the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB, which was taken up by state-controlled Kremlin media. The teenager is said to have sent money to help the Ukrainian army buy food and drones. Since Russia's attack on Ukraine, thousands of Russians have been arrested and many of them have been imprisoned. According to Amnesty International, at least 21,000 people were targets of repression against war opponents in 2023.
00:20 A quarter of US citizens find US aid to Ukraine insufficient
Almost a quarter of Americans believe that the United States is not providing enough military aid to Ukraine. This percentage has risen since November last year, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. According to the survey, 24 percent of respondents believe that the United States is not providing enough aid, compared to 18 percent in November 2023, when the survey was last conducted. However, more Americans (31 percent) believe that the United States is providing too much aid, and 25 percent believe that the US aid is sufficient.
22:53 Lithuania reports airspace violation by Russian aircraftLithuania reports the violation of its airspace by a Russian aircraft. The unspecified machine of the Russian airline Pobeda allegedly entered the airspace of the Baltic EU and NATO member unlawfully on the evening of June 30th and stayed there for approximately one minute, according to the Foreign Ministry in Vilnius. The Russian embassy representative was summoned and the Russian authorities were urged to take necessary measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The airspace violation occurred over the Baltic Sea, as the aircraft was on its way from Moscow to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad bordering Lithuania. The EU has closed its airspace as a reaction to Russia's aggression in Ukraine for Russian aircraft.
22:12 Survey in Member States: High Trust in NATO, Low Trust in ZelenskyNext week, NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary. In the member states, the transatlantic defense alliance is viewed favorably, according to a Pew Research survey. On average in 13 countries, 63% of the population holds a positive opinion, while 33% hold a negative one. Germany is slightly above the average with 64% positive sentiment. The evaluation in Poland stands out: 91% have a positive image of the alliance there. The trust in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stands at an average of 40% and has decreased in member states in the past year. Poland stands out again, where the head of state has lost 22 percentage points - from 70 to 48%. In Germany, trust has decreased by 7 percentage points to 54%.
21:27 Zelensky rejects Orban's peace proposalUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected a peace proposal from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for peace talks. During his first visit to Kiev since the war began, Orbán proposed a quick ceasefire. "This could accelerate peace talks with Moscow," he said. "The president listened to him, but in response made clear the position of Ukraine and rejected the proposal," said a spokesperson for the Presidential Administration. Kiev had previously rejected ceasefires, citing the possibility that Russian forces could regroup during this time.
21:02 Ukraine: Moscow recruits minorsRussia is actively recruiting minors for the war in Ukraine, Ukraine claims. The recruitment contracts are reportedly signed with minors and take effect upon reaching adulthood. "They hope to recruit tens of thousands of teenagers with propaganda," says the Ukrainian agency "National Resistance Center": "We warn that any enemy on our territory will be eliminated." On occupied Ukrainian territory, Russia also employs minors, for example, to manufacture drones.
- Despite NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's efforts, NATO members could only commit to providing at least 40 billion Euros in military aid to Ukraine within a year, falling short of multi-year commitments.
- The Kremlin has denied engaging in dialogue with former US President Donald Trump over Ukraine, contradicting Trump's claim that he could resolve the war before his inauguration if elected.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected a peace proposal from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for peace talks, upholding Kiev's position that ceasefires could allow Russian forces to regroup.
- Russian troops have reportedly attacked the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with rockets and drones, causing several explosions and fires, including in a shopping mall and a weapons factory, resulting in at least 5 deaths and 34 injuries.
- There are concerns that the Ukrainian army lacks sufficient hangars to protect their fighter jets from Russian attacks, as seen in the bombing of a military base in Poltava, damaging several Su-27 aircraft, which are currently exposed and vulnerable to further attacks.
