Ukraine

How can the EU better empower Ukraine? This collection of expert analyses offers practical policy proposals, arguing that that stronger EU support for Ukraine’s defence, recovery and integration is key to Europe's long-term security.

Fires broke out across the Ukrainian capital after Russia's latest missile attack, which used the highest number of ballistic missiles of the war so far. … At least one person was killed and 16 others injured, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy wrote on X, reiterating the country's need for anti-ballistic interceptors.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sacked Mykhaylo Fedorov as defense minister, a dramatic shakeup of his Cabinet that sent shockwaves through Ukrainian political and military circles and stoked new questions about oversight of Ukraine's stubborn defense against Russia's all-out invasion. … The move sparked protests in the capital, Kyiv, and other Ukrainian cities, where people gathered to voice their opposition to the decision.

Russia said on Wednesday that any multinational force sent by Ukraine's allies to deploy there in the event of a peace deal would be unacceptable to Moscow, which would view it as a threat and a legitimate military target. Western allies in the pro-Ukraine "coalition of ⁠the willing" met in Paris this week and reaffirmed their intention to deploy such a force after a cessation of hostilities, in order to reassure Ukraine and help it to regenerate its forces.

Allies of Ukraine gathered in Paris on Monday alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky to reaffirm their support for Kyiv and step up pressure on Russia, at a summit of the so-called Coalition of the Willing that the Kremlin promptly dismissed as a meeting of leaders who "do not want peace".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a major reshuffle of the government on Sunday, July 12, proposing the replacement of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and the heads of some law enforcement agencies. Zelensky did not say who would replace Svyrydenko or elaborate on the reasons for the changes.

The Security Council today repeatedly heard that there is no military solution for the war in Ukraine, as senior UN officials detailed escalating attacks on civilians, human rights violations and humanitarian restrictions. … “In the past week alone, three massive waves of Russian aerial strikes targeted Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities,” Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs reported. … “These attacks show a clear pattern” of targeting urban centres with large civilian populations, she said.

"Allies must ensure that Ukraine receives the support it needs in its war with Russia" according to NATO chief Mark Rutte, ahead of a summit set to take place in Ankara, Turkey. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced Russia will continue its campaign to seize full control of four Ukrainian regions, rejecting a Ukrainian proposal to limit hostilities and halt long-range strikes, Reuters reported

Top European leaders want to send “a strong signal of support for Ukraine” at the NATO summit in Ankara in July, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says. “The message to Russia is: Ukraine remains strong,” Merz said on Wednesday as he hosted the leaders of Britain, France, Italy and Poland at a summit for the European Group of Five (E5) in Berlin.