Ukraine

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.

Ukraine has stepped up its strikes on Crimea as part of a strategy to isolate the occupied peninsula from mainland Russia and raise the cost of the occupation.

Ukraine’s wartime resilience is due in no small part to its ‘whole-of-society’ model of defence – which requires a high level of mobilization among citizens, local community leaders, philanthropic organizations and the private sector. Civil society stands willing to apply this innovative and collaborative spirit to the post-war recovery.

G7 leaders hailed on Wednesday, June 17, a newfound unity on increasing pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine, sensing a shift by US President Donald Trump to take a tougher line against Moscow. 

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has verified that at least 274 civilians were killed and 1,763 injured last month – a 93 per cent increase compared with May 2025 and a 23 per cent increase over April 2026.