Ukraine

The EU is to propose more “far-reaching” sanctions against Russia this autumn after the bloc’s latest package was watered down amid pressure to protect national economic interests.

Civilian casualties in Ukraine reached their highest monthly level in July, with more people killed and injured than at any time since March 2022, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country, HRMMU, said in an update on Thursday. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that deliveries of anti-ballistic interceptor missiles from partner countries have fallen sharply, leaving Ukrainian vulnerable to deadly attacks that are being launched by Russia with increasing frequency. … Last week, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that the United States has used more than half of its Patriot PAC-3 MSE and THAAD interceptor inventories during its military operations against Iran this year.

The EU will use €1.4bn generated by the interest on the cash balances originating from immobilised assets of the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) to provide financial support for Ukraine. … The broader question of what to do with the billions of euros in Russian assets that were frozen as part of the EU’s sanctions regime against president Putin’s regime remains unresolved.

The latest Russian attacks mark an increasingly deadly escalation in the ongoing war, with July marking the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, according to the UN’s aid coordination office (OCHA). In the first six months of 2026, UN monitors confirmed 1,396 Ukrainian civilians killed and 7,978 injured – a sharp increase from the same period in both 2024 and 2025 as Russia increases long-range strikes past the frontline.

Ukrainian drones rained down on numerous military, energy and civilian infrastructure sites deep inside Russia on Sunday, killing at least eight people overnight.

The UN Security Council met on 27 July at Ukraine’s request, following recent large-scale Russian attacks on Kyiv and elsewhere.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Moscow wants to bring in thousands of North Korean soldiers again for its invasion of Ukraine, with preparations in Russia having been under way since early summer.

The top US and Russian diplomats met in a new push to find an end to Moscow's more-than-four-year-old war on Ukraine, but both sides signaled no new breakthroughs or cause for optimism.

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.