Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will shorten the cease-fire deadline given to Russian President Vladimir Putin to 10 to 12 days amid growing frustration over Russia's continue bombardment of Ukraine and lack of progress toward peace.

Ukraine proposed direct talks within weeks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin, but Russia tempered prospects for progress.

Almost four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, criminal groups in Ukraine are adapting their business models amid displacement, rising trafficking risks and an increased demand for synthetic drugs, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report published on Friday. 

Ukrainian lawmakers have approved Yulia Svyrydenko, the economy minister and first deputy prime minister who led talks with the United States on a critical minerals deal, as prime minister in a cabinet shuffle aimed at boosting relations with Washington and breathing new life into the war-torn country.

Relentless missile and drone strikes by Russian forces have killed and injured hundreds of civilians in Ukraine this month, continuing a devastating pattern of attacks far from the frontlines. According to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, at least 139 civilians have been killed and 791 injured so far in July alone.

Europe's top human rights court handed down the ruling on July 9 in a case brought by the Netherlands -- 196 Dutch nationals were on the flight that was shot down over Ukrainian airspace -- and Ukraine, which accused Russia of murder, torture, rape, destruction of civilian infrastructure and the kidnapping of Ukrainian children since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.  

The UN Secretary-General on Saturday strongly condemned Russia’s latest wave of drone and missile attacks in Ukraine – reportedly the largest in over three years of war – warning that the strikes again jeopardised nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). 

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart, Donald Trump, that Moscow would not give up its objectives in Ukraine, dimming White House hopes for a cease-fire in a war now in its fourth year.

Civilian casualties and violations in Ukraine have significantly escalated in recent months, including a sharp rise in often deadly drone attacks, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a report published on Monday. It covers the period from 1 December 2024 to 31 May 2025, during which 986 civilians were killed and 4,807 injured – a 37 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year.

North Korea will send more troops to Russia to assist in its war against Ukraine, possibly as early as July, a South Korean lawmaker said Thursday, citing information from Seoul’s spy agency.