A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Political Developments
At the NATO summit, President Trump met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and suggested that NATO’s increased defense spending — raised to 5% of GDP by 2035 — could help deter future Russian aggression. Trump also expressed optimism that Russia’s President Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, which began with the 2022 invasion.
Despite massive casualties, relentless attacks on Ukrainian cities, and widespread war crimes, Russia has still not officially declared war on Ukraine, maintaining the label of a “special military operation” since 2022 to avoid domestic backlash. A formal declaration would trigger broader mobilization and economic consequences, but past protests against partial mobilization have made President Putin wary of escalating politically at home.
Iran may be forced to halt ballistic missile deliveries to Russia. Israeli air strikes have targeted different Iranian missile factories, disrupting production and plausibly forcing Russia to rely more heavily on North Korea for ballistic missiles.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has entered agreements with two major Ukrainian industry players to develop and deliver low-cost, high-volume air defense missiles and unmanned surface vessels in the country. At the same time, the company announced it is establishing a permanent office in Kyiv.
Germany’s latest budget documentation shows that the government plans to provide EUR8.3 billion in military assistance to Ukraine this year.
The Netherlands said this week that it will provide a new EUR175 million military assistance package to Ukraine, to include 100 drone detection radars.
Ukraine and the United Kingdom have entered an agreement for the joint production of military drones. The three-year agreement involves the U.K. financing British production of Ukrainian-designed drones on a large scale. The effort is intended to bolster drone production while increasing integration between defense industrial bases.
Battlefield Updates
Ukrainian army chief Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi announced that Ukrainian forces have halted Russian advances in the Sumy border region and stabilized the front line, effectively stalling Russia’s summer offensive there. However, he cautioned that despite these gains, fortifications still urgently need reinforcement and the situation remains volatile according to other officials.
The Ukrainian government said that Russia has fired nearly 30,000 attack drones since the start of the war on February 24, 2022. Ukrainian officials said Russia could not have reach this figure without support from Iran.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated this week that production of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile is underway. Russia first revealed the weapon last year in an attack on the Ukrainian city Dnipro.
Ukraine has said it plans to significantly ramp up its attacks on targets inside Russian territory, and that a contract for tens of thousands of drones for a deep-strike operation is in the works.
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