White House Envoy Witkoff Meets With Russian President Vladimir Putin
Witkoff did not immediately comment after his talks with Putin; it was his fifth meeting with Putin this year (FT)
Ahead of the visit, a Kremlin spokesperson stated that the Kremlin generally considers interactions with Witkoff to be important and substantive (AP)
Following Witkoff’s meeting, Trump and Zelenskyy reportedly spoke by phone, but the content of the discussion was not disclosed (Reuters)
Trump also said there is a “very good prospect” that he, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet together next week; however, European leaders will not be present at the meetings (NYT)
A U.S. and Russian president have not met in person for at least four years (TIME)
Separately, Trump issued an executive order imposing additional 25 percent tariffs on India as a penalty for directly or indirectly importing Russian oil, bringing the overall tariffs on India to 50 percent (NYT; Reuters)
On the battlefield, Russian forces launched 567 attacks across Ukraine; two people were killed, ten were wounded, and nine buildings were damaged in Zaporizhzhia (Reuters)
Zelenskyy, Trump Speak as Kremlin “No Longer Has Any Restrictions”
In a post on X, President Zelenskyy stated that he and President Trump had a “productive conversation” regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, including discussions on the prospects of sanctions against Russia, cooperation with NATO countries to supply Ukraine with weapons, and a bilateral agreement on drone cooperation (X)
President Trump, meanwhile, claimed that if energy prices go down “another $10 a barrel,” then Putin will have to stop the war “because his economy stinks” (Reuters)
But sources close to the Kremlin claim that Putin is unlikely to succumb to Trump’s threat to impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil if a ceasefire is not reached by August 8 (Reuters)
Following the Netherlands’ announcement yesterday, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway announced that they would contribute a combined $775 million worth of air defenses, anti-tank weapons, ammunition, and spare parts to Ukraine; this package is expected to arrive in September (AP)
Other aid packages will be sent based on Ukraine’s needs, and two deliveries of equipment bought in the U.S. are expected this month (AP)
Additionally, one day after lifting a moratorium on deploying intermediate-range missiles, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that “Russia no longer considers itself limited by anything,” including its deployment of the Oreshnik, a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile which could be fired with conventional or nuclear warheads (Reuters)
Six Ukrainians Charged in Drone Procurement Scheme
Six Ukrainians, including a lawmaker, regional officials, a military official, and a drone maker, were charged with embezzling funds in the purchase of drones and “[misappropriating] funds allocated by local authorities for defense needs” (Reuters)
Separately, President Trump announced that U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff “may be going to Russia” on Wednesday or Thursday to work on a peace deal as Trump’s ten-day deadline for Russia ends on August 8; Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin is “always glad to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow” and added that talks with Witkoff are “important, substantive, and very useful” (AP)
Peskov also downplayed Trump’s decision to move two nuclear submarines to “the appropriate regions,” saying that Russia “would not want to get involved in such a controversy” and that “everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric” (Reuters)
On the battlefield, an overnight Ukrainian drone attack in Volgograd struck railway tracks near the Archeda train station; Volgograd’s administration did not report any damage, and Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have destroyed sixty-one Ukrainian drones overnight, but the number launched was not reported (Reuters)
A separate overnight drone attack operated by Ukraine’s Security Service struck five Russian fighter jets in Saky in Crimea; the damage by Ukraine was considered “significant” according to the SBU, but the information was not independently verified (Kyiv Independent)
Since a Ukrainian drone attack on August 2, three industry sources claimed that the Ryazan oil refinery, operated by the Rosneft oil company, has allegedly halted half of its refining capacity (Reuters)
Ukraine’s General Staff also reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile system in Zaporizhzhia (Kyiv Independent)
Furthermore, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that, due to what it described as “the actual deployment of U.S.-made land-based medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region,” it no longer considers itself bound by a moratorium on deploying its own short- and medium-range missiles (Reuters)
Ukraine Hits Russian Fuel Depot
In Sochi, Ukrainian drone strikes caused a fire at an airport oil depot where Russian military planes were allegedly stationed; two oil tanks allegedly caught fire (Kyiv Independent; Reuters)
Meanwhile, an overnight Russian missile strike on Mykolaiv injured at least seven Ukrainians and caused damage to twenty-three private homes, twelve apartment buildings, and one post office (Reuters)
A separate Russian attack in Stepnohirsk, southeastern Zaporizhzhia, killed three people (Reuters). Ukraine’s air defenses destroyed sixty of the seventy-six attack drones and one of the seven missiles launched by Russia (Reuters)
Additionally, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller claimed that Trump said “very clearly” that “it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia”; the Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Miller’s allegation (Reuters). Trump also expressed some doubt when discussing potential sanctions on Russia, as he said that they are “wily characters” who are “pretty good at avoiding sanctions” (AP)
Furthermore, President Zelenskyy announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners as part of their negotiations on July 23 in Istanbul (Kyiv Independent)
Ukrainian Drones Strike Large Russian Oil Refinery
In Ryazan City, a Ukrainian drone struck the Rosneft Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of the four largest refineries in Russia (ISW; Kyiv Independent; Telegram). Other targets in Penza, Samara, and Voronezh Oblasts were also hit, including the Elektropribor plant, the Novokuibyshevsky oil refinery, and the Annanefteprodukt fuel and lubricants storage base, respectively (Kyiv Independent)
The attacks in Rostov, Penza, and Samara reportedly killed three people in total, and one woman was wounded in Voronezh (AP; Reuters)
Additionally, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported its team heard explosions and saw smoke near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as one of the plant’s auxiliary facilities was attacked (Reuters)
Trump Moves Two Nuclear Submarines Closer to Russia
One day after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Trump should remember “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be,” Trump ordered that two nuclear submarines be positioned in “the appropriate regions,” saying that Medvedev made “a threat” (Reuters)
While meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said that the Russian military has selected deployment sites in Belarus for its newest hypersonic missiles (AP)
Moreover, through July, Russia launched 6,443 drones and missiles into Ukraine—the highest total number since the war started—and 13 percent higher than in June (ABC News)
Russian Missiles and Drones Strike Kyiv, Kill Nine
Overnight, Russia launched 309 Shahed and decoy drones and 8 Iskander-K cruise missiles across Ukraine, primarily in Kyiv, but also reaching the Dnipro, Poltava, Sumy, and Mykolaiv regions; in Kyiv, 9 people were killed and 124 wounded, and 100 buildings were damaged across 27 locations (AP)
Russia also claimed to have gained full control of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk after sixteen months of fighting; although a Ukrainian military spokesperson said the claim was “a fabrication,” a Russian military unit posted a video of a paratroop banner and national flag raised in the town’s ruins (AP; Reuters)
Separately, U.S. diplomat John Kelley told the UN Security Council that “President Trump has made clear” that he wants a deal to end the war in Ukraine by August 8, and that the United States will “implement additional measures to secure peace” (Reuters)
In Ukraine, President Zelenskyy restored the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) after country-wide protests and EU condemnation (Kyiv Independent)
Also, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Trump continued to trade barbs, as Medvedev told Trump that he should remember “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be,” referring to Russia’s semi-automated command system that launches nuclear missiles (Reuters)
Russia Targets Ukrainian Army Training Ground
Overnight, two Russian Iskander missiles, one armed with submunitions and another with high explosives, struck Ukraine’s 169th training center near Honcharivske in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region (AP; Reuters)
Casualty figures out of Russia and Ukraine differed: Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that the strike resulted in two hundred Ukrainian casualties, while Ukrainian authorities claimed three soldiers were killed and eighteen were wounded (AP)
Russia also launched seventy-eight attack drones into Ukraine overnight, wounding five civilians; eight jet-powered drones were part of this barrage (AP)
Separately, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed that since the full-scale invasion, Russia has carried out ten thousand chemical weapons attacks using prohibited agents such as K-51, RGR, and RG-VO aerosol grenades loaded with CS (chlorobenzylidene malonitrile) and CN (chloroacetophenone), which are both banned under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention ratified by Russia (Kyiv Independent)
Ukraine’s SBU also stated that it had detained an air force officer after he allegedly spied for Russian forces to help them carry out airstrikes by providing coordinates of F-16, Mirage 2000, and Su-24 jets and suggested strike tactics (Reuters)
Additionally, Trump announced that he planned to impose a “penalty” on India for buying Russian weapons and oil, on top of the 25 percent tariff that he intends to impose on August 1; the substance of the penalty was not specified (Politico; Reuters)
Russian Attacks Target Ukrainian Prison, Medical Facilities
An overnight Russian attack using glide bombs and ballistic missiles targeted a Ukrainian prison in Zaporizhzhia, killing at least sixteen inmates and wounding over ninety; separate attacks at a maternal hospital and a city hospital ward in Dnipro and other areas nationwide brought the overall death toll to at least twenty-nine (AP)
The attacks came the day after Trump gave Russia ten to twelve days to make progress toward ending the war; a Kremlin spokesperson said Moscow “noted” Trump’s statement but added that “the special military operation continues” (Reuters)
Ukrainian drone strikes reached Russia’s Rostov region, sparking a fire and suspending train traffic at a train station in Salsk, and resulting in at least one death (Reuters)
Separately, Zelenskyy signed a law allowing people over the age of sixty to voluntarily enlist in Ukraine’s military in non-combat and specialized roles in hopes of addressing Ukraine’s manpower shortages (DW)
Moreover, citing concerns from the EU’s sanctions on Russian-owned oil refiner Nayara Energy, the owners of three vessels chartered by the Indian company have requested to end their contracts with the company (Reuters)
Trump Gives Putin Ten to Twelve Day Truce Deadline
Trump told reporters that he is “disappointed” in Russian President Vladimir Putin over the status of the war in Ukraine and that he would reduce a fifty-day deadline he gave Putin to reach a truce (Bloomberg)
Trump stated on July 14 that he would impose “severe” tariffs on Russia’s trade partners if no peace deal was reached within fifty days (CNN)
While Russia and Ukraine held bilateral talks last week, they did not yield immediate breakthroughs (CNN)
Separately, Russian forces allegedly launched 324 drones and 7 missiles, mainly targeting a Ukrainian air base at Starokostyantyniv; 15 drones and 2 missiles hit their targets in unspecified locations (Reuters)
Overnight attacks also targeted Kyiv, as eight people were injured following a Russian attack on an apartment building (Reuters)
Funded by a $50 million Pentagon contract, the U.S. defense company Auterion will provide 33,000 artificial intelligence guidance kits for Ukrainian drones to autonomously track and hit targets up to one kilometer away (Reuters)
Russia Cancels Naval Parade as Ukrainian Drone Strikes Continue
Citing “the overall situation” and “security reasons,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia planned to cancel its parade of warships (AP)
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have downed 291 fixed-wing Ukrainian drones, 2 guided aircraft bombs, and 3 projectiles of Czech-made Vampire rocket launch systems (Reuters)
However, drone fragments around St. Petersburg killed one person and injured three others (AP)
Russia, Ukraine Trade Rocket and Drone Strikes
A Russian aerial barrage of 208 drones and 27 missiles targeted Dnipro, Sumy, and Kharkiv; at least two people were killed and fourteen were injured in the attack, and Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that it had struck Ukrainian military facilities used to manufacture missiles and produce ammunition and explosives (AP)
Russia’s tactic suggests that it may be integrating more missiles into overnight attack packages than it has previously (ISW)
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces launched drone strikes across Russia, including in the Rostov region, where two people were killed, and in the Stavropol region, where an industrial facility was hit; other strikes targeted Moscow, the Bryansk, Orlov, Tula, and Belgorod regions, the Crimean Peninsula, the Azov Sea, and the Black Sea (AP)
President Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukrainian forces are making it “very hard for Russians” and have repelled Russian efforts to stage minor incursions near Pokrovsk; Zelenskyy also said that Ukrainian forces have made progress in the Sumy region and that the situation is “much better” than in previous months (AP)
Additionally, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine secured funding from Germany and Norway to purchase three Patriot missile defense systems and is currently in talks for seven more (RFE/RL)
Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defense also announced that it was prepared to allocate €30 million for Patriot missile systems to be sent to Ukraine (Lithuania Ministry of National Defense). Russia continued its drone and missile barrages on civilian targets: a Russian glide bomb struck a medical facility in Kharkiv, killing one person and injuring seventeen (Kyiv Independent)
Furthermore, the United States and China confronted each other at the UN Security Council, as Washington blamed Beijing for bolstering Russia’s military industrial base through components used in Russian drones, weapons, and vehicles; China rejected this claim and said that it had never provided lethal weapons to Russia (Reuters)
Zelenskyy Announces New Anti-Corruption Bill
After criticism from the European Union and the Ukrainian public, President Zelenskyy said that he drafted a new corruption bill that “guarantees the real strengthening of the law and order system in Ukraine” (AP)
Zelenskyy discussed the new bill with German Chancellor Friederich Merz, who asserted his “readiness to assist,” and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continued, as two glide bombs struck a residential neighborhood in Kharkiv, killing two people and wounding thirty-three; Zelenskyy called the strikes “senseless” with “no military purpose whatsoever” (Reuters)
Fighting also continued along the Black Sea coasts, as Russian forces launched drone strikes on Odesa, injuring four people and causing damage to Odesa’s UNESCO world heritage site; Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia’s Krasnodar region killed one person, wounded another, and hit an oil base in the Sirius federal district (Reuters)
Separately, a report from Reuters claimed that an Indian company shipped $1.4 million worth of an explosive compound known as HMX or octogen to a Russian manufacturing company called Promsintez, which Ukraine claims is tied to Russia’s military; the Pentagon’s Defense Technical Information Center reported that HMX is “critical for Russia’s war effort” as it is used in missile and torpedo warheads, rocket motors, exploding projectiles, and plastic-bonded explosives (Reuters)
The United States previously warned India against conducting military-related business with Russia and that sanctions would be imposed if it did business with Russia’s military industrial base (Reuters)
Zelenskyy Pledges New Anti-Corruption Plan as Russia, Ukraine Meet in Turkey
Overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed into law an anti-corruption bill that grants the prosecutor general authority over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) (NYT)
Zelenskyy’s decision to sign the bill led to protests domestically and foreign backlash from German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, and the Ukrainian branch of Transparency International (AP)
Protests continued on Wednesday for the second night in a row (AP)
Following public backlash, Zelenskyy said that he would release a new plan to fight corruption within two weeks (Reuters)
Separately, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov met with Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, in Istanbul to discuss peace negotiations for the first time in seven weeks (NPR;CNN)
The talks reportedly lasted for under one hour and did not result in any key breakthrough other than another prisoner swap (AP)
Europol announced that Ukrainian and French security services arrested the suspected administrator of xss.is, a Russian-language cybercrime platform considered “one of the main hubs for global cybercrime” (AP)
On the battlefield, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky claimed that Moscow has suffered eighty thousand casualties in Russia’s Kursk Oblast since Ukraine’s incursion into the region (Kyiv Independent)
Moreover, the U.S. approved $322 million in proposed weapons sales to Ukraine, composed of $150 million for the supply, maintenance, repair, and overhaul of U.S. armored vehicles, and $172 million for surface-to-air missile systems (AP)
Russia, meanwhile, has reportedly received engines from China to be used in drones; the engines are being shipped via front companies with cargo labeled as “industrial refrigeration units” to Russian weapons-maker IEMZ Kupol, which produces the Garpiya-A1 attack drone (Reuters)
Ukraine’s Anti-Government Protests
Thousands of people demonstrated in Kyiv after legislators approved a bill to weaken the country’s anti-corruption institutions, marking the first major protests against the government since Russia invaded in 2022 (NYT)
Earlier, the European Union’s enlargement commissioner called the law “a serious step back” (France24)
Additionally, Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, stated that Russia plans to spend approximately $1.1 trillion on rearmament by 2036 as part of a broader strategy to ‘destroy the current security and economic order’ (Army Inform Ukraine;ISW)
Zelenskyy Announces New Talks With Russia in Turkey on Wednesday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that new talks with Russia will begin on Wednesday in Turkey—even as both countries continue cross-border drone attacks (France24)
Previous talks in May and June produced prisoner swaps but no truce; since then, the United States has stepped up its threats against Russia and pledges to Ukraine (Reuters)
An overnight Russian barrage targeted civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, killing two people and wounding fifteen (Reuters)
Russia’s attack involved 426 drones and 24 missiles, with 23 of the drones hitting their targets (Reuters)
On average, about 15 percent of Russia’s drones penetrated Ukraine’s defense system between April and June, according to the Financial Times; that’s triple the rate between January and March and the highest since the war began in February 2022 (FT)
Over the weekend, Russia reported shooting down the highest daily number of drones from Ukraine since June 6, and four Russian airports introduced flight restrictions (ABC)
The defense secretaries of Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States spoke virtually with NATO leader Mark Rutte and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexus Grynkewich about the urgency of weapons deliveries to Ukraine; British Defense Secretary John Healey proposed a fifty-day plan to get Ukraine the weapons it needs (AP)
Kyiv’s domestic political shake-up has continued in recent days; after the prime minister was swapped last week, Ukraine’s state security service carried out raids on the country’s anti-corruption bureau (Politico)
It has accused some members of spying for Russia (Bloomberg)
President Zelenskyy named over twelve new ambassadors globally in efforts to isolate Russia (Reuters)
Russia Reiterates Desire to Achieve its “Goals” in Peace Negotiations
In an interview on state television, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia is ready for peace talks with Ukraine, yet Russia’s position has not changed and its “goals are clear”: Ukraine must withdraw from the four regions Russia annexed in 2022, end its desire to join NATO, and accept strict limits on its armed forces (AP)
Moreover, according to the German Defense Ministry’s Commander of Planning, Russia is working to increase its production of Shahed drones to the point where they will be able to fire two thousand drones at Ukraine simultaneously (Kyiv Independent)
Russia will obtain this capacity by November 2025 if its current growth rate continues (ISW)
Russia Launches Hundreds of Drones Across Ukraine
In a post on X, President Zelenskyy said that Russia launched over three hundred drones and thirty cruise missiles at Ukraine, killing one person in Odesa, wounding six others, and damaging critical infrastructure in Sumy (AP)
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that Russian forces shot down seventy-one drones from Ukraine, including thirteen approaching Moscow (AP)
EU Unveils New Sanctions Package on Russia
EU ambassadors approved an eighteenth package of sanctions against Russia after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico agreed to stop blocking its approval (DW)
The sanctions include a price cap on Russian oil at 15 percent below the average market value, a ban on all future transactions via the Nord Stream pipelines, and a restriction on refined petroleum products made from Russian crude oil and processed in a third country (DW)
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed the sanctions are illegal, while also stating that Russia has “already acquired a certain immunity from sanctions” and that they would not significantly affect Russian oil trade (Reuters)
In Kyiv, President Zelenskyy appointed former Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov as Ukraine’s new Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (Kyiv Independent)
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko reiterated Zelenskyy’s comments in his interview with the New York Post, stating that Ukraine was planning on signing a drone deal with the United States, which includes the U.S. purchase of Ukrainian drones in exchange for Kyiv purchasing American weapons (Reuters)
In Moscow, Deputy Chair of the State Duma’s Information Policy Committee, Anton Gorelkin, warned that WhatsApp should prepare to exit the Russian market, citing its ownership by Meta—an organization he labeled extremist; despite being used daily by 68 percent of Russians, WhatsApp would likely be replaced by the state-backed platform MAX (Reuters)
Zelenskyy Reshuffles Cabinet as Ukraine Increases Domestic Arms Production
As part of President Zelenskyy’s cabinet restructuring, former Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko was appointed prime minister, making her the first new head of government since the start of the war in 2022; former Prime Minister Denys Shymhal was nominated to become defense minister, and former Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishyna was selected to be Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. (AP)
Zelenskyy also announced that the new government approved a new order to increase domestic arms production to reach 50 percent of all of Ukraine’s necessary weapons within six months (AP)
Ukraine’s increased weapons production is being supplemented by a new U.S. directive to divert a shipment of Patriot missile systems originally ordered by Switzerland, prioritizing their delivery to Ukraine instead (AP)
As it seeks more foreign military aid, Ukraine has worked to refine its domestically made air defense systems and has invited international weapons companies to test their arms on its front line (Reuters)
Zelenskyy stated in an interview with the New York Post that he and President Trump are working on a deal in which Ukraine would provide its war-tested drones to the United States in exchange for purchasing American weapons; Zelenskyy called the deal a “mega deal, a win-win” (Reuters; NY Post)
Furthermore, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Trump’s fifty-day deadline for Russia and weapons agreement with Ukraine, stating that the move signals Kyiv’s desire to “continue the slaughter and abandon the peace process” (Reuters)
Russia Targets Ukrainian Energy Infrastructure
Russian forces launched four hundred Shahed and decoy drones overnight at Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, and Vinnytsia, largely targeting energy infrastructure, and injuring fifteen people (AP)
Meanwhile, an international cyber operation coordinated by Europol and involving twelve countries—including France, Germany, and the United States—targeted a pro-Russian cybercrime network, disrupting more than one hundred computer systems worldwide and taking the group’s central server infrastructure offline (AP)
Additionally, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a new €2 trillion budget for the EU, including €100 billion for a fund exclusive to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction (Euronews)
Russia Issues Mixed Reactions to Trump’s Tariff Threats
A Kremlin spokesperson called Trump’s comments “very serious” and said Moscow would “need time to analyze” (Reuters)
Other sources from Russia claimed that Putin is unfazed and believes that Russia’s military and economy are strong enough to continue the war in Ukraine, regardless of increased Western actions (Reuters)
Russia continued its strikes overnight on the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions (AP/Euronews)
Moscow’s defense ministry reported taking down fifty-five Ukrainian drones over southwestern Russia (Reuters)
Furthermore, a Financial Times report claimed that Trump urged Ukraine to intensify deep strikes into Russia and inquired whether U.S. long-range weapons were capable of reaching Moscow during a July 4 call with Zelenskyy (FT)
However, on Tuesday, Trump said that Zelenskyy and Ukraine should not target Moscow (Reuters)
In Ukraine, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal officially resigned from his post as part of a government reshuffle (AP)
Trump Threatens “Secondary Tariffs” Against Russia
Trump announced that if the Ukraine war is not over in fifty days, he would impose 100 percent secondary tariffs on Russia; he also said the United States will send “billions of dollars worth of military equipment” purchased by NATO to be distributed to Ukraine (AP)
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met with Trump in Washington to discuss the weapons sales; Rutte said at a joint press conference that the allies paying for the U.S. weapons would include Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (AP)
Trump said the weapons would include Patriot air defense batteries and interceptor missiles (Guardian)
The Pentagon later said the specifics were still being discussed (NYT)
A Ukrainian official said he was hopeful some of the systems could reach Ukraine within days (NPR)
On Capitol Hill, bipartisan senators are promoting a “sledgehammer” Russian sanctions bill that would impose 500 percent secondary tariffs (CNN)
Trump declined to endorse the bill, saying, “I’m not sure we need it” (AP)
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a shakeup in government; he aims to replace his current prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, who has served since 2020, with current Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who helped negotiate a minerals deal with the Trump administration (NYT)
Earlier in the day, U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg held meetings in Kyiv; Zelenskyy called the conversation “productive” as they spoke on Ukrainian defense and the possibility for European countries to purchase U.S. weapons systems, joint arms production, and potentially harsher sanctions on Russia (AP)
United States Sending Patriot Defense Missiles to Ukraine
Trump told reporters that European nations would pay for them (Guardian)
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Russia and China met in Beijing to discuss relations with the United States, as well as possible ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to statements from both sides (Reuters)
Additionally, Trump hinted at a new plan for sending Ukraine offensive weapons, with some sources expecting the United States to provide Kyiv with long-range missiles (Axios)
Separately, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reportedly tracked down and killed suspected Russian agents in Kyiv who were believed to have killed Ukraine’s SBU colonel the week prior (AP)