Zelensky expects talks with Russia to resume before autumn
The Ukrainian president spoke in Kyiv alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin as EU ambassadors agreed a 21st package of sanctions against Moscow.
Defence
Latest reporting and analysis on defence.
EU agrees new Russia sanctions as Greece wins exemption for gas shipping
Athens secured a carve-out allowing Greek vessels to keep carrying Russian gas to buyers outside the bloc, one of several concessions extracted before the package…
Zelensky talks to Trump envoys as Rubio meets Lavrov in Manila
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Aliyev confirms secret German-Russian talks in Baku on ending the Ukraine war
The revelation has highlighted the role of unofficial diplomatic channels as a potential groundwork for future Ukraine peace talks.
Rubio and Lavrov to meet over Ukraine war
Moscow said it was working on the assumption that Washington had not withdrawn the proposals discussed at the Anchorage summit.
Trump rules out Iran talks as war costs and oil prices climb
Brent crude has pushed back above 94 dollars a barrel, renewing pressure on European energy bills.
Zelensky sacks Ukraine’s military chief after six days of protests
Mykhailo Drapatyi takes over as commander-in-chief following the removal of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, which triggered the largest wartime demonstrations…
Iran strikes tanker in Strait of Hormuz as US air campaign enters tenth night
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims strikes on United States bases in Bahrain and Kuwait as Washington presses its campaign to reopen the waterway.
US and Iran trade strikes for ninth night as ceasefire collapses again
Renewed fighting has kept the Strait of Hormuz shut for a fifth month, driving European energy prices higher.
Germany proposes EU force to replace UN mission in Lebanon
This aligns with broader EU deliberations, led in part by Italy and France, on post-UNIFIL arrangements to prevent a security vacuum along the Blue Line with Israel.
US strikes Iran for sixth consecutive night as Europe’s demining mission stays on hold
The Franco-British force positioned off Oman is still waiting for the order to clear the mines that keep the Strait of Hormuz shut.
Zelensky names security service general as acting defence minister
Yevhen Khmara takes over the wartime government's most sensitive portfolio, though Ukrainian law reserves it for a civilian.
EU-funded NGOs reject EU-backed peace efforts in Israel
The organisations endorsed what they described as "resistance in all its forms to occupation, apartheid and colonisation".
Von der Leyen signs EU-Ukraine ‘drone deal’ on Kyiv visit
"This deal will bring together Ukrainian ingenuity and Europe's industrial scale".
EU extends protection for Ukrainian refugees but excludes draft evaders
The restriction applies to new applicants alone. Those already holding the status in the EU would keep it whatever their age.
Trump scraps Strait of Hormuz shipping fee for Gulf investment
US President announced the reversal a day after unveiling the levy following what he called highly productive talks with Middle Eastern leaders.
France showcases European unity with Ukraine at Macron’s final Bastille Day parade
Some 500 soldiers from the Coalition of the Willing, the grouping of nations backing Kyiv against Moscow, opened the march down the Champs-Élysées.
Europe not ready to replace American weapons, German air force chief warns
Lieutenant General Holger Neumann said Germany had no home-grown answer to the United States on advanced combat aircraft and air defence.
German interior ministry seeks sweeping new powers for domestic intelligence
Intelligence officers would no longer be limited to gathering information but could also take operational measures to disrupt perceived threats.
US strikes Iran for third consecutive night as ceasefire falters
"We're going to hit them very hard tonight," Trump said, adding that Iran could do nothing to stop it.
Coalition of the Willing agrees force for Ukraine will train in neighbouring states
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Trump tells Congress the United States has resumed its war on Iran
The notification restarted a 60-day window during which the president may deploy forces without congressional approval.
Brussels demands toll-free Hormuz as Trump imposes 20 per cent levy on cargo
The EU insisted the strait stay open without charges after US President named Washington the waterway's "guardian" and demanded a fifth of the value of all cargo.
European and NATO leaders lead tributes to Graham
His death removes a key Senate interlocutor for Europe on Russia policy, days after allies had worked alongside him at the NATO summit in Turkey.
Lindsey Graham, Trump ally and foreign-policy hawk, dies after sudden illness
A senator since 2003 and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, had secured his party's nomination in June for a fifth term.
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Italy expels Russian attachés over alleged spy ring inside its intelligence services
Tajani has dismissed any counter-measure as political retaliation rather than a decision based on evidence.
Erdogan presents NATO leaders with personalised revolvers
The gesture was accompanied by a letter from the Turkish side waiving export restrictions on the weapons.
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Poland lobbies for NATO pipeline extension to cover eastern flank
"The dual-use nature of pipelines provides the opportunity to build security for NATO's entire eastern flank, so this is also an opportunity for me and all of central…
US strikes Iran for second day as Trump declares Hormuz truce over
The US President said the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran in June was finished.
Gazprom accuses Ukraine of drone attack on gas pipeline to Turkey during NATO summit
The company said that unmanned aerial vehicles hit the Krasnodarskaya compressor station in Russia's Krasnodar region on the evening of July 7.