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Russia’s war against Ukraine
A portrait of fallen U.S. volunteer fighters and flags among Ukrainian ones at a makeshift memorial to Ukrainian servicemen and international volunteers killed in action on Independence Square in central Kyiv on July 2, 2025. The White House announced on July 1, it was halting air defene shipments to Ukraine. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
As Russia ramps up missile attacks, US halts promised air defense shipments to Ukraine. Among the items being held back from Ukraine are Patriot air defense missiles, precision artillery rounds, Hellfire missiles, and drones, three sources told Politico.
Kremlin welcomes reported pause in US arms shipments to Ukraine, says it brings war’s end closer. “The fewer weapons that are supplied to Ukraine, the closer the end of the… (Russia-Ukraine war),” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Ukraine says it wasn’t notified of US weapons shipment halt; official insists ‘deliveries continue.’ In a statement, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said it is working to verify the current status of all elements in the agreed aid packages and has requested a phone call with U.S. defense officials for further clarification.
NATO chief urges continued US support for Ukraine as Pentagon halts arms shipments. “When it comes to Ukraine, in the short term, Ukraine cannot do without all the support it can get,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
Military aid delays will ‘encourage Russia to continue war,’ Ukraine tells US envoy. Ukraine warned that “any delay or hesitation in supporting Ukraine’s defense capabilities will only encourage Russia to continue war and terror, rather than pursue peace.”
‘They’re going to lose more lives’ — US lawmakers voice opposition to Trump administration halting air defense shipments to Ukraine. In a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump about the reported halt of air defense deliveries, Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, the co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, requested an emergency briefing from the White House and Pentagon on the shipments.
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USAID officially ends operation, remaining programs moved under State Department. “Foreign assistance programs that align with administration policies — and which advance American interests — will be administered by the State Department,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
North Korea to send up to 30,000 more troops to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine, CNN reports. The fresh units may arrive in the coming months and are likely to be engaged in combat in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, including during “large-scale offensive operations,” according to a Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) assessment reviewed by CNN.
Russia cannot launch 500 drones every day, Ukraine’s intel chief says. Russia has the capacity to launch as many as 500 Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones at Ukraine in a single attack, but doing so on a daily basis is not possible, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said on July 2.
Ukraine denies another Russian claim of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast breakthrough, says small incursion repelled. According to the statement, a small Russian reconnaissance group managed to briefly enter the village of Dachne, located on the edge of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The group reportedly took photos with a Russian flag, but Ukrainian forces “eliminated them.”
Russia’s Kupol military plant reportedly halts operations after Ukrainian drone strike. The plant produces Tor and Osa air defense systems, as well as Harpy-type attack drones.
Over 210,000 Russians sign contracts for war in Ukraine in first half of 2025, Moscow says. “The pace is quite decent, good,” Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former president, said.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: As Russia ramps up missile attacks, US halts promised air defense shipments to Ukraine
The U.S. Defense Department (DOD) has halted shipments of some air defense missiles and other weapons previously promised to Kyiv out of concerns over the size of U.S. stockpiles, Politico reported on July 1, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Photo: Jens Buttner / Getty Images
‘Major casualties among civilians’ — US freeze on air defense missiles is terrible news for Ukraine
Trump’s latest move emboldens Russia’s recent deadly drone and missile campaign on Ukrainian civilian areas
Photo: Andrew Kravchenko / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Russia increasingly targets Ukraine’s cities with cluster munitions, raising civilian toll
Amid stalled peace talks, Russia is increasingly attacking Ukrainian cities with cluster munitions, banned by international organizations for the indiscriminate damage they cause to civilians.
Photo: Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images
Arrests, raids, beaten and bloodied suspects — how Russia-Azerbaijan relations have unravelled
Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, once considered close, have sharply deteriorated amid a series of high-profile confrontations
Photo: Mikhail Tereshchenko / AFP via Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
‘Tied to a motorcycle and dragged’ — Russia likely executed another Ukrainian POW, ombudsman says. Russian forces likely executed another Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW), Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on July 1, referring to a recent video that appears to show the captive tied to a motorcycle and dragged along a road.
Russia killed at least 273 Ukrainian POWs during full-scale war, prosecutors say. Seventy-seven criminal cases have been launched in connection with the murders, while only two people were convicted, and a trial against a third person is ongoing.
2 people killed, 24 injured in Zhytomyr amid explosions. The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear and is under investigation, Ukraine’s National Police said.
Opinions and insights
‘Ukraine is biggest landmine challenge since World War II,’ says head of world’s largest demining organization
As of March 2025, Ukraine’s mine-affected land spans an estimated 139,000 square kilometers — or 23% of its territory — covering more ground than all of Greece and posing an immense threat to civilian life and recovery efforts.
Photo: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Ukraine’s Constitutional Court appointments: A test of EU commitment
As Ukraine continues its path toward European integration while defending itself against Russian aggression, the strength of its democratic institutions remains paramount. Among these institutions, the Constitutional Court plays a unique role in protecting citizens’ rights and maintaining the rule of law.
Photo: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
International response
European partners reportedly caught off guard as US halts arms shipments to Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, some European allies hope the Trump administration will soften or reverse the decision.
Russian officer admits to downing Azerbaijani airliner in reported leak. A person claiming to be a Russian officer said he had received an order to open fire at an aerial target last December that turned out to be an Azerbaijani airliner, Azerbaijani news outlet Minval reported on July 1, citing audio and written statements it had received.
Armenian parliament speaker urges ban on Russian TV broadcasting. “We must very seriously discuss the suspension of Russian television channel broadcast in the territory of Armenia,” Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan told reporters, according to Armenpress.
Russia’s Rosatom seeks to sell 49% stake in Turkey’s first nuclear plant. The project remains a cornerstone of Russian-Turkish energy cooperation.
US envoy Kellogg denies agreeing to help halt Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russia. U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg denied that he agreed to “work on” halting Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russia, contradicting Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s claim.
Iran reportedly preparing to mine Strait of Hormuz, a possible boon for Russia’s Ukraine war coffers. If the Strait were mined, Iran could block one-fifth of global oil demand and spike world energy prices — a boon for Russia’s oil-dependent economy.
Failed US peace effort left Ukraine worse off, expert argues.
In other news
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister won’t be dismissed despite corruption probe, court rules. Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Chernyshov will keep his position after a decision from the High Anti-Corruption Court on July 2.
Russia plans gas extraction in Sea of Azov, Ukrainian officials warn. According to the Berdiansk Municipal Military Administration, Russia’s Federal Subsoil Resources Agency (Rosnedra) has announced plans to explore and possibly develop gas fields such as the Morske, Pivnichno-Kazantypske, and Skhidno-Kazantypske deposits.
Ukrainian-founded Grammarly to acquire AI email app Superhuman. Grammarly, a company with Ukrainian roots, announced its intent to acquire AI email writing app Superhuman as part of its expansion into an AI productivity platform, the company said in a press release on July 1.
Ukraine suspends citizenship of Moscow-linked church head. The SBU said it had established that Metropolitan Onufrii, also known by his secular name, Orest Berezovskyi, voluntarily received Russian citizenship in 2002 and failed to inform Ukrainian authorities of the fact.
Porn decriminalization petition in Ukraine reaches 25,000 signatures, forcing Zelensky response. Pornography production and distribution are illegal in Ukraine, with broad interpretations meaning even sharing nude photos can result in jail time.
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