ICYMI: Nato backs Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes to force Putin to negotiate, says Finnish PM

Nato leaders back Ukraine’s campaign of long-range strikes deep inside Russia as it looks to pressure Moscow back into negotiations, Finnish president Alexander Stubb has said.

Kyiv is in the “best” position it has been in since the war began and Ukraine’s long distance strikes on Russian oil and military infrastructure have changed US strategic thinking on the war, significantly strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position, Mr Stubb told the Financial Times.

“I think that [all Nato leaders] understand why Ukraine is doing this,” he said, speaking on the eve of the Nato leaders’ summit in Ankara. “Everyone believes that we need to continue to increase the pressure.”

Joe Middleton9 July 2026 01:00

Russian attack kills four in Ukraine port of Odesa, official says

A Russian attack killed four people in Ukraine's ⁠Black ​Sea port ⁠of Odesa on ⁠Wednesday, a senior official ‌said.

Serhiy Lysak, ‌head of the ⁠city's military administration, said another six people were injured in the attack, which damaged infrastructure ‌in the port, ​one ‌of ⁠Ukraine's key ⁠export centres.

Harriette Boucher8 July 2026 23:43

ICYMI: Trump says both sides in Ukraine war want a settlement

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that both sides in the war in Ukraine want to see a settlement but Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have been "difficult."

“We've settled a lot of wars, and this one is the one that I thought maybe would be the easiest, but Putin is a difficult character, and this guy's a difficult character,” Trump said, referring to Zelensky, who was sitting next to him ahead of a meeting between the pair at the Nato summit in Ankara.

Zelensky said he wanted to discuss “some very important details” with Trump.

“I'm sure you will do everything to stop this war,” he told Trump.

Joe Middleton8 July 2026 23:00

Watch: Russia launches fresh strikes on Odesa, injuring six

Daniel Keane8 July 2026 22:00

ICYMI: Trump says US will provide Ukraine with license for Patriot missiles

President Donald Trump has appeared to support Ukraine’s bid for Patriot interceptors and anti-ballistic missiles during a press conference at the Nato summit in Ankara on Wednesday.

He suggested that the US would be happy to provide Ukraine with a license for Patriot interceptors and said further talks on anti-ballistic missiles would ensue.

“We're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool. This way, you can't complain that we're not giving 'em enough," Trump said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“It's a defensive weapon, which I like better than an offensive weapon,” Trump said.

Zelensky has repeatedly pleaded for the US-made interceptors — the only weapon in Ukraine's arsenal that can shoot down ballistic projectiles, whose high velocity and steep flight path make them difficult to stop.

Joe Middleton8 July 2026 22:00

Pictured: Trump meets with Zelensky on the sidelines of the Nato summit

Daniel Keane8 July 2026 21:00

Czech Republic will not participate in €70 billion package for Ukraine, PM Babis says

The Czech Republic will not participate in a €70 billion ($80 billion) package of military assistance for Ukraine that NATO states agreed to on Wednesday, Czech ⁠Prime Minister Andrej Babis said.

NATO members meeting in Ankara pledged that amount for Ukraine for 2026 and "at least equivalent levels" of support in 2027, according to the summit's ⁠declaration.

"We appreciate that every ​country ⁠will decide on this itself," Babis said. "We will not participate in the amount."

Daniel Keane8 July 2026 20:00

Trump slams Spain with call to suspend all US trade at Nato summit

Donald Trump has instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to sever all economic ties between the U.S. and Spain, calling the country a “wasted cause” and “a terrible partner in Nato.”

Speaking at a joint press conference with Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte on day two of the military alliance’s latest summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump was discussing the bilateral talks he had held with other nations.

“I spoke to Italy… I didn’t speak to Spain,” he said. “Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way. I’d like to cut it out. Spain is a terrible partner in Nato.”

Read our full story below.

Daniel Keane8 July 2026 19:00

Watch: Moscow launches third round of strikes in a week on Kyiv

Daniel Keane8 July 2026 18:00

The countries that spend the most on Nato - and who needs to do more

Europe finds itself in an increasingly precarious position amid the ongoing threat posed by Vladimir Putin and the withdrawal of US military support - and data suggests that defence spending has not kept up.

The dual risk posed by a belligerent Russia and a disengaged Washington has underlined the need to develop the continent’s military independence, European allies have said.

Nato chief Mark Rutte has insisted that “Europeans are already backfilling what the US cannot any longer promise” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Those shortages include midair re-fuelers and long-range strategic bombers that the US has in abundance, but is in worryingly low stock in Europe.

Maira Butt8 July 2026 17:00