Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk said on June 28 that Ukraine’s parliament is preparing a draft bill to hold elections following the end of the martial law period enacted as a result of the war.

“We are working on this draft law, because for the next elections, a new special draft law is needed that will regulate the so-called post-war elections,” Stefanchuk said on Ukraine’s marathon TV broadcast.

“We are preparing various basic scenarios so that people can exercise their fundamental constitutional right to vote. And this must take place in Ukraine. And I believe we will be able to find the right legislative compromise,” he added.

The reason for separate legislation on a post-war election, Stefanchuk previously said, was due to the fact that Ukraine’s Constitution does not not provide clarity on the details of holding elections following the end of a martial law period.

No details on the bill or timeline for implementation were provided.

Russia’s full-scale invasion and the subsequent declaration of martial law in Ukraine meant elections have been impossible to hold, and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s term has been extended, something constitutional lawyers say is allowed under Ukrainian law.

Despite criticism, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed a resolution on Feb. 25 to hold elections after “a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace is secured” in the country.

While polling shows a vast majority of Ukrainian citizens do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, the lack of elections has stirred some controversy with Ukraine’s allies.

At the start of his second term in office, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Ukraine to hold elections — something that Ukraine has thus far refused to do citing the difficulties of holding elections amid active warfare, as well as security implications.

Zelensky has previously said he is willing to step down in exchange for a peace agreement.

Russian propaganda has widely used the issue of elections in Ukraine to discredit the Ukrainian leadership. Mocow has repeatedly claimed that Zelensky is no longer a legitimate president, as his first term was originally meant to end on May 20, 2024.

Russia has amassed 111,000 troops near Pokrovsk, Syrskyi says

Pokrovsk remains the “hottest spot” along the front line but “the situation is under control” and Russia has not crossed the administrative border from Donetsk to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert

Around 50% of Americans support sanctions against countries that purchase Russian oil and gas, according to the results of a YouGov poll published on June 27.

A bipartisan sanctions bill in the U.S. Senate aims to slap 500% tariffs on imports from countries that continue to purchase Russian energy products. U.S. President Donald Trump has not backed the measure and a vote on the bill has reportedly been postponed.

In a YouGov survey of adult U.S. citizens conducted June 12-16, 24% said they “strongly support” sanctioning Russian energy buyers while 25% said they “somewhat support” secondary sanctions against these countries.

Like the Senate bill, support for secondary sanctions among respondents was bipartisan. Of “strong supporters,” 26% indentified as Democrats while 27% were Republicans.

More Republicans than Democrats said they favored the specific 500% tariff penalty proposed by legislators. While 29% of respondents who “strongly supported” the measure were Democrats, 41% were Republicans. Only 32% of survey respondents overall said they supported the 500% tariff.

The 500% tariff has been championed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally and co-author of the sanctions bill alongside Democrat Richard Blumenthal. Along with tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, the bill would also slap “bone-crushing” new sanctions against Russia, according to Graham.

A majority of Americans support increasing or maintaining U.S. sanctions against Russia, the survey found. Here the division along party lines is stark, with 59% of those in favor of increasing sanctions on Moscow identifying as Democrats and only 37% identifying as Republicans.

The poll also showed that about 50% of Americans oppose cutting military aid to Ukraine. According to YouGov, 26% of U.S. adults are in favor of increasing military aid while 23% believe Washington should maintain its current levels of support.

The results illustrate the contrast between the prevailing views of the American public and the policies of the Trump administration. Trump has repeatedly undercut the Senate sanctions bill, requesting delays to the vote and calling on lawmakers to weaken the proposed measures.

While Trump has at times threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia, he has never followed through on any of those threats and consistently shoots down domestic and international appeals to get tough on Moscow. At the recent G7 Summit in Canada, Trump reportedly insisted that sanctions would be at odds with U.S. business interests.  

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also announced earlier this month that Washington will cut military aid to Ukraine in its upcoming defense budget.

‘Putin cannot stop’ – Estonian foreign minister says war in Ukraine existential for Russian president

As Russia continues to intensify its onslaught on Ukraine more than three years into the full-scale invasion, Kyiv faces a new challenge – keeping its Western allies, namely the new U.S. administration, engaged in the struggle. This became clear during the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24-25, where

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

The United States would consider bombing Iran again if the country’s nuclear program once again became of concern, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters during a press briefing on June 27.

When asked whether Trump would consider bombing Iran if the country were able to enrich uranium to a concerning level, Trump responded: “Sure. Without question, absolutely."

On June 21, the United States conducted strikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, dropping over a dozen bunker buster bombs on the sites and causing significant damage to the country’s nuclear program.

“Turned out to be unbelievable,” Trump said of the strikes on June 27, despite mixed reports on the success of the strikes.

A leaked U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment, reported by CNN, found that the strikes did not destroy the core of Tehran’s nuclear program. Instead, the intelligence suggests the attacks likely delayed Iran’s progress by “a few months."

Despite the leak, Trump administration officials have rebuffed reports that the strikes did not fully fulfill its object, amid reports of Iran having possibly moved its enriched uranium away from the sites.

“The objective was to eliminate enrichment in Iran… and he achieved that objective,” U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said on June 24, adding that he personally reviewed damage assessments and saw “no doubt” that key nuclear infrastructure was destroyed.

Trump’s comments on future attacks comes as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplayed the success of the strikes, claiming victory over Israel and the United States.

“I SAVED (Khamenei) FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH,” Trump wrote on Truth social on June 27, adding that he has halted plans to potentially ease sanctions on Iran. “The sanction are BITING,” Trump wrote.

“Iran has to get back into the World Order flow, or things will only get worse for them,” he added.

On June 24, Trump announced that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel had come into effect, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and a retaliatory Iranian attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar.

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones reportedly strike 4 fighter jets in Russia

Key developments on June 27: * Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones reportedly strike 4 fighter jets in Russia * North Korea deployed 20% of Kim’s elite ‘personal reserve’ to fight against Ukraine in Russia, Umerov says * Pro-Palestinian activists reportedly destroy military equipment intended for Ukraine * Zelensky signs decree to synchronize Russia sanctions

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Russia is ready to hold a third round of peace talks on the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on June 27, without specifying if he would directly participate in the negotiations.

“In general, we are ready for this (next round of peace talks), we need to coordinate the place and time,” Putin said.

Putin added that the talks could potentially be held in Istanbul but the details have not yet been worked out. He added that another round of talks may bring peace closer as the terms for peace outlined in the countries' peace memorandums remain “absolutely opposite."

The latest peace talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on June 2 in Istanbul, following an earlier meeting on May 16. Despite Ukraine’s insistence on a 30-day ceasefire, Russia has repeatedly rejected the offer, proposing only a temporary 2–3-day truce in limited areas to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers.

While no agreement on a comprehensive ceasefire has been reached, talks have led to a few major prisoner exchanges, including a 1,000-for-1,000 swap that took place in late May and a follow-up deal for up to 1,200 prisoners from each side.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during a press briefing on June 26 that it was Ukraine’s goal to organize a direct meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin during the next round of negotiation.

In previous rounds, Putin had failed to show in-person sending lower-level officials to the meeting instead — despite Zelensky’s willingness for in-person talks as well pressure from the United States.

On June 26, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is working to organize a meeting between Zelensky and Putin, with U.S. President Donald Trump potentially joining the talks.

Putin said on June 27 that it was “quite possible” that a meeting between himself and the U.S. president could take place. “We will be happy to prepare it,” he briefly added.

Zelensky and Trump met during the NATO summit on June 25, where the two leaders discussed battlefield developments, Kyiv’s need for additional air defense systems, and the potential for co-production of drones.

Zelensky has previously voiced openness to a trilateral meeting. On May 27, he told public broadcaster Suspilne that he was ready to sit down with both Trump and Putin.

Turkey previously hosted direct peace talks in March 2022 and has remained one of the few countries with open lines to both Kyiv and Moscow.

Putin under pressure to declare war on Ukraine, but experts say Russia isn’t ready

Despite suffering over 1 million casualties, pounding Ukrainian cities nightly with missiles and drones, and committing countless war crimes, one startling fact about Russia’s full-scale invasion remains — Moscow has yet to officially declare war on Ukraine. In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin described what he believed was going to be a swift victory and the capture of Kyiv within days as a “special military operation.” Nearly three-and-a-half years later, the Kremlin is stuck

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Loyalty to the incumbent administration has been the key requirement for prosecutor generals in Ukraine.

Ruslan Kravchenko, who was appointed as prosecutor general on June 21, appears to be no exception.

Previously he had been appointed as a military governor by President Volodymyr Zelensky and is seen as a presidential loyalist.

Kravchenko became Ukraine’s top prosecutor after a lengthy hiatus during which the position of prosecutor general remained vacant.

His predecessor, Andriy Kostin, resigned in October 2024. Kostin’s deputy, Oleksiy Khomenko, served as acting prosecutor general in the interim.

Kravchenko, who also has a background as a military prosecutor and has prosecuted the Russian war crimes in Bucha, was seen by the authorities as an appropriate candidate for the prosecutor general job in wartime.

Many in civil society disagree. Activists and experts have called for appointing an independent and apolitical prosecutor general capable of delivering impartial justice.

To ensure this, they propose appointing the prosecutor general with the participation of international experts, similarly to how it is done in some other law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.

Currently, the prosecutor general is nominated by the president and approved by parliament, where President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party holds the majority.

Some argue that this sets any prosecutor general up for failure.

“As long as the current (appointment) procedure is kept, any prosecutor general will be dependent,” Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, a member of parliament from the Holos opposition party, told the Kyiv Independent. “Are there grounds for believing that (Kravchenko) could be effective and professional? Yes. But won’t this be offset by his political dependence?"

The Prosecutor General’s Office told the Kyiv Independent that statements on Kravchenko’s dependence on the Zelensky administration are “speculative, baseless and not supported by any facts."

Another issue is that Kravchenko was deemed not to meet ethics and integrity standards during earlier contests for law enforcement jobs. This is why some anti-corruption activists believe he is not fit to be prosecutor general either.

Commenting on the accusations, the Prosecutor General’s Office told the Kyiv Independent that Kravchenko received the highest scores in tests for legal knowledge, analytical thinking and practical skills during the 2022 contest for the job of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau’s head.

“His activities have always been based on the principles of professionalism, impartiality, legality and responsibility,” the prosecutor’s office added.

Experts interviewed by the Kyiv Independent provided different assessments of Kravchenko.

Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, argued that she does not trust Kravchenko and described his career path as “questionable.” Kaleniuk was on the vetting panel that rejected Kravchenko’s candidacy for an anti-corruption prosecutor job in 2020 over integrity concerns.

Yaroslav Zhelezniak, a member of parliament from the liberal Holos party and a frequent critic of the authorities, was more upbeat. He said that Kravchenko was the best among the candidates for prosecutor general being considered by the President’s Office.

“He does have management skills,” Oleksandr Lemenov, head of the anti-corruption watchdog StateWatch, told the Kyiv Independent, based on what he heard from people who had worked with Kravchenko. “Whether (his skills) will be enough for the position of prosecutor general — only time will tell."

With Trump disengaged and EU complacent, Ukrainian reforms lose momentum

Russia’s all-out war has accelerated Ukraine’s push to join the European Union and NATO, as well as its dependency on Western loans and aid. Before, these things would have been heavily preconditioned on Ukraine implementing crucial reforms. However, the war has also eased the pressure on Kyiv to carry out

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Early career

Kravchenko, 35, is the youngest prosecutor general in Ukraine’s independent history. He studied at the Kyiv Military College and at the military law department of the Yaroslav the Wise Legal Academy in Kharkiv.

He was a prosecutor in Crimea during its illegal annexation by Russia in 2014 and left the peninsula as a result.

Subsequently Kravchenko was in charge of the criminal case against Russian soldiers Alexander Aleksandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev. They were sentenced to 14 years in jail for participating in a war of aggression and swapped as part of a prisoner exchange in 2016.

Kravchenko was also a prosecutor in the case against soldiers of Ukraine’s Tornado volunteer unit, which consisted of former convicts. They were sentenced to different prison terms of up to 11 years in 2017 on charges of kidnapping, torturing and raping people.

Why did Ukraine’s prosecutor general resign, and who will replace him?

The formal reason for Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin’s resignation on Oct. 22 was the ongoing major corruption scandal involving hundreds of prosecutors who obtained disability benefits, including financial support, the ability to evade the military draft and leave the country at will. A crucial question is whether Kostin’s resignation will

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

At the military prosecutor’s office

From 2015 to 2019, Kravchenko worked as a prosecutor at the military prosecutor’s office, then headed by Anatoly Matios.

The military prosecutor’s office, a Soviet relic, was subordinated to both the prosecutor general and defense minister and did not comply with Western legal standards. It was dissolved in 2020.

Lemenov, head of anti-corruption watchdog StateWatch, argued that Kravchenko may try to resurrect the military prosecutor’s office, which would be a dangerous tendency.

The office had a highly controversial reputation within Ukraine’s civil society. Matios and his subordinates were accused of corruption, blocking criminal cases and persecuting activists — allegations that they denied.

Kaleniuk also told the Kyiv Independent that the military prosecutor’s office lacked transparency and accountability. In 2017, public access to the asset declarations of military prosecutors was closed — a move that anti-corruption activists interpreted as an effort to hide their ill-gotten wealth.

From 2017 to 2019, Kravchenko was the prosecutor during the high treason trial against Viktor Yanukovych, a disgraced former president ousted by a popular uprising in 2014. He was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 13 years in prison for publicly urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine in 2014.

Some commentators, including Yurchyshyn, praised Kravchenko’s role in the trial.

Others were more skeptical.

Vitaly Tytych, who represents the families of protesters murdered during the revolution that ended Yanukovych’s presidency, has previously criticized the high treason case as lacking substance and called it a public relations stunt.

He accused the prosecutor’s office of being unprofessional, failing to collect enough evidence and making controversial statements that Yanukovych’s defense used to prove a political motive in the case.

Who is Oleksandr Klymenko, Ukraine’s new top anti-corruption prosecutor?

The new Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin began his reign with a long-awaited move, ending the seemingly never-ending saga of choosing the country’s top anti-corruption prosecutor. Oleksandr Klymenko, who won the job contest back in December, was formally named the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) on July 28.

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Integrity issues

In 2020 Kravchenko applied for the job of an anti-corruption prosecutor but was vetoed by a panel of Ukrainian and international experts as not meeting integrity and ethics standards.

One of Kravchenko’s alleged unethical actions was that he had applied for and received a 42-square-meter apartment in Kyiv from the state free of charge and sold it.

The distribution of free state-provided apartments to prosecutors and other officials is a widespread practice in Ukraine, although it is often criticized on ethical grounds.

Kaleniuk, who was on the panel, said that Kravchenko had bypassed the waiting list due to a war veteran document and acquired the apartment ahead of schedule.

However, he did not actually take part in the war and got war veteran status because he was a military prosecutor in the Donbas, where Russia launched an invasion in 2014, she added.

Kravchenko lived in an apartment in Kyiv owned by his wife at the time.

Asked by the vetting panel why he needed another apartment, he said: "I'm a man first of all, today I'm married, and tomorrow I might not be."

It is ironic that, due to the appointment procedures, "to become a rank-and-file anti-corruption prosecutor, you have to meet integrity standards, and to become prosecutor general, you don't," Yurchyshyn said.

Kravchenko denied the accusation of unethical behavior on June 22, saying on Facebook that he had a right to acquire the apartment and that he sold it in order to buy a bigger one.

In 2022, he also took part in a contest to become the chief of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). However, he was vetoed again for not meeting integrity and ethics standards.

The vetting panel argued that the income of Kravchenko's parents did not meet their expenses, signaling that he could be using them as a front for his own assets.

During the vetting process, Kravchenko indicated max.noumann@gmail.com as his email, triggering another ethical concern. The vetting panel said that the name was similar to that of Max Naumann, the head of a pro-Hitler Jewish group in Nazi Germany that called for the assimilation of German Jews.

Kravchenko said that this was a coincidence, and that he had made the name up.

"When there is a high level of corruption in the country, a prosecutor general with integrity issues is being appointed," Yurchyshyn said. "This is not a good signal for society, and this will be perceived negatively by society and our Western partners."

Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau makes progress yet doesn’t take on top presidential allies

As Ukraine’s civil society and the country’s Western partners call on the authorities to fight corruption amid Russia’s full-scale invasion, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is showing mixed results. A year has passed since Semen Kryvonos became the head of the NABU in March 2023, replacing the bureau’

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Recent jobs

From 2021 to 2022, Kravchenko was the chief prosecutor of Bucha in Kyiv Oblast, and oversaw the investigation of war crimes committed by Russian troops in the town.

During their brief occupation of Bucha and nearby areas in February and March 2022, Russian troops massacred hundreds of civilians.

As part of the Bucha investigation, 24 indictments against Russian soldiers have been sent to courts for trials in absentia.

Kravchenko also served as the head of the Kyiv Oblast military administration from 2023 to 2024 — an equivalent to a governor, appointed by the president.

Kravchenko was also appointed by the Cabinet as the head of the State Tax Service in December 2024 and served in that role until June.

Despite the shortness of Kravchenko’s tenure there, Zhelezniak argued that Kravchenko had been effective as the Tax Service’s head: There were no corruption scandals, budget revenue rose, and the number of businesses' complaints fell.

Kaleniuk and Yurchyshyn argued, however, that Kravchenko's stint in the role was too short to allow for meaningful assessment.

Yet the main issue remains — Kravchenko’s alleged dependence on the President’s Office could make it difficult for prosecutors to resist political interference.

"Kravchenko is not independent. He is convenient for (Zelensky's) Oleh Tatarov," Kaleniuk said in a reference to Zelensky's controversial deputy chief of staff responsible for law enforcement.

Note from the author:

Hello! My name is Oleg Sukhov, the guy who wrote this piece for you.

I was born in Russia and moved to Ukraine in 2014 because I couldn't stand the suffocating atmosphere of that semi-totalitarian country. I used to think it might be possible to transform Russia into a liberal Western-oriented country. Now it's clear that it's a lost cause.

But at least I can atone for the crimes of my homeland by exposing its barbaric aggression against Ukraine and providing objective and independent coverage of what is going on there. I'm also trying to contribute to Ukraine's transformation into a full-fledged Western liberal democracy strong enough to defeat Russia.

Our publication needs help from every one of you — support Ukrainian wartime journalism, become a member of the Kyiv Independent.

Ukraine’s judicial reform relaunch shows mixed results so far

In late 2023, Ukraine finally re-launched the process of vetting judges as part of a long anticipated judicial reform – a key condition for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. Four months later, the results are mixed. On the one hand, the High Qualification Commission, a top judicial body, has approved

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

As Russia continues to intensify its onslaught on Ukraine more than three years into the full-scale invasion, Kyiv faces a new challenge – keeping its Western allies, namely the new U.S. administration, engaged in the struggle.

This became clear during the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24-25, where Ukraine was present but took a back seat to the allies' charm offensive aimed at U.S. President Donald Trump.

But some European leaders stress that this does not mean Ukraine is left to fend for itself.

Speaking to the Kyiv Independent on the first day of the summit, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said this new reality means Europe must take up greater responsibility for Ukraine – and its own defense.

Tsahkna also dismissed the notion that Russian President Vladimir Putin is close to victory in Ukraine, believing the Western allies can “crack” Russia through additional sanctions and steadfast military assistance for Ukrainian defenders.

Rejecting the idea that the alliance is over as we know it because of Trump, Estonia’s top diplomat declared the opposite: “NATO is stronger than ever before."

Editor’s note: This interview was edited for clarity and length.

The Kyiv Independent: For months, NATO allies have said that the overarching goal of military support for Ukraine is to put it into the strongest possible negotiating position. Now, the negotiations have begun, but Russia continues to reject a ceasefire or to compromise on its maximalist demands. Has the strategy changed in light of this?

Margus Tsahkna: Europeans are doing more than before to support Ukraine on a military level. We are also going to adopt the 18th sanctions package at the EU level to put Russia under heavier pressure. But of course, it’s obvious that the only person who is not interested in the ceasefire is Putin.

During these – I don’t know how we can even call them negotiations – Putin has just asked for more and more, and is not giving anything. Of course, an exchange of prisoners of war is a good thing. But it doesn’t mean that Putin wants to have any kind of ceasefire or peace.

What we need to do is very clear: We need to support Ukraine more heavily. We need to reach the 40 billion euros ($47 billion assistance) level from the European side this year, and I think that we are very close to that.

The Kyiv Independent: The allies have been supporting Ukraine for more than three years now, and it has not forced Russia to accept a ceasefire. What has to change on the side of Ukraine’s international allies to actually force Russia to negotiate in good faith?

Margus Tsahkna: I do believe that we can actually crack Russia with more sanctions, by providing more investments and military support to Ukraine, because Ukraine is really strong.

This narrative that Putin wants to present that he is very close to victory and he has been very successful is fake news. Instead of a three-day special operation, Ukraine now has been fighting for more than three years against Russia.

And Russia has not had any kind of strategic breakthrough on the battlefield as well. Russia is terrorizing Ukrainians now by bombing civilians and killing them every night. It is very clear that Putin shows that he doesn’t want to have any kind of ceasefire.

But our duty is to support Ukraine, which is fighting. I think that it's clear to everybody in the world now.

The Kyiv Independent: Is Europe ready to move forward with these promised crippling sanctions, even if the U.S. seems unwilling to put additional economic pressure on Russia?

Margus Tsahkna: Yes, we just had the foreign council in Brussels yesterday, and we agreed on the main part of this 18th package of sanctions. Of course, lowering the oil price cap would be most efficient. I'm not sure whether this is coming or not.

A couple of governments, such as the Slovaks and Hungarians, are probably blocking this decision. Finding a consensus among 27 countries is really difficult.

But we must make these kinds of decisions as Europe, even if the U.S. is not following. I do hope that, finally, Senator (Lindsey) Graham's sanctions package will be adopted. It includes very direct sanctions against Russia's energy exports, banking, and so on, but also secondary sanctions for those governments that are still dealing with Russia.

We're talking about 500% tariffs on the gas and oil export dealings. But unfortunately, we don't have this decision yet. So we have a long way to go, but every day we need to do our part.

The Kyiv Independent: Does Europe have some kind of contingency plan if the U.S. disengages from peace efforts and the war in Ukraine altogether?

Margus Tsahkna: Yes, Europe must take these responsibilities. And to be honest, we have all the money in the world.

We have $240 billion in Russian frozen assets. And we are pushing heavily, as Estonia, to seize them and confiscate them to finance Ukraine. It's a lot of money for investments in the defense industry, as well as for buying Ukraine new stuff, like air defense systems. But we are not still there.

The Kyiv Independent: During the 2024 NATO summit in Washington, there was a pledge that Ukraine's path toward membership is irreversible. And we heard this pledge reiterated today by Secretary General Mark Rutte.

At the same time, the current U.S. administration has quite openly spoken out against Ukraine's accession. And it seems that the invitation for Ukraine is not even on the agenda of this year's summit. How would you explain to Ukraine that this pledge of irreversibility is not simply political convenience or rhetoric?

Margus Tsahkna: It is not rhetoric. But it's true that the U.S. is against the invitation now.

Estonia's and many others' position is that we see full NATO membership as the only working security guarantee for Ukraine and our region.

This is the most efficient, the most pragmatic decision. It may be impossible right now, but in the future, it will happen. I'm sure about that.

But now we have a hot war situation there. We need to focus on how we can support Ukraine so that Ukraine can keep fighting and not put pressure on it to accept unacceptable conditions. We're talking about sovereignty and territorial integrity. We're talking about the principles of independence.

The Kyiv Independent: Today, there was a massive Russian attack on Dnipro. A day ago, there was another deadly attack on Kyiv. Russia has also launched a new offensive in Ukraine's east. On the other hand, a new conflict is also escalating in the Middle East. Should Ukraine be worried that it will lose the allies' attention when it needs it the most?

Margus Tsahkna: There is always a concern that if a new war opens somewhere in the Middle East, attention will go there. But I can assure you that Europe is taking very seriously its support for Ukraine because there has been a huge change of mentality here.

Everybody understands that an attack against Ukraine is an attack against us as well. Ukraine belongs to Europe.

I'm sure that we will continue to support Ukraine, and there won't be any kind of loss of attention. Of course, if you watch the media, if you see politicians commenting on some topics, the number one topic is the war between Iran and Israel. But we need to concentrate our attention on Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent: Are you worried that if NATO doesn't act decisively and strongly enough to stop Russian aggression in Ukraine, Russia might be eventually tempted to launch aggression elsewhere, for example, Estonia?

Margus Tsahkna: Absolutely. This has been our story since 2014, or even before, when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008. And we said very clearly that Russia won't stop.

And to be honest, Putin cannot stop. Putin is a warlord. And for him, this fight is already existential. He just cannot stop the war.

And that's why we need to support Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting not only for itself, but also for us, but also instead of us. Most leaders in Europe understand this.

To be honest, Putin revealed his plan already in 2008 at the Munich Security Conference. It was about the restoration of the Soviet empire – and he's really committed to this plan.

So the Baltics and the Nordics understand this. Maybe some others don't believe it, but it's our job to convince them.

The Kyiv Independent: As a country on Russia's borders, how do you view the signals from the U.S. that they are shifting their focus away from Europe and their plans to decrease military presence on NATO's eastern flank?

Margus Tsahkna: Let's see what the review of the plans will be. Because the U.S. understands as well that the troops in Poland and the Baltic states are keeping and securing the peace.

But President Trump has said very clearly that he will be committed to NATO. But of course, I totally agree with President Trump – and also previous U.S. presidents – that Europe must pay more, Europe must take more responsibility for its own defense.

And this burden-sharing that has been here for the last 20 years is not fair.

Europe has been like an old, lazy cat who was just waiting for something bad to happen, and the U.S. would come and solve the problems.

No, the U.S. may not come to solve the problems if we are not committed. So this is exactly what you see at this NATO summit.

The Kyiv Independent: There have been many voices after President Trump took office and after Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference that NATO, as we know it, is gone. Do you agree with that?

Margus Tsahkna: No, NATO is stronger than ever before. We have Finland and Sweden, new members within our region, in NATO. We see that all the member states are investing more heavily (in defense).

But I also see this change on a political level. In Germany, a new government has declared very straightforwardly that it will create the strongest army in Europe. They have plans and money for that, so I think NATO is actually stronger than it was five years ago.

Note from the author:

Hi, this is Martin Fornusek. I hope you enjoyed this interview.

Our team strives to bring you the most interesting discussions with politicians, experts, and other important voices with insights on Ukraine's history, politics, and its resistance against Russian aggression.

We wouldn't be able to do so without the support of readers like you. To help us continue in this work, please consider becoming a member of the Kyiv Independent's community.

Thank you very much.

Trump gets king’s treatment at NATO summit while Ukraine sits on the sidelines

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — As NATO leaders convened in The Hague for a two-day summit on June 24–25, allies and Kyiv braced for the first annual meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office. With the Israel-Iranian conflict dominating the news and the summit agenda focused on

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Ukraine’s next goal in ongoing negotiations with Russia is to organize a direct meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said during a press briefing on June 26.

Speaking to journalists in Kyiv, Umerov, who was part of Ukrainian peace talks delagation, outlined a multi-stage negotiation process that began in January with an initiative from U.S. President Donald Trump. Umerov stressed that Ukraine welcomed the idea of a ceasefire from the outset and remains fully committed to a just peace.

“Ukraine has always remained consistent in its pursuit of peace,” Umerov said. “We supported the U.S. initiative for a full ceasefire from the very beginning and demonstrated our commitment through multiple rounds of negotiations. But any dialogue must take place without ultimatums and with full respect for our country’s sovereignty."

The talks unfolded in several rounds in Jeddah, Riyadh, Paris, London, and Istanbul. During the second round of negotiations in Riyadh, Ukraine communicated with Russia indirectly, through U.S. mediators. In Turkey, U.S. mediators were excluded from talks due to Russia’s request, according to Umerov.

Umerov said Ukraine had accepted a U.S.-proposed full ceasefire across land, sea, and air in early March, but Russia has rejected the proposal.

While no agreement on a comprehensive ceasefire has been reached, talks have led to a few major prisoner exchanges, including a 1,000-for-1,000 swap that took place in late May and a follow-up deal for up to 1,200 prisoners from each side.

Umerov said the focus of recent negotiations has included humanitarian issues such as the release of civilians and children, as well as conditions for a meeting of Ukrainian and Russian leaders. He emphasized that the next stage must include top-level dialogue.

“After completing discussions on humanitarian issues, Ukraine plans to move forward to the topic of a leaders' summit for substantive dialogue,” he said.

The latest peace talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on June 2 in Istanbul, following an earlier meeting on May 16. Both times, the Ukrainian delegation was led by Umerov. Despite Ukraine’s insistence on a 30-day ceasefire, Russia proposed only a temporary 2–3-day truce in limited areas to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers. Umerov called this offer “insufficient” and accused Moscow of avoiding meaningful peace.

“Russia rejects even the very idea of stopping the killings,” Umerov said following the June 2 talks. “That’s why we appeal to the world: pressure is needed for real peace, not for an imitation of negotiations."

Zelensky has also criticized Moscow’s limited ceasefire offers and called on Trump to follow through on promised sanctions if talks remain fruitless. Trump has repeatedly suggested that he is monitoring the peace process closely and warned that the U.S. response could change if Putin is not prepared to end the war.

No further U.S. sanctions were imposed after more than 100 days of Moscow’s refusal to the proposed ceasefire.

Facing manpower shortage, Ukrainian brigade turns to women in first-ever female recruitment drive

Editor’s note: This article originated as a winning story idea in a vote by members of the Kyiv Independent’s community. Join our community today and join our exclusive members-only Discord channel, where you can discuss and suggest stories, ask our journalists questions, and more. “Her strength is her

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

The White House has recommended terminating U.S. funding for multiple programs that investigate war crimes worldwide, including Russian war crimes in Ukraine, Reuters reported on June 26.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, the administration has imposed sweeping layoffs and budget cuts, targeting foreign aid, media outlets, and federal workers. Many of the cuts have directly impacted programs assisting Ukraine.

The Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on June 25 recommended canceling funds for nearly two dozen programs that investigate and seek accountability for war crimes, two U.S. sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The outlet also reviewed internal government documents to support their claims.

The targeted programs include groups investigating Russian war crimes in Ukraine, as well as atrocities in Myanmar, Syria, Iraq, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Gambia.

Multiple programs designated for termination are operating in Ukraine, three sources told Reuters. One of the groups is Global Rights Compliance, which gathers evidence of Russian war crimes across the country, including torture and sexual violence. Another is Legal Action Worldwide, a legal aid organization that supports efforts to prosecute suspects accused of perpetrating war crimes in Ukraine.

The State Department will have the opportunity to appeal the OMB’s recommendation, though two U.S. officials told Reuters that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is not likely to advocate for most of the programs.

Rubio could potentially argue to preserve a few key programs, such as those supporting the prosecution of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, one source said.

According to an internal State Department email viewed by Reuters, the department has until July 11 to submit their arguments on behalf of preserving any of the targeted war crimes accountability programs.

The Trump administration’s funding cuts have already impacted humanitarian aid and civil society programs across Ukraine as the country faces its fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion. One of Trump’s first acts in his second term was to freeze all U.S. foreign assistance for 90 days. He then worked alongside former ally Elon Musk to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Among the defunded organizations is Ukraine Conflict Observatory, the leading U.S.-backed initiative documenting Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children. A part of Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, the group will end its efforts to track and monitor illegally deported Ukrainian children as of July 1 due to funding cuts.  

The White House also previously disbanded the U.S. Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team and fired a coordinator responsible for collecting data on Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Trump gets king’s treatment at NATO summit while Ukraine sits on the sidelines

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — As NATO leaders convened in The Hague for a two-day summit on June 24–25, allies and Kyiv braced for the first annual meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office. With the Israel-Iranian conflict dominating the news and the summit agenda focused on

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Key developments on June 26:

• “50,000 Russian troops pinned down” — Ukraine halts advance in Sumy Oblast, summer offensive “faltering,” Syrskyi says
• Ukraine, Russia conduct new POW swap under Istanbul deal
• North Korea likely to send more troops to Russia by August, South Korea says
• Explosions reported in Moscow, Russia claims 50 Ukrainian drones downed across country

Ukraine has halted Russia’s advance in Sumy Oblast, stabilizing the front line and blunting the momentum of Moscow’s summer offensive, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on June 26.

“Based on the results of May and June, we can say that this year’s wave of the enemy’s summer offensive from Russian territory is faltering,” Syrskyi said, reporting that Russian troops in the northeastern border region had been stopped.

Moscow launched its new summer campaign in May, aiming to push deeper into Ukraine’s northeast and eastern regions, disregarding Kyiv’s calls for an unconditional ceasefire.

Russian forces had made modest gains, occupying around 449 square kilometers (173 square miles) in May, the highest monthly total in 2025, according to the open-source intelligence group DeepState.

In Sumy Oblast, however, the line of contact has stabilized. Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops are not only defending but also reclaiming ground using active defense tactics.

“In certain areas, our units are liberating Ukrainian territory,” he said.

Ukraine, Russia conduct new POW swap under Istanbul deal

Ukraine has brought home a group of soldiers released from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 26, marking yet another in a recent series of exchanges with Moscow.

“Today, soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning home,” Zelensky said without revealing their numbers.

The exchange follows six similar swaps carried out in recent weeks in accordance with agreements reached between Kyiv and Moscow at the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2.

As in the other recent swaps, the latest one focused on severely ill and wounded POWs and also included a group of young soldiers under the age of 25, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) said.

Most of those released had been in Russian captivity since 2022, with the youngest being a 24-year-old soldier taken prisoner during the battle for Mariupol. The oldest of the freed captives was 62.

The released soldiers fought elsewhere in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kyiv oblasts. Among those freed are several officers, according to the headquarters.

“We are doing everything possible to find each person and verify information about every name,” Zelensky said. “We must bring all our people home."

Russia’s Defense Ministry also announced a prisoner exchange with the Ukrainian side, without specifying the number of soldiers involved.

Facing manpower shortage, Ukrainian brigade turns to women in first-ever female recruitment drive

Editor’s note: This article originated as a winning story idea in a vote by members of the Kyiv Independent’s community. Join our community today and join our exclusive members-only Discord channel, where you can discuss and suggest stories, ask our journalists questions, and more. “Her strength is her

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

North Korea likely to send more troops to Russia by August, South Korea says

North Korea is likely to send more troops to Russia as early as July or August to bolster Moscow’s war effort against Ukraine, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said during a closed-door briefing, Yonhap reported on June 26.

According to lawmakers briefed by the NIS, Pyongyang has already begun recruiting soldiers for deployment to Russia. The latest intelligence adds to growing concerns about the expanding scope of North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war.

The additional troop deployment would come on top of what Seoul estimates is already substantial support from North Korea, including the transfer of over 10 million artillery shells, and ballistic missiles in exchange for economic and technical assistance.

Yonhap’s reporting follows recent findings that Pyongyang may send up to 25,000 laborers to Russia to support drone production, specifically Shahed-type loitering munitions, at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, according to Japan’s NHK broadcaster.

In return, Pyongyang reportedly seeks training in drone operations, signaling an effort to integrate advanced unmanned aerial capabilities into its own military arsenal.

Trump gets king’s treatment at NATO summit while Ukraine sits on the sidelines

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — As NATO leaders convened in The Hague for a two-day summit on June 24–25, allies and Kyiv braced for the first annual meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office. With the Israel-Iranian conflict dominating the news and the summit agenda focused on

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Explosions reported in Moscow, Russia claims 50 Ukrainian drones downed across country

Explosions were reported in Moscow overnight on June 26, prompting airport closures, with Russia’s Defense Ministry claiming 50 Ukrainian drones were downed across the country.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said emergency services were at the sites where two drones were downed.

According to the Shot Telegram channel, which appears to be close to Russian security forces, debris from a downed drone struck a residential building.

“Alarms went off everywhere,” a local resident told the channel.

Ukraine’s military regularly strikes military targets deep within Russia in an attempt to diminish Moscow’s fighting power as it continues its war against Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry later claimed 50 Ukrainian drones had been downed across the country, two of which were “flying towards Moscow."

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.

Kaluga airport and Moscow’s Vnukovo airport had flight restrictions imposed amid the drone attack, Artyom Korenyako, a spokesperson for Russia’s state aviation agency Rosaviatsia, said early on June 26.

“The airport is temporarily not accepting or sending flights. Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers, and airport services must take all necessary measures to ensure flight safety,” he said.

The restrictions were later lifted.

Note from the author:

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Putin under pressure to declare war on Ukraine, but experts say Russia isn’t ready

Despite suffering over 1 million casualties, pounding Ukrainian cities nightly with missiles and drones, and committing countless war crimes, one startling fact about Russia’s full-scale invasion remains — Moscow has yet to officially declare war on Ukraine. In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin described what he believed was going to be a swift victory and the capture of Kyiv within days as a “special military operation.” Nearly three-and-a-half years later, the Kremlin is stuck

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

The European Council failed to unanimously adopt a statement of support for Ukraine during its June 26 meeting in Brussels, after Hungary once again failed to support it.

On the eve of the European Council summit, Hungary’s government announced on June 26 that 95% of participants in a so-called “national consultation” opposed Ukraine’s accession to the EU.

The highly-particized plebiscite, promoted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government, has already drawn criticism over its credibility and turnout, raising concerns that Orban may use its results to justify future resistance to Ukraine’s EU accession.

To register their “vote” in the national consultation, Hungarian citizens received their “ballot” in the post, together with a letter from Orban urging people to vote against.

According to the European Council’s statement, the document found “firmly supported” by 26 out of the 27 states. All EU states, except Hungary, reaffirmed Ukraine’s “inherent right to choose its own destiny” and support for the country’s “path towards EU membership."

“The European Council commends Ukraine for the pace of its accession-related reforms under the most challenging circumstances, welcomes the significant progress achieved, and encourages Ukraine and the Commission to intensify work in the accession process,” the statement read.

EU member states also agreed to take note of the Commission’s assessment that Ukraine is ready to open the Fundamentals cluster. However, formal negotiations can only begin with the unanimous consent of all 27 member states.

Ukraine applied for EU membership shortly after Russia launched its war in 2022 and was granted candidate status within months.

As an EU member, Hungary has veto power over further progress.

Orban said he voted against Ukraine’s accession to the EU in the consultation, publicly sharing photos of himself marking “against” on the poll ballot. He warned earlier this year that allowing Kyiv to join the EU would “destroy” Hungary.

With Trump disengaged and EU complacent, Ukrainian reforms lose momentum

Russia’s all-out war has accelerated Ukraine’s push to join the European Union and NATO, as well as its dependency on Western loans and aid. Before, these things would have been heavily preconditioned on Ukraine implementing crucial reforms. However, the war has also eased the pressure on Kyiv to carry out

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

U.S. President Donald Trump promised during the NATO summit in The Hague that Russia would never attack the alliance while he is in office, the Washington Post reported on June 26, citing three unnamed European officials.

Speaking at a briefing in The Hague a day earlier, Trump, however, did not rule out that Russia has territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine.

“It’s possible,” he said.

Still, the U.S. president immediately downplayed Moscow’s threat and aggression against Ukraine, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin was “misguided."

Foreign officials and EU diplomats have increasingly called for the preparation for a potential full-scale conflict between NATO and Russia.

Trump’s remarks came days after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine’s intelligence has proof that Russia is preparing new military operations in Europe and just a week after Putin declared “all of Ukraine is ours."

During the summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on alliance members to be realistic about the threats posed by Russia and China. Previously, he warned that Russia could be ready to launch an attack against the alliance within five years.

Amid rising threats from Russia, NATO member states have agreed to a new defense spending benchmark, committing to allocate 5% of their gross domestic product annually to defense and security-related expenditures by 2035.

In early June, German intelligence chief Bruno Kahl said Russia may try to test NATO’s unity with provocations beyond Ukraine, as some Russian officials believe that the alliance’s collective defense principle no longer works.

Putin under pressure to declare war on Ukraine, but experts say Russia isn’t ready

Despite suffering over 1 million casualties, pounding Ukrainian cities nightly with missiles and drones, and committing countless war crimes, one startling fact about Russia’s full-scale invasion remains — Moscow has yet to officially declare war on Ukraine. In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin described what he believed was going to be a swift victory and the capture of Kyiv within days as a “special military operation.” Nearly three-and-a-half years later, the Kremlin is stuck

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Despite suffering over 1 million casualties, pounding Ukrainian cities nightly with missiles and drones, and committing countless war crimes, one startling fact about Russia’s full-scale invasion remains — Moscow has yet to officially declare war on Ukraine.

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin described what he believed was going to be a swift victory and the capture of Kyiv within days as a “special military operation."

Nearly three-and-a-half years later, the Kremlin is stuck with the term, caught in a quandary of its own making — waging by what any measure is a war, while being unable to call it one for fear of a domestic backlash.

A formal declaration of war would have far-reaching implications for the country's industry and economy, as well as allowing the Kremlin to launch a full mobilization.

But partial mobilization announced in September 2022 led to the only widespread protests against the war inside Russia, making clear to Putin that announcing anything more would cause him serious political problems.

"Putin has protected himself in this war by separating the direct effects of the war from the majority of the Russian population," Karolina Hird, Russia deputy team lead at the Institute for the Study of War, told the Kyiv Independent.

"But as soon as that starts to spill over and actually be felt by more of the Russian domestic population, that's when he gets into more trouble."

According to reports, there has recently been unrest within the Kremlin after Ukraine's audacious Operation Spiderweb, with hardliners reportedly pressuring Putin to make a formal war declaration that would permit true retaliation and escalation, and give the Russian government sweeping authority to shift the country fully onto a wartime footing.

But experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent say this is unlikely, arguing that for all intents and purposes, Russia's industry and economy are already on a wartime footing even if Kremlin officials deny this, and that Putin simply can't risk his hold on power by launching what would be a deeply unpopular mobilization.

What would a Russian declaration of war mean?

The two major factors that would come into play are the Russian economy and the Russian people.

A full war footing would be a complete pivot of the economy and its workers towards defense and the production of weapons, and allow for a full mobilization to conscript the necessary manpower to use them.

The Kremlin is projected to allocate 6.3% of its GDP to defense this year — the highest level since the Cold War — yet still far below what would typically indicate a country fully mobilized for war.

By contrast, Ukraine spent 34% of its GDP on defense last year, while British military spending surpassed 50% of GDP during the Second World War.

These same figures were cited by Russian Ambassador to the U.K. Andrey Kelin in an interview with CNN last week as evidence that Russia was in fact still fighting a "special military operation," and not a war.

Experts are not convinced.

"The Russian economy is already on a war footing, and the 6.5% of GDP spent on defense for 2025 is likely an underestimation," Federico Borsari, a defense expert at the D.C.-based Center for European Policy Analysis, told the Kyiv Independent.

"Defense production in key capability segments such as drones, missiles, and armored vehicles is at full steam, with up to three worker shifts per day."

Russia has drastically upped weapons production in recent months as it drains its stockpiles.

According to data from Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) shared with the Kyiv Independent earlier this month, production of ballistic missiles, for example, has increased by at least 66% over the past year.

Hird agrees with Borsari's analysis, saying the massive boost in defense manufacturing is a sign that, despite Russia's claims that it isn't at war, its depleted stockpiles are a pretty clear sign they are.

"It's not like Russia has a secret reserve of weapons in the background that it can somehow kind of unlock and unleash on Ukraine," she said.

"Russia is already fighting an all-out war in Ukraine, so there's actually not much more that can be done on their side."

The manpower issue

The one crucial area in which a declaration of all-out war against Ukraine could significantly boost Russia's ability to wage war is manpower.

Throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Putin has steered clear of a full mobilization, conscious of the domestic backlash it would create.

Instead, the Kremlin has simply paid people to fight, offering huge sign-up bonuses to encourage people to volunteer, a method which, up to now has managed to replenish the huge losses the army has incurred, but which many experts think is unsustainable.

"In terms of manpower, Russia still has a sizeable population pool it can draw from, at least in the near term, especially in peripheral regions," Borsari said.

"However, this pool may not be sufficient to sustain the current pace of losses, with thousands of casualties each week, beyond the first half of 2026."

With no end to the war in sight, that looming deadline will likely pose a huge dilemma for Putin — how to find enough men to fight, without losing his hold on power?

"They are aware of the massive risks involved and Putin is rather risk-aversive," Ryhor Nizhnikau, a Russia expert at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told the Kyiv Independent.

"Full mobilization is expected to have a destabilizing effect on Putin’s regime, the already ailing Russian economy, and it will certainly unbalance the current public consensus on the war."

The geopolitical aspect

Declaring war on Ukraine would also have international ramifications for Putin, Shea said.

"He will no longer be able to pretend to (U.S. President Donald Trump and (U.S. Special Envoy Steve) Witkoff that he is interested primarily in a partial victory by taking only the Donetsk region and Crimea," he said.

"He also said in St Petersburg last week that Russia posed no threat to NATO and that NATO was rearming for nothing. But a formal Russian declaration of war will convey the entirely opposite message."

Putin insists the Russian economy is fine, but Kremlin officials say otherwise

In a rare public sign that all is not well in Russia, two high-ranking Moscow officials last week issued separate warnings about the state of the country’s economy. Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina and Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov both highlighted that amid the Kremlin’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the tools Moscow once relied on to maintain wartime growth are nearly exhausted. Almost immediately, Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 20 dismissed the concerns, clai

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is working to organize a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with U.S. President Donald Trump potentially joining the talks, Reuters reported.

Speaking after his meeting with Trump, Erdogan said on June 26 that the U.S. president expressed interest in participating if the meeting were to take place in Turkey.

“He said,‘If Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Istanbul or Ankara for a solution, then I will also come,'” Erdogan told reporters. “We will hold the necessary contacts and, God willing, realize this meeting as soon as possible."

Zelensky and Trump met during the NATO summit on June 25, where the two leaders discussed battlefield developments, Kyiv’s need for additional air defense systems, and the potential for co-production of drones.

Zelensky has previously voiced openness to a trilateral meeting. On May 27, he told public broadcaster Suspilne that he was ready to sit down with both Trump and Putin.

Putin has claimed he is also willing to meet, but did not attend previous talks proposed in Istanbul, opting instead to send lower-level delegates to peace discussions held on May 16.

The Kremlin has long sought to portray Zelensky as “illegitimate”, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in February claiming that any talks must consider “legal aspects” of his mandate.

Turkey previously hosted direct peace talks in March 2022 and has remained one of the few countries with open lines to both Kyiv and Moscow. The latest round of direct talks on June 2 was held in Istanbul.

Trump gets king’s treatment at NATO summit while Ukraine sits on the sidelines

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — As NATO leaders convened in The Hague for a two-day summit on June 24–25, allies and Kyiv braced for the first annual meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office. With the Israel-Iranian conflict dominating the news and the summit agenda focused on

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — As NATO leaders convened in The Hague for a two-day summit on June 24–25, allies and Kyiv braced for the first annual meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office.

With the Israel-Iranian conflict dominating the news and the summit agenda focused on the new 5% defense spending target, Ukraine no longer took center stage.

This was chiefly because of one man: Trump has shown little appetite for ramping up military assistance for Ukraine, and there are growing fears he might disengage from the war altogether.

He has also ruffled the feathers of his NATO allies by publicly doubting the U.S. commitment to Article 5.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte set out to demonstrate that transatlantic unity remains strong — even if that meant appeasing Trump with flattery and deprioritizing potentially divisive topics like Ukraine.

This shift was underscored by the summit’s final statement, which offered little more than stale words of comfort to the war-torn country, even as Russia launched new large-scale attacks against its cities.

President Volodymyr Zelensky did not leave the summit empty-handed, however. He got his much-desired meeting with Trump, which seemed to have gone smoothly.

Rutte also sought to reassure Kyiv that support for Ukraine holds, stressing that allies have committed some 35 billion euros ($40 billion) in aid to Ukraine this year so far, about 10 billion euros more than in the first half of last year.

But it hasn’t dispelled the sense that an era is ending — one in which Ukraine’s struggle against Russia held an unquestioned place at the center of NATO’s agenda.

Ukraine’s small victories

The NATO summit wasn’t a complete failure for Ukraine. In fact, the most pessimistic rumors swirling around in the lead-up to the event did not come true.

Zelensky did, after all, receive an invitation to the summit, dispelling speculation that Ukraine would be left out due to opposition from the U.S. He also managed to have a face-to-face meeting with Trump for the first time since their brief talk in the Vatican in April, rectifying the missed opportunity at the G7 summit.

Though details of the meeting are scarce, Trump left the talk uncharacteristically critical of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Responding to a journalist during a press conference, the U.S. president acknowledged it is “possible” Putin may have territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine – a rare admission for Trump, who always professed his trust in the Russian leader.

"I consider him (Putin) a person I think is misguided," Trump said.

"I think it’s a great time to end it (war). I’m going to speak to Vladimir Putin, see if we can get it ended," Trump added. "He (Zelensky) is fighting a brave battle, it's a tough battle."

Trump also carefully signaled support for sending Ukraine additional missiles for Patriot air defense systems, though no concrete commitment was made. Asked about further air defense assistance by a Ukrainian journalist whose husband is a soldier fighting in Ukraine, Trump, in a rare show of sympathy toward Ukrainians, acknowledged her distress over Russia’s escalating aerial attacks.

"They (Ukraine) do want to have the anti-missile missiles, as they call them, the Patriots, and we're going to see if we can make some available," Trump said.

Other NATO leaders reaffirmed their steadfast support for Ukraine as it continues to resist Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fourth year.

“Everybody understands that the attack against Ukraine is an attack against us as well. Ukraine belongs to Europe,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna told the Kyiv Independent during an interview at the summit.

Zelensky’s rhetoric was focused on pressuring Russia to accept a just peace and on raising more international funding for the Ukrainian defense industry.

Individual countries and other partners responded. The Netherlands and Norway pledged hundreds of millions to the Ukrainian defense industry, while the EU confirmed that its new, ambitious $175-billion SAFE defense spending program will be open to Kyiv.

But as the summit unfolded, it became increasingly clear that the spotlight is on Trump.

Putin insists the Russian economy is fine, but Kremlin officials say otherwise

In a rare public sign that all is not well in Russia, two high-ranking Moscow officials last week issued separate warnings about the state of the country’s economy. Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina and Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov both highlighted that amid the Kremlin’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the tools Moscow once relied on to maintain wartime growth are nearly exhausted. Almost immediately, Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 20 dismissed the concerns, clai

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Charm offensive, aimed at Trump

To say that The Hague summit took place at a precarious moment would be an understatement.

NATO is gripped by what is arguably its greatest existential crisis yet, and the most challenging security situation since the Cold War.tes

Since taking office, Trump has signaled plans to reduce military presence in Europe and cast doubt on his commitment to Article 5 – including just before his trip to the summit.

As Trump’s attention wanders away from Europe and Ukraine to the Israel-Iran conflict and other regions, Europeans are left to grapple with the fears that they might have to face Russian aggression on their own.

Perhaps that is why NATO leaders were so dead set on bringing Trump to the summit.

As the Kyiv Independent learned from a Ukrainian official, member countries pulled out all the stops to get Trump to attend, giving him a king’s treatment during the dinner and keeping the summit deliberately short.

Leading this charm offensive was the secretary general himself.

“Mr President, dear Donald, Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer,” Rutte wrote in a message to Trump ahead of the summit, which the U.S. president promptly published.

“Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win,” he continued, referring to an agreement to raise the defense spending benchmark to 5% of GDP in a style strikingly similar to Trump’s.

Asked by a journalist whether the revelation of this text was not embarrassing for him, Rutte only doubled down, jokingly referring to Trump as a “daddy” during a briefing.

The summit’s focus on defense spending was likely a deliberate offering to Trump, who has lambasted European allies as underpaying freeloaders. When Rutte managed to get a unanimous agreement on the new spending target despite protests from Spain, he had a big win to present to Trump.

"Your leadership on this has already produced $1 trillion in extra spending from European allies since 2016. And decisions today will produce trillions more for common defense,” Rutte told Trump during the summit.

Trump has not been alone in this criticism. NATO’s eastern members, who devote considerably more to defense than their western and southern partners, echoed the sentiment.

“I totally agree with President Trump… Europe must pay more, Europe must take more responsibility for its own defense,” Tsakhna said.

“Europe has been like an old, lazy cat who was just waiting for something bad to happen, and the U.S. would come and solve the problems.”

Rutte's strategy seemed to have paid off. Trump appeared in good spirits, praising the new defense pledge while enjoying a flurry of questions from journalists that, in the absolute majority, focused on recent U.S. strikes on Iran.

Trump also signed off on the final statement that reaffirmed commitment to Article 5, mollifying his earlier comments.

Ukraine sidelined

While the final communique of the NATO summit in Washington last year was 38 paragraphs long, with six devoted to support for Ukraine, this year’s joint declaration was a mere five paragraphs.

The document did name Russia as a threat to the Euro-Atlantic security and reaffirmed support for Kyiv, but stopped short of condemning Moscow, mentioning Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, or offering any concrete new assistance.

This did not come as a surprise. Already in the runup to the summit, Bloomberg reported that the joint communique would omit these topics to avert friction with the U.S. president, who has been averse to offending Russia.

Rutte used the summit to repeat the familiar pledge that Ukraine’s path toward NATO is “irreversible,” but it was obvious that Kyiv’s accession, openly opposed by Trump, would not see any development in the near future.

Even as Russia launched a brutal aerial attack against Dnipro during the summit, which killed 19 people and injured 300, NATO offered Ukraine little but words.

What Ukraine received at this year’s NATO summit was a far cry from the bold pledges made last year in Washington.

But the meeting passed without any visible friction between Trump and his Ukrainian and European partners, with Ukraine even grabbing a few modest wins.

In the era of Trump, that might be a success of itself.

Asami Terajima contributed to reporting.

Note from the author:

Hi, this is Martin Fornusek. I hope you enjoyed this article. If you want to help us continue covering crucial events like the NATO summit in The Hague, please consider becoming our member.

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