Macron hosted Zelensky and more than 25 heads of state at the Hôtel des Invalides on July 13, where the coalition expanded to 37 nations and pledged renewed focus on Ukrainian air defence and security guarantees.
Category: Geopolitics
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China’s rare earth crackdown locks in a sixfold price surge and tightens global supply
China’s July 2026 enforcement push on strategic mineral export controls has sent neodymium prices sixfold higher and left European firms with below-25% licensing approval rates.
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EU’s 21st Russia sanctions round targets drone suppliers, banks, and shadow fleet before July 15 deadline
EU foreign ministers are set to adopt on July 13 Russia’s 21st sanctions package, targeting drone suppliers, banks, and shadow fleet vessels, with a July 15 legal deadline.
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Trump declares the Iran ceasefire over as US launches a second day of strikes
President Trump declared the three-week memorandum of understanding with Iran ‘over’ on July 8 after US forces struck more than 80 Iranian targets and Tehran fired missiles at US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
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NATO Ankara summit pledges €70bn for Ukraine and locks in 5% GDP defence target
Leaders of all 32 NATO members gathered in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026, pledging €70 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2026 and formalising the alliance’s five-percent-of-GDP defence investment target.
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Ukraine rejects Russia’s Kostiantynivka ceasefire bid as Trump calls both leaders
Russia claimed on Friday it had captured Kostiantynivka in Donetsk; Ukraine rejected both the claim and a subsequent six-hour ceasefire proposal as Trump spoke separately with Putin and Zelenskyy.
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Ukraine strikes Hvardiyske airfield and severs Crimean supply lines
Ukrainian forces hit one of Russia’s key Crimean air bases on July 5, destroying ammunition depots and road bridges in a coordinated strike campaign accelerating supply-line attrition.
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Russia’s June casualties top 39,000 as Ukraine advance slows to near-standstill
Russia suffered an estimated 39,490 casualties in June 2026 — the bloodiest month of the war — while advancing just 1.03 square kilometres per day in Ukraine, down from 16.6 sq km per day in 2025.
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Russia strikes Kyiv with 74 missiles and 496 drones, killing at least 22 civilians
Russia launched one of its most destructive overnight attacks of 2026 on Kyiv, killing 22 and injuring dozens as 25 ballistic missiles evaded Ukraine’s air defences.
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Trump cuts NATO forces before Ankara summit as allies prepare 5% GDP spending pledge
Trump has cut 5,000 US troops from Germany and halted a Poland rotation ahead of the Ankara NATO summit on 7 July, in what Pentagon officials call ‘NATO 3.0’.