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.
Category: Geopolitics
Posted inGeopolitics
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’.
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Ukraine signs deal for 16 Gripen E jets from Sweden as Denmark pledges $670m in defence aid
Kyiv signed a procurement agreement with Stockholm for 16 Gripen E multirole fighters on June 30, financed through an EU loan, as Denmark simultaneously announced a $670 million defence package.
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US envoy Witkoff heads to Qatar as Iran denies new ceasefire talks are confirmed
Steve Witkoff flew to Doha for Iran talks on June 29 after weekend US-Iran strikes, but Tehran’s deputy FM publicly denied any meeting had been arranged, deepening diplomatic uncertainty.
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Ukraine launches 40-day pressure campaign with record 660-drone barrage on Russia
Kyiv opens a 40-day SBU operation to compel Putin to the negotiating table, opening with a record overnight swarm of 660 drones across 13 Russian regions and Crimea.