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A host of European leaders welcomed the news that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law restoring independence to his country’s main anti-corruption agencies. A total of 331 out of 340 lawmakers present voted in favor of the bill on Thursday, forming an overwhelming constitutional majority.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday submitted a new bill that would restore the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies in an effort to defuse tensions following his approval earlier this week of a controversial law that weakened their autonomy. The previous bill was seen as undermining the agencies’ independence and sparked a public outcry and protests, the first major demonstrations since the war began, as well as sharp criticism from the European Union. Zelenskyy said parliament would review the new bill, which “guarantees real strengthening of Ukraine’s law enforcement system, the independence of anti-corruption bodies, and reliable protection of the legal...

Ukraine will let foreign arms companies test out their latest weapons on the front line of its war against Russia's invasion, Kyiv's state-backed arms investment and procurement group Brave1 said on Thursday. -snip- "We have a list of priorities. One of the top of those would be air defense, like new air defense capabilities, drone interceptors, AI-guided systems, all the solutions against gliding bombs," he said. Unmanned systems in the water and electronic profile systems on the ground are also on Ukraine's list of priorities, as are advanced fire control systems or AI guidance to make howitzers more accurate. Under...

Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelensky if Ukraine was capable of striking Moscow, as he encouraged more long-range strikes inside Russia. The US president told his Ukrainian counterpart that he wanted Ukraine to “make them [Russians] feel the pain” and force Putin to the negotiation table, sources told the Financial Times. “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?... Can you hit St Petersburg too?” the US president reportedly asked on the July 4 call. The Ukrainian president replied: “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.” Following the call, Kyiv received a list from US aides of long-range strike systems that could...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday downplayed US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Russia and its trading partners, asserting that Moscow is well equipped to withstand additional sanctions. -snip- "We would like to understand what is behind this statement after about 50 days. Earlier, there were also deadlines of 24 hours and 100 days; we’ve seen it all and really would like to understand the motivation of the US president," he said. Lavrov also said the SCO countries have reiterated their commitment to Iran’s legitimate right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. "We...

President Donald Trump has finally lost patience with Vladimir Putin. Having promised a “major” announcement on Russia, Trump has now confirmed that the US will dramatically increase weapons supplies to Europe for use in Ukraine and threatened 100 per cent secondary tariffs on Russia’s trade partners. Trump would only provide Russia with an off-ramp if Putin agreed to a ceasefire in Ukraine within 50 days.

Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Vladimir Putin after a maternity ward was struck by drones in Ukraine. The US president responded to news that drones had damaged a maternity hospital in Kharkiv, as he said: “I know. You'll be seeing things happen.” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that among the nine wounded in Kharkiv were women in the hospital - “mothers with newborns, women recovering from surgery.” He said: “Russia is targeting life itself – even in the very places where it begins.” It comes ahead of Trump’s “major statement” on Monday for Russia as he grows frustrated...

Former Vice President Mike Pence praised President Donald Trump for his decision to resume military aid to Ukraine, saying “the time is now” to renew support. “I do believe the time has come for us to renew our military support for Ukraine, make it clear that we’re going to continue to provide that support, along with our European allies, until a just and lasting peace is achieved,” Pence said in an interview with CNN on Thursday. Pence has at times been a sharp critic of his onetime boss’ position on Ukraine during Trump’s second term. Trump has repeatedly reversed positions...

Vladimir Solovyov threatens America

U.S. President Donald Trump said he had separately warned both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that he would bomb their respective capitals if either of them invaded their neighbors, newly released audio broadcast by CNN shows. The U.S. president was recorded speaking at a private fundraiser in 2024 about his conversations with Putin and Xi. "With Putin I said, 'If you go into Ukraine, I'm gonna bomb the s*** out of Moscow,'" Trump is heard saying, recounting his version of their conversation. He also said with Xi he also threatened to "bomb the s*** out of...