Wednesday, July 2 news on the conflict in Ukraine, live. Moscow after the White House announcement: The end of the conflict is near. Kiev: No official notification on the stop to weapons

19:36 | July 02

Lithuania: US should continue to support Kiev

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys expressed concern over the US decision to reduce military aid to Ukraine and announced his intention to discuss it with the US administration. The support that is being provided is extremely important: we will try to convince Washington to continue to provide all the weapons systems that are essential for Ukraine to continue to defend itself, Budrys said.

19:33|July 2

Archbishop of Kiev gives Pope list of prisoners and invites him to visit Ukraine

Archbishop of Kiev Shevchuk on behalf of the bishops of the Synod handed over to the Pope the lists of prisoners of war and missing Ukrainians. This was announced by the Secretariat of Major Archbishop Shevchuk in a statement this morning. The Archbishop and the Synod of Bishops were received by the Pope in the Vatican. At the end of the meeting, the Head and Father of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church invited Pope Leo XIV to visit Ukraine. His Beatitude Sviatoslav also assured that Ukraine prays for the Pope every day. In response, Pope Leo XIV said that he also prays every day for Ukraine and its people, the statement says.

19:02|July 2

Zelensky: Contacts with the US to define military support

Currently, at the operational level, all the details of the provision of defense support, including the air defense component, are being worked out between Ukraine and the United States. One way or another, we must ensure the protection of our people. This was stated by Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening speech after the White House announced the suspension of the delivery of some military supplies to Kiev. The Foreign Minister then revived the offer to buy air defense from the Americans, or pay for it temporarily.

18:27|July 02

Zelensky hears al-Sisi: Food logistics hub in Egypt

The creation of a food logistics hub in Egypt was discussed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. We discussed many important issues and will further develop relations between our countries, Zelensky explained in a post on X, noting that the two countries will work to increase the volume of trade. We agreed to instruct our teams to start preparing a preferential trade agreement and establish a Joint Intergovernmental Commission, Zelensky added, according to which I expressed my gratitude for Egypt's support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Egypt appreciates our efforts to end the war and is ready to contribute to achieving a just and sustainable peace.

18:18 | July 02

Towards the relocation of weapons factories to Denmark to protect them from Russian raids

Talks are underway between Copenhagen and Kiev to move Ukrainian companies that produce weapons, including drones and missiles, and ammunition to Denmark to protect them from Russian strikes, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced. The course of the talks will become clear by September or October.

17:47|July 02

Paris Court: Moscow to Pay 1 Billion to Ukrainian Bank

Russia has been ordered to pay more than $1 billion to Ukrainian bank Oschadbank for the loss of its investments in Crimea, the Paris Court of Appeals has ruled. The dispute stems from proceedings initiated in 2018 by JSC Oschadbank at an international arbitration tribunal in France. The Ukrainian bank claimed that it had lost investments in Crimea following the annexation of the territory to Russia in March 2014. To enforce its rights, Oschadbank relied on a bilateral investment treaty concluded between Russia and Ukraine on November 27, 1998. The arbitration tribunal ruled in its favor, ordering Russia to pay more than $1 billion (€850 million). Moscow then appealed the award to the Paris Court of Appeals, which annulled it in March 2021, arguing that the treaty was not applicable. The Ukrainian bank appealed to the Court of Cassation, which overturned the appeal decision in December 2022, reinstating the arbitration award. Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, a new panel of the Paris Court of Appeals rejected Russia’s new annulment appeal, noting the Court of Cassation’s ruling and upholding the arbitration award against Russia, Lina Reyes, a lawyer at the Alternative Dispute Resolution Division of the Mediation and Arbitration Center, told AFP. The Court of Appeal also rejected claims filed by the Russian Federation regarding violation of international public order, failure to fulfill the arbitration tribunal’s mandate, and the existence of reasonable doubts about the independence and impartiality of one of the arbitrators, the court said in a statement. Since the arbitration tribunal’s decision remains valid, Russia is still ordered to pay the bank more than $1 billion for violating the bilateral investment treaty.

17:05|July 02

Putin-Macron talks important, even if disagreements remain

Russia is interested in dialogue with other countries, even though Moscow disagrees with them on many issues. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this in an interview with Russian TV, referring to the telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. Putin has repeatedly reiterated his readiness to continue the dialogue, Peskov said, even though the volume of disagreements, perhaps, far exceeds the volume of issues that offer the possibility of joint efforts. Dialogue, he added, is still necessary and in our interest. As for the reason for the call, Peskov explained that it had been a long time since they last communicated. It was necessary to present the mutual position in all its nuances. It is one thing to receive reports from one's own staff, and another to listen directly to the original source.

16:22|July 2

Klitschko: US Arms Ban in Kiev Is Bad News

The US decision to temporarily suspend supplies of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine has raised concerns in Kiev. The mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, speaking to Welt TV, described the situation as very bad news. The former world boxing champion said that US military support plays a crucial role in his country's defense capabilities. Every war has three important factors: financial support, the necessary weapons and human resources. And we really need it in every sphere, Klitschko said, stressing that Ukraine is also defending Europe from Vladimir Putin's imperialism. In this context, the news from America is very bad for us because so much depends on the United States.

16:11|July 02

Kiev studies joint weapons production plan with allies

Ukraine is developing plans for joint arms production with some of its international allies. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced that the draft law on joint arms production with international allies should be submitted to the Ukrainian parliament for a vote later this month. The proposed laws were submitted to the national defense industry yesterday. The program includes the creation of a special legal and tax framework to help Ukrainian defense manufacturers increase and modernize production, including the construction of new facilities at home and abroad.

15:01|July 2

Zelensky revokes citizenship of Metropolitan Onufry

The Kiev Security Service (SBU) announced that the Ukrainian citizenship of Metropolitan Onufry of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has been revoked, on suspicion of cooperation with Moscow. This was reported by RBC Ukraine. Based on SBU materials, the Ukrainian citizenship of Orest Berezovsky, better known as Onufry, has been revoked. The corresponding decree was signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The SBU established that Berezovsky (Onufry) voluntarily received Russian citizenship in 2002. He did not report this to the competent Ukrainian authorities, Ukrainian intelligence said in a statement. Citing his ties to Russia, Zelensky signed a law banning the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and organizations associated with it in the country. The SBU also opened criminal cases against clergy associated with the Moscow Patriarchate, suspected of counterintelligence activities. Bishops and priests, churches and monasteries were searched for evidence of anti-Ukrainian activity. Ukrainian courts have issued guilty verdicts against some clergy, many of whom have been arrested. Onufry, already in 2022, had openly spoken out against the war, condemning the support given by the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill to the invasion of Ukraine. According to the information in possession of the SBU, the cleric has instead maintained ties with the Church of Moscow and has deliberately opposed the achievement of canonical independence of the Ukrainian Church from the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate. Kirill blessed the armed aggression of the Russian troops, speaking of a holy war.

15:00|July 02

Medvedev: 210,000 Paid Enlistments in 6 Months in Russia

More than 210,000 Russians have joined the armed forces on contract in the first half of 2025, and another 18,000 have joined volunteer units, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said. Medvedev himself said in January that in 2024, 450,000 contract soldiers had been drafted and 40,000 had joined volunteer units. In 2023, President Vladimir Putin said last year, 486,000 contract soldiers had been drafted. By the end of 2023, Putin said that two-thirds of the military serving in Ukraine at that time were contract soldiers and one-third were reservists called up to serve. Last year, the Moscow Times newspaper wrote that the minimum monthly salary for a contract soldier in Russia was 210,000 rubles (over 2,000 euros), that is, three times more than the average income in the country, to which a series of substantial benefits had to be added.

13:42|July 02

Podolyak: Weapons are still arriving, it is inhumane to stop them

Deliveries continue to this day. It would seem very strange, inhumane, to stop the supply of anti-missile systems, say, in particular Patriot systems: this is what Mikhailo Podolyak, the main adviser to the Ukrainian president, says, as reported by Rbc-Ukraine. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it had not received any official notification about the suspension or revision of defense assistance programs by the United States and requested a telephone conversation with American colleagues.

13:14|July 02

Kiev: No official notification from the US on weapons ban

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said it had not received any prior notification of US arms supply cuts and said that ending the Russian invasion requires continued support. Ukraine has not received any official notification about the suspension or revision of delivery schedules for agreed defense assistance, the ministry said in a statement. We emphasize that the path to ending the war lies through constant and joint pressure on the aggressor, as well as through continued support for Ukraine, the statement from Kiev said.

12:41 PM|July 2

Macron and the first phone call with Putin since 2022

by Stefano Montefiori, correspondent from Paris 

A phone call lasting over two hours between two presidents who hadn't spoken to each other for almost three years, and after months in which Emmanuel Macron had abandoned all attempts to tame Vladimir Putin, openly calling him a liar on several occasions. But beyond the personal chemistry — the six meters of table in the famous conversation at the Kremlin remain an unbridgeable distance —, Putin remains the leader of Russia, and Russia continues to be a member of the UN Security Council. In an international phase in which everyone is talking to everyone, starting with American President Donald Trump, it was becoming paradoxical that France should give up its ambition to be a balancing power.

In the previous hours Macron had a meeting with Trump, then with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, then with Putin and he will call Chinese President Xi Jinping: the leaders of the United Nations Security Council, never so absent and divided as in these years but useful at least to give a framework, a justification for this new diplomatic initiative by France.

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​Read the full article here

12:37 PM|July 2

Kremlin: Macron is not ready to cede Ukrainian territories

During yesterday's telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron did not express any intention to consider the transfer of Ukrainian territories to Russia, but the conflict situation was examined in detail, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, quoted by the Interfax agency. Macron, the spokesman stressed in response to a question, did not show any intention to recognize the reality that has developed on the ground.

12:22 PM|July 2

CNN: North Korea to send 30,000 troops to aid Moscow

North Korea is set to triple the number of its troops fighting for Russia along the front line with Ukraine, sending an additional 25,000 to 30,000 troops to assist Moscow, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing an intelligence assessment by Ukrainian officials. The troops could arrive in Russia in the coming months, adding to the 11,000 sent in November to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk region. About 4,000 of those North Korean troops have been killed or wounded during the deployment, according to Western sources.

12:16 PM|July 2

Kremlin: US Suspends Weapons Deliveries to Kiev Because Warehouses Are Empty

The reason for the US decision to suspend deliveries of some weapons to Kiev is the empty warehouses and the shortage of these weapons. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at a press conference. As far as we understand, the reason for this decision was the empty warehouses, the shortage of these weapons in the warehouses, Peskov told reporters.

12:08|July 2

Kremlin: Putin-Macron phone call very substantial, on the initiative of the Elysée

Yesterday's phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron was very substantial. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this at a press conference. He added: There was an exchange of views, quite detailed. It was a good opportunity to communicate our respective positions, he added. The Kremlin spokesman noted, however, that at the moment there is no talk of a personal meeting between Putin and Macron. Peskov also stressed that the phone call was held at the initiative of France.

12:06|July 2

Kiev: US weapons will be clear in the coming days

Kiev said it wanted to get concrete information from Washington about the White House announcement that the United States would stop some arms supplies to Ukraine. We are clarifying the situation. I believe everything will be clarified in the coming days, presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters, shortly after Kiev summoned a US diplomat to stress the crucial importance of American military supplies in the defense against the Russian invasion.

11:45 AM|July 2

Kremlin: With fewer weapons in Kiev, the end of the conflict is closer

The fewer weapons are supplied to Kiev, the closer the end of the conflict. This is the comment of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on the news of the suspension of part of American military aid to Ukraine. This is reported by Russian agencies.

11:38 AM|July 2

Ukrainian military sources: We will struggle without US ammunition

Ukraine will struggle to fight the Russian army without US ammunition, a Ukrainian military source said, following Washington's announcement that the US is halting some weapons deliveries to Kiev. We are currently heavily dependent on US arms supplies, even though Europe is doing everything it can, but we will struggle without US ammunition, the military source admitted, as Moscow steps up its attacks on Ukraine.

11:37 AM|July 2

Ukrainian Media: Western Microchips Used in Russian Drones

According to information from the German broadcaster Zdf, the Russian military is repeatedly installing Western technology and microchips in its drones, despite sanctions. The company Comsit, based in Zolling, Upper Bavaria, analyzed the components of several Russian drones, including the Shahed model, used in Ukraine, as reported by Zdf. The result: All of the drones examined contained dual-purpose chips from the West, for example from Switzerland and the United States. These are important for controlling the drones. How this technology ended up in Russia is not yet clear. The manufacturers involved declined to comment. The components are subject to severe export restrictions by the EU.

11:32 AM|July 2

Kiev summons US chargé d'affaires after arms ban

Ukraine told US diplomat that delays in military aid will embolden Russia, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported. 

Ukraine has summoned the US charge d'affaires, the

Foreign Ministry in Kiev reported, explaining that the main topic of the conversation with the American diplomat was US military assistance and defense cooperation between the two states. The move comes after the United States announced it would stop sending some weapons to Kiev, including air defense missiles, following a Pentagon review. On Wednesday, July 2, at the request of Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, US Chargé d'Affaires to Ukraine John Ginkel was invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the ministry said, adding that Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Mariana Betsa expressed gratitude to the United States for its support since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion and stressed the crucial importance of continuing deliveries of previously allocated defense packages, with a special focus on strengthening Ukraine's air defense.

​The Ukrainian side stressed that any delay or postponement in supporting

Ukraine's defense capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seeking

peace, the ministry said, noting that the sides discussed the ongoing defense procurement consultations at all levels and further contacts between Ukraine and the United States, which will help find mutually beneficial solutions to strengthen our country's defense capabilities, increasing pressure on Russia to promote peace efforts. Earlier today, White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly announced that the decision to suspend the shipment of certain weapons was made to put America's interests first following a Department of Defense review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries around the world.

11:29 AM|July 2

The US stops anti-aircraft weapons

Among the weapons that are no longer being supplied are anti-aircraft interceptors to neutralize Russian drones and projectiles. The Pentagon said in a statement that it has offered President Donald Trump options for continuing to provide military aid to Ukraine, in line with the goal of ending the war: The department is rigorously reviewing and adjusting its approach to achieve this goal, while preserving the readiness of U.S. forces for the administration's defense priorities, said Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defense.

11:07 AM|July 2

White House Confirms Arms Ban in Kiev

The White House has confirmed that it will suspend the supply of weapons to Ukraine. This decision was made to put the interests of the United States first, said Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly. The change would have come the day after a review conducted by the Department of Defense on the stockpiles of weapons available to the United States. It remains to be seen what type of weapons will no longer be made available to Kiev, but the move risks shifting the balance on the ground in favor of Russia at a time when military operations are at a standstill. A few days ago at the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump, answering a question from a Ukrainian journalist, said that he would do everything possible to ensure Zelensky an adequate military supply.

9:28 AM|July 2

Merz: Taurus supply is and remains an option

Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not rule out the delivery of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. It is and remains an option, he said on the ARD broadcaster. However, the Taurus system is extremely complex and requires at least six months to train for, he said. Then, referring to Ukrainian soldiers, the German Chancellor noted that no such process has been initiated: Germany, he was keen to stress, will not become a party to the war.

9:26 AM|July 2

Kiev: 4 missiles and a hundred Russian drones during the night

Moscow attacked Ukraine tonight with four S-300 missiles and over a hundred drones. The air defense neutralized most of the targets, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on Telegram.

Kiev, phone call (two hours) between Macron and Putin: the first in three years

Emmanuel Macron returns to speak with Vladimir Putin after a silence that lasted almost three years. The goal is to regain control of the dialogue with the Kremlin and limit the White House's openings to Moscow. Here is Marta Serafini's report. 

8:21 AM|July 2

Kiev: Russian shelling of Kherson hospital, injuries

Russian artillery shells hit a hospital in the Ukrainian city of Kherson yesterday evening, seriously damaging the facility and injuring at least 8 people: 5 patients and 3 medical staff. The Ukrainian governor of the oblast of the same name, Oleksandr Prokudin, wrote on Facebook, cited by Ukrinform.

7:59 AM|July 2

Kiev: Russian refinery hit in Saratov region

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have claimed responsibility for an attack on an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region, several hundred kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border, the General Staff wrote on Facebook, citing Ukrinform, explaining that the plant supplies fuel to Russian military units deployed in Ukraine. It did not specify how the plant was hit (probably by drones) or the extent of the damage. As part of efforts to reduce the enemy's offensive capabilities, units of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's General Intelligence Directorate, in coordination with other components of the Defense Forces, struck the Saratovorgsintez oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region, the statement said.

7:48 AM|July 2

Kiev, one dead and one injured in Russian attack on Kharkiv

A Russian drone strike that hit a farm in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine left one dead and one injured, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Ukrinform reports.

7:37 AM|July 2

Kiev, Russian oil refinery in Saratov region hit

The Ukrainian military yesterday attacked the Saratovorgsintes oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region, which supplies fuel to Russian military units, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said, Ukrinform reports. As part of efforts to reduce the enemy's offensive capabilities, units of the General Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in coordination with other components of the Defense Forces, struck the Saratovorgsintes oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region, the General Staff in Kiev reported, confirming direct hits and damage to technological installations. A fire broke out at the plant, and the extent of the damage is still being assessed, Ukrinform writes.

5:23 AM|July 2

US: Kiev's arms reduction is to protect stockpiles at home

According to reports released yesterday evening by Politico, the Pentagon has suspended deliveries of some air defense missiles and other precision munitions to Ukraine over concerns that U.S. weapons stockpiles are too low. The decision to suspend some military aid promised during the Biden administration had already been made at the beginning of June but is only coming into effect now, at a time when Kiev is repelling massive Russian air strikes and after the promise of commitment made by U.S. President Donald Trump, at the last NATO summit, to a Ukrainian journalist.

04:53|July 01

US: We will block the supply of some weapons to Kiev

The United States has said it will block some of the shipments of weapons to Ukraine that were promised during the Biden administration. This is certainly a negative decision for Kiev, which is busy fighting the Russian invasion. The decision was made to put American interests first, following a Department of Defense (DOD) review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries around the world, White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly told AFP.