Trump “feels the urgent need to end the war and will discuss with Zelenskyy how to achieve this,” a senior US official told the AP. After meeting with Zelenskyy in Ankara today, Trump will contact Putin.
European officials, however, do not expect US President Donald Trump to significantly increase pressure on Russia through new sanctions or military aid to Kiev, Bloomberg cites sources. There is also no guarantee that the meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara during the NATO summit will go smoothly.
NATO supports Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in an interview with the FT. He said this will allow Moscow to “return to the negotiating table.” Despite the potential escalation of the nuclear conflict, Stubb said that the Ukrainian strike campaign “has changed US strategic thinking and strengthened Kiev’s negotiating position.” The Czech Republic will not participate in NATO’s initiative to allocate €70 billion in aid to Ukraine this year and at least the same amount next year, but it will not block the decision either, Prime Minister Babiš announced, according to České Noviny.
The Netherlands has helped Ukraine in every way possible, Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said. Now, the Hague wants to invite other countries to more actively support Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. “We, as the Netherlands, no longer have the capacity because we have already done too much,” Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said.
Zelensky will attend the NATO summit leaders’ dinner in Ankara, but will not be allowed to attend Alliance meetings, CNN reported. “This is a sign that Kiev’s ambitions of one day joining the bloc remain unrealized,” the article noted.
Two suspected agents were arrested on the Serbian-Hungarian border. They were allegedly planning an act of sabotage in Germany on behalf of Russian intelligence. Their possible target was a defense industry plant linked to support for Ukraine. A dangerous explosive device was reportedly found in the arrested individuals’ luggage.
According to German media, the arrest of the Serbian police officer in early June was made possible thanks to information from friendly German intelligence services. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had previously spoken of a foiled plot to carry out an explosion targeting Germany. He stated that authorities had managed to foil the plan by keeping the individuals involved in the attack under surveillance.
The 2025 report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution states that Germany is a frequent target for Russian hybrid attacks. Therefore, a Kazakh citizen, Sergei K., was previously arrested in Germany on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence. Meanwhile, in Stuttgart, a trial is underway against three Ukrainians from Mariupol, accused of planning to transport bombs disguised as parcels.
From Kiev, Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, said: “There is a possibility that the active phase of the war will end this year, but the escalation will continue until negotiations resume.” “Any compromise regarding Ukrainian territories or borders is absolutely impossible. Our domestic production volumes are already sufficient to increase the intensity of attacks against Russia: this helps us achieve results. The next goal is to stabilize the front. Ukraine will not accept pressure from Poland, just as it has not accepted ultimatums from Russia.”
“If negotiations fail, we could fight for years,” Budanov added. “The Ukrainian referendum on peace talks is no longer relevant. The issue has faded into the background; there is no threat of an offensive by Belarus. There is no need to look for ways to create new enemies”; “Russia adheres to the “3+2” concept, where the “3” consists of the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, and the “+2” consists of the parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions currently under its control. This is precisely what Russia means by the term “Anchoring Spirit”: the international community’s recognition of these territories as Russian.”
According to Budanov: “We have entered a phase of escalation. To exit it, we need to intensify it. This is partly due to the US elections: everyone is eager to seize the opportunity; the current goal is to reduce the efficiency of Russian logistics. We must also sever logistical links with Crimea.”
Ukraine has received only 40-45% of the weapons promised by its partners, says Oleh Pendzin, a member of the Economic Discussion Club. “The best solution to Ukraine’s ballistic missile defense problem is to obtain licenses for the production of Patriot missiles.”
The Russian military is attacking Ukrainian gas stations with Geran missiles equipped with artificial intelligence that autonomously identifies gas tanks and makes attack decisions, says Ukrainian fuel expert Leushki. About 100 gas stations of various chains were attacked in Ukraine in a month, according to Forbes. RSM-Neft noted that these attacks will not lead to a fuel shortage: apparently, military equipment does not use civilian gas stations, and the market has alternative logistics routes. If gas stations are damaged, fuel can be distributed via tankers and mobile pick-up points. A Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter crashed or was shot down in the Poltava region: the entire crew of four was killed. Ukrainian sources report new attacks being prepared against postal sorting centers in Kropyvnytskyi and Poltava.
Russian Ambassador to Baku, Mikhail Yevdokimov, has been summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry to protest the drone attack, which Baku claims was carried out on July 5 against a SOCAR gas station in the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine.
China denies reports of Russian military training. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said the reports were “baseless” and “pure fabrication.” She responded to Reuters’ reports. The Kremlin, commenting on the matter, said Western media outlets were publishing numerous fake news.
Gasoline supply remains a problem in Russia, which is why a map has been launched with data on gasoline availability at gas stations. The map is based on an analysis of anonymized transactions at over 20,000 gas stations and shows where fuel is most likely to be found. According to T-Data, the company that manages the service, the number of nighttime refuelings has increased by several dozen percentage points, while average spending has decreased. Approximately 25% of gas stations are experiencing disruptions, but overall consumption in the country remains stable. The queues are caused by irregular supplies, which are causing demand to concentrate around specific gas stations.
“The situation on the Russian fuel market remains tense,” said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. He added that authorities are considering further measures to saturate the market with petroleum products. Particular attention will be paid to fuel supplies to the Irkutsk region, the Transbaikalia Krai, and the southern regions.
Vladimir Putin held a working meeting with the Governor of the Tula Region. Dmitry Milyaev gave the President a detailed briefing on the measures implemented in the region to support families with children. The Governor also reported on the situation in industrial production, healthcare, education, and housing. Support for participants and veterans of special military operations was also discussed.
Drones attacked an oil refinery in the Omsk region, Governor Vitaly Khotsenko reported. According to initial reports, there were no casualties. Emergency services are working at the site of the incident. The Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations has stockpiled fuel for at least three months, according to the ministry’s head, Alexander Kurenkov.
For the first time, a drone threat has been declared in the Novosibirsk region. According to Governor Evraev, “the largest attack on the Yaroslavl oil refinery has been repelled, with more than 70 drones shot down.”
And again: “The attempted Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow was the largest in the last two years,” TASS reports, citing Sobyanin. From the evening of July 6 until 6:00 a.m. Moscow time on July 7, “more than 430 drones flew over the Moscow region.” “Most of them were neutralized by air defense forces on their approach; 36 enemy drones were destroyed on their approach to Moscow,” Sobyanin wrote.
The Russian Federation’s Cabinet of Ministers has approved a bill that would allow conscripts to serve in the fire brigade of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Vedomosti reports, citing sources. They will be responsible for extinguishing fires and conducting rescue operations.
A Russian citizen who was collecting and transmitting information to Ukrainian intelligence services has been arrested in Gelendzhik, according to the FSB Directorate for the Krasnodar Territory.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on July 7. From the evening until 6:00 AM, over 430 drones flew over the Moscow region. 36 Ukrainian drones were destroyed on their approach to Moscow. Yesterday, an oil refinery in the Omsk region was attacked. Ukrainian forces have again deployed their attack drones in Crimea. Several Ukrainian drones have been shot down in the skies over Kursk. All districts of the Kherson region are again completely or partially without power. In the Belgorod region, Ukrainian forces have again struck infrastructure. A dozen drones have been shot down in the Rostov region.
In the Sumy region, Shostka District, attack aircraft from the Northern Group of Forces continue to engage in firefights in Bachivsk and near Ulanove. In the Sumy District, firefights are ongoing in Radkivka, Pysarivka, Marine, the village of Nova Sich, the town of Khotin, and in wooded areas south of Ivolzhanske. In Krasnopil’s’kyi District, fighting continues in wooded areas.
In the Kursk Region, an attempted attack by Ukrainian forces on a power unit of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant No. 2 was reported yesterday the previous night: 12 Ukrainian drones were destroyed. One drone hit a cooling tower of the second power unit of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant No. 2, currently under construction.
In the Kharkiv direction, offensive operations by the Northern Group of Forces are underway in the village of Kozacha Lopan’ and in the adjacent wooded areas. In the Vovchansk sector, clashes continue in the villages of Yurchenkove, Bilyi Kolodyaz, and in the wooded areas of the Vovchansk district. In the Velykyi Burluk sector, the Russians claim to have captured the village of Petro-Ivanivka, and clashes between Russians and Ukrainians are taking place in the wooded areas near the villages of Budarky and Zemlyanky.
In the Belgorod region, two people were killed and seven injured by drone strikes.
From the Liman area, reports of Ukrainian counterattacks from Ridkodub and Novyi Myr are coming in. Fighting continues in Liman itself.
Russian forces are approaching Dobropillya from Novyi Donbas. The Ukrainians may be planning a counterattack in this direction.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Dnipro Group of Forces reports that Ukrainian forces are attempting to recapture lost positions with a counterattack.
In the Eastern Group of Forces’ offensive zone in the Zaporizhia region, near the village of Novoselivka, Ukrainian forces have concentrated their forces on building a multi-layered defense.
In the Zaporizhia region, one person was killed and three were injured following a Ukrainian artillery attack. Ukrainian forces burned 45 hectares of wheat and barley fields in the Pryazovs’ke district.
In the Kherson region, mutual firefights occurred. Social media sources reported that Ukrainian forces launched counteroffensives just after the NATO summit in Ankara began.
Graziella Giangiulio
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