Political news from Kyiv region, government decisions and Ukraine politics
# After White House Meeting, Trump Announces Plans for Putin-Zelenskyy Bilateral, to be Followed by Three-Way Talks with US Following his August 18 White House meeting, Trump announced preparations for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, which would then transition into three-way talks involving the United States. Moscow neither rejected nor accepted the proposal.
# Summit Ends Without Trump-Zelenskyy Meeting and Without G7 Joint Statement on Ukraine — US Blocks Strong Language The summit concluded without a meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy and without a joint G7 document on Ukraine — the United States blocked tough language. Canada and Britain announced their own support packages, but the key question remains: whether bilateral decisions will carry as much weight as a consensus among the seven would have.
Annual U.S. exercises have become quadrilateral — and this is not a technical detail, but a marker of how far Yerevan has moved away from Moscow over the past two years.
CIA Director Kraklieff warned Trump: Iranians tell intermediaries one thing, but say another among themselves. The deal is signed, but all nuclear issues are postponed for 60 days — that's exactly where the real problem lies.
While Washington has shifted focus to Iran, the European Union is losing influence over the peace process — and the biggest fear is not that Trump will forget about Ukraine, but that he will remember it.
On the night of June 15, a Russian "Shahed" drone set fire to the roof of the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. UNESCO condemned the strike without naming Russia as the perpetrator — and received a sharp response from Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.
# EU Expands Sanctions List Against 34 Individuals and 47 Organizations, Targeting Russia's Shadow Fleet, Defense Sector, and Oil Revenues The European Union has broadened its sanctions list to include 34 individuals and 47 organizations, striking at Moscow's shadow fleet, defense-industrial complex, and oil revenues. However, the critical question remains: can sanctions keep pace with the speed at which Russia constructs new circumvention schemes.
The Ministry of Defense launches market-based recruitment of foreigners and admits: some volunteers simply didn't know where they were going. But the legal vacuum regarding discharge from the Armed Forces remains a vulnerable point.
The commander of the drone systems platoon of the Third Army Corps described how medium-range strikes have changed the dynamics in the sector from Borova to Lyman — not only stopping the enemy, but also making it possible to recapture lost positions.
An organization issued a statement about damage to a UNESCO World Heritage site, but avoided naming Russia. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called this a lack of leadership.
On June 14, mediators announced a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. The document opens the Strait of Hormuz and extends a 60-day ceasefire — but the nuclear control issue has been postponed, and the IAEA still lacks access to Iranian facilities.
# Moscow Claims "Achievement of Objectives" After Missile Strikes Assumption Cathedral — Site Under Enhanced Hague Convention Protection. This Is Not a Rhetorical Error: It's a Documented Pattern. Moscow claimed it had "achieved its objectives" after its missile struck the Assumption Cathedral, a site under enhanced protection under the Hague Convention. This is not merely a rhetorical slip: it represents a documented pattern of conduct.
Russia has struck the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the oldest shrines in the Orthodox world and a UNESCO-protected site with enhanced protection status. Kyiv is initiating international procedures and expects action, not just words.
On June 15 in Luxembourg, the first cluster of negotiations officially begins regarding Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU. The breakthrough became possible following an agreement with Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar — but five of the six clusters remain scheduled for July.
On June 14, on the occasion of Trump's 80th birthday, Zelensky held a 30-minute conversation with him and announced "good ideas" regarding peace. The meeting did not take place at the G7 in Kananaskis—the American president left the summit early due to escalation in the Middle East.
For the first time during the full-scale war, financial incentives have failed to compensate for losses: in the first quarter of 2026, Russia was recruiting approximately 800 people per day, while 250-300 military personnel were dying daily, with front-line losses reaching 30-35 thousand per month.
Four former Serbian police officers and another suspect have been arrested in connection with the killing of 45 Kosovo Albanians on January 15, 1999. They were identified for arrest partly through television recordings, as a full investigation was not conducted for over two decades.
On the eve of the G7 summit in Evian, Zelenskyy called Trump on his 80th birthday and discussed ideas regarding negotiations. However, the White House has already confirmed that there will be no separate bilateral meeting between the two presidents at the summit.
Belarus is not merely reselling Western chips to Russia — it is scaling up its own microelectronics production for missiles and drones. The Integral plant appears in the debris of Oreshnik, Kalibr, and X-38 air-launched missiles — the same ones that killed 14 people in Kostiantynivka.
# Royal Marines and National Crime Agency officers boarded the tanker SMYRTOS — a vessel flying the Cameroonian flag that was transporting Russian oil in circumvention of sanctions. This is the first enforcement operation of this kind, for which London prepared the legal framework over more than a year.
The President of Ukraine commented on a large-scale attack on Russian infrastructure. Among the targets were a chemical plant, an oil facility, and airports that have faced operational restrictions.
President's authorized representative on sanctions policy Vladislav Vlasiuk insists that effective combating of sanctions circumvention requires sectoral bans and criminal liability within Ukraine — not merely new names added to sanctions lists.
# Europe's Security, Drone Agreements and Concrete Guarantees — What Kyiv Will Negotiate With Partners at Two Key Summits
In Novomoskovsk, one of Russia's largest producers of mineral fertilizers and industrial chemicals may have come under attack. If confirmed, this would be far more than just a symbolic target.
The Ukrainian Embassy secured the cancellation of violinist Vadim Repin's performance in Budapest — at the same venue where, back in March, the Hungarian state opera house rejected Ukraine's similar request regarding Netrebko. The symbolism of the moment is no coincidence: the concert was cancelled already under the new Hungarian government.
# Summit in Canada Ended Without G7 Joint Statement on Ukraine, Without American Weapons, and Without Bilateral Meeting Between Two Presidents. Trump Left a Day Early — Formally Due to Middle East.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Hnatov revealed why Russia spends expensive hypersonic weapons on strikes with minimal military effect — and why this is what concerns Ukrainian command the most.
# Ukraine and Moldova Begin EU Negotiations After Hungary Lifts Veto Following Hungary's blocking stance under Viktor Orbán, new Prime Minister Péter Magyar has lifted the veto. On June 15, Ukraine and Moldova will sit down for negotiations. The first cluster on "Fundamentals" opens easily but will close only after real reforms are implemented.
Washington has transmitted to allies a written plan for reducing aviation and naval forces for NATO operations in Europe. The key issue is not so much the figures, but the speed: allies learned that the changes will occur "very soon."
Trump left the summit early due to the Middle East crisis — and the announced working session with Zelenskyy never developed into a bilateral meeting. For the first time in years, G7 failed to adopt a joint document supporting Ukraine.