A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Political Developments
Late last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Moscow may cut its defense spending in 2026 and 2027. Russian defense outlays have ballooned to over 6 percent of GDP since the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine, and while the spending has grown Russia’s industrial output, the economy is beginning to show signs of strain under high inflation.
U.S. President Donald Trump was due to hold a phone call with Putin on Thursday, two days after the U.S. announced a halt to the supply of some weapons to Ukraine.
Danish officials vowed this week to apply ‘maximum pressure’ on Hungary for the latter to drop its opposition to Ukraine’s E.U. membership bid. The Hungarian government is the only hold-out in the economic bloc preventing Kyiv from joining the union.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
The U.S. has frozen some weapons deliveries to Ukraine as the Department of Defense reviews the status of the U.S.’ weapons stockpiles. The freeze, reported this week, includes several dozen Patriot missiles and thousands of 155mm artillery rounds, as well as GMLRS rockets, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, AGM-114 HELLFIRE missiles, and AIM-7 and AIM-9 air-to-air missiles.
“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a DOD review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe. The strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned — just ask Iran,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said regarding the freeze on arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said this week that Copenhagen is ready to invest EUR1.5 billion ($1.76 billion) in Ukraine’s defense industry, in addition to funds already provided to Ukraine. Denmark began financing Ukrainian production last year under a format now referred to as the ‘Danish model’, helping Ukraine produce 155mm 2S22 ‘Bohdana’ self-propelled howitzers.
Kramatorsk Heavy Machine Tool Building Plant, a Ukrainian defense company, this week registered an international patent for the Bohdana’s gun module, as Ukraine markets the system to its European partners.
Ukraine’s Brave1 defense tech cluster has unveiled a new 5.56 x 45mm round designed to improve the effectiveness of infantry in countering fast-moving drones. This specialized ammunition, already NATO-codified, aims to be mass-produced for widespread use by Ukrainian forces and potentially exported or co-produced with European partners in the future.
Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said this week that Stockholm will deliver around a dozen barrels for Archer self-propelled howitzers.
Belgium and Turkey have joined the international ‘drone coalition’ supplying unmanned systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Latvian Ministry of Defense announced this week in a statement. Latvia separately said this week that it will supply Patria-made 6×6 armored personnel carriers to the Ukrainian military.
Battlefield Updates
Russia has used 5,438 drones in attacks on Ukraine during June, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Moscow has intensified its air strikes on Ukraine since May. Only two days during the past 18 months did not see a Russian drone attack.
A Ukrainian missile strike killed Russian Major General Mikhail Gudkov, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed on Thursday. Gudkov, the deputy head of the Navy, was killed in Kursk along with several other officers, POLITICO reported.
The Russian Army took delivery of a new batch of BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles this week, state arms conglomerate Rostec announced. The company added that the BMP-3s have been modified with extra protections, drawing on Russia’s experience in the war in Ukraine.
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