Trump to meet with Ukraine, Syria leaders on sidelines of NATO summit
· France 2406/07/2026 - 01:26
Loud blasts heard in Kyiv during missile alert
More than ten explosions rang out in Kyiv early Monday during a ballistic missile alert, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.
"The enemy is striking with ballistic missiles," Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, wrote on Telegram. Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that air defences were in action.
06/07/2026 - 00:59
Ukraine attack cuts power to Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea
More than ten explosions rang out in Kyiv early Monday during a ballistic missile alert, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.
"The enemy is striking with ballistic missiles," Serhiy Popko, the head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, wrote on Telegram. Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that air defences were in action.
05/07/2026 - 23:27
More than 100 detained as leftist groups hold anti-NATO protests in Turkey
Turkish authorities detained more than 100 people taking part in an anti-NATO protest march organised by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on Sunday, ahead of an alliance summit in Ankara next week, the party said in a statement.
Turkey will host leaders from the 32 allied countries, as well as officials from NATO's partners, in Ankara for a summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. Authorities have ramped up security measures across the Turkish capital ahead of the meeting, banning demonstrations, barricading large parts of the city, and closing off roads.
05/07/2026 - 21:13
Zelensky says intelligence shows Russians preparing 'new massive strike'
05/07/2026 - 19:53
Zelensky says 'fighting continuing' for key town of Kostyantynivka
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Kyiv and Moscow's troops were still battling for the key eastern town of Kostyantynivka, which the Kremlin has claimed it has captured.
Moscow earlier this week announced it had taken the outpost -- on the way to important hubs in the Donetsk region -- but Kyiv has denied that as a "lie", saying that it is defending the town. Fighting is also continuing for Kostyantynivka, which (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin has already claimed as his own, but it is obvious that he will never dare to appear there," Zelensky said in his daily evening address.
Kostyantynivka had some 78,000 inhabitants before Russia invaded in 2022.
05/07/2026 - 19:13
Trump to meet with Ukraine, Syria leaders on sidelines of NATO summit, White House says
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey this week, the White House said on Sunday.
05/07/2026 - 18:18
Zelensky stresses support of key partners in call with Macron
05/07/2026 - 16:03
A climbing festival flourishes in Ukraine in the shadow of ongoing war
Atop a steep granite cliff overlooking a river about two hours' drive west of Kyiv, hundreds of people pitched tents on a festival camping ground. By day, they climbed the rock face, swam in a nearby reservoir or enjoyed stand-up paddling. As evening fell, live bands and DJs took over the stage as rock and electronic music drifted through the forest.
The Stoned Climbers festival, which took place last week in the Zhytomyr region, is Ukraine’s biggest outdoors event combining climbing and live music. Like many public events in wartime Ukraine, the festival blended ordinary leisure with reminders that the war is never far away.
Visitors received multiple air raid alert notifications on their phones throughout the weekend. Soldiers on leave quietly blended into the crowd, while organizers directed all profits from this year’s festival to a fundraising initiative supporting Ukraine’s Azov Brigade. Unlike last year, however, no Russian drones or missiles crossed the sky above the campsite on their way toward Kyiv.
The volunteer-run festival was launched in 2023 by about 15 friends who had spent more than a year climbing together after becoming fascinated by Yosemite’s climbing culture.
The U.S. national park has long been regarded as one of the birthplaces of modern rock climbing, where climbers built a counterculture around sleeping in tents, living out of vans and spending months on the granite walls of the valley.
“We realized climbing could be much more than just a sport,” said festival co-founder Dmytro Isaienko, 39. “It’s about a specific way of life — in nature, camping, on the rocks.”
Isaienko and his friends wanted to challenge the perception that climbing was reserved for elite athletes. Their first festival attracted about 150 visitors. This summer, attendance grew to more than 500, most of them beginners or amateur climbers.
Organizing the festival during wartime has given it a broader purpose, Isaienko said. He believes creating places where people can gather, learn new skills and spend time together has become a way of sustaining one’s well-being through a prolonged war.
“You need to get away from the war for a while,” he said. “Leave Kyiv and come spend some time here together, a little longer than usual.”
05/07/2026 - 14:42
China, Russia to hold joint naval drills
Beijing and Moscow announced Sunday they will hold their annual joint naval exercises off China's coast, with Russia saying the drills will begin Monday.
The two countries have close economic and diplomatic ties, and their relations are strengthened by shared opposition to a global order dominated by Washington.
The Chinese and Russian militaries have held regular joint exercises in recent years, a partnership that Western and some other governments view with suspicion as Moscow's war on Ukraine grinds on. The naval forces of both countries will take part in the "Joint Sea-2026" exercise in "waters and airspace" off Qingdao, a major military port and seaside resort in China's east, a Chinese defence ministry statement said.
05/07/2026 - 11:16
Russian Armed Forces strikes a train carrying cargo for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Oleshny, Chernihiv Oblast: TASS
05/07/2026 - 09:46
- Trump to meet with Ukraine, Syria leaders on sidelines of NATO summit, White House says
- China, Russia to hold joint naval drills
- Ukraine's Zelensky says he spoke to Trump, calls for 'American resolve' to help end war
- Trump offers to help Putin find deal with Ukraine, also speaks with Zelensky
- Ukraine denies Moscow's claim it seized strategic stronghold Kostyantynivka
05/07/2026 - 09:41
One person killed in the border Bryansk region and another in Russian-annexed Crimea
Moscow said one person was killed in the border Bryansk region and another in Russian-annexed Crimea in Ukrainian drone attacks in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Authorities in the border Belgorod region said "infrastructure facilities" had been damaged by the attacks, leading to "disruptions to electricity and water supply".
Ukraine's increasing drone strikes on Russian cities have affected ordinary life in Russia more than at any other point during the conflict.
05/07/2026 - 09:36
Trump offers to help Putin find deal with Ukraine, also speaks with Zelensky
US President Donald Trump, speaking to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by telephone for nearly 90 minutes, offered to help find a solution to the Ukraine war, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in comments made public early on Sunday.
Ushakov said Trump made the offer during the call on Saturday, US Independence Day, in the context of his participation next week at the NATO summit in Turkey.
"The American president once again confirmed his readiness to work towards a rapid end to the fighting and find solutions to overcome the crisis," Ushakov said of Trump's call with the Russian president.
Ushakov, who described the conversation as "business-like and quite constructive," said Russia sought "a political-diplomatic resolution of the conflict, with due account of Russia's fundamental approach."
Negotiations are at the moment at an impasse, with Moscow demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the entire Donetsk region – a demand Kyiv rejects.
05/07/2026 - 09:32
Ukraine's Zelensky says he spoke to Trump, calls for 'American resolve' to help end war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that he had spoken to US President Donald Trump on the Fourth of July holiday and called for "American resolve" to help end the more than four-year-old war with Russia.
Zelenskiy said he had a "very good" conversation with Trump, discussing the situation on the front line.
"There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning," he said.
Zelenskiy said he and Trump had agreed to "continue our conversation" at next week's NATO summit in Turkey.
05/07/2026 - 09:28
Ukraine denies Moscow's claim it seized strategic stronghold Kostyantynivka
Ukraine on Saturday denied Moscow's announcement that Russian forces had captured the strategic Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, a stronghold for Kyiv's troops in the eastern Donetsk region and a key target for the Kremlin.
A Ukrainian army spokesman told AFP the city remained under its control, while President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Moscow's announcement as "a lie", with the duelling claims coming after Russia also said Ukrainian drones had struck its second city, St Petersburg.
"The situation remains difficult," Ukrainian army spokesman Andriy Kovalyov told AFP, but Kostyantynivka "is under the control of the Ukrainian Defence Forces".
05/07/2026 - 09:20
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(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)