Ukraine war latest: Poland considering downing Russian missiles over Ukraine; Kremlin responds to Biden slip-up (2024)

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has released a statement rallying Ukraine's citizens on Statehood Day.

The national holiday was established by decree of Mr Zelenskyy in 2021 during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.

The day commemorates the baptism of Kyiv, which occurred under the rule of Volodymyr the Great in 988.

Mr Zelenskyy posted a message on Telegram this morning telling citizens "there will always be Ukraine here: our history, our people, our state".

"We are fighting against a terrible enemy, one that cannot be called human and is infinitely far from true Christianity," he said.

"Its essence is ruins, and the death it brings is something we must overcome. Ukraine cannot agree to anything less than to live, to preserve itself, and to remain human.

"Ukraine will not succumb to the evil that sheds blood for its own sick self-assertion, that despises truth - both human and divine - and devalues everyone except itself. Russia builds its statehood precisely on this. But we are different."

Ukraine is hoping to assemble swathes of cheap, unmanned drones that it hopes will kill Russian troops and save its own wounded soldiers and civilians.

An ecosystem of laboratories in hundreds of secret workshops across Ukraine are building this robot army at a fraction of the cost it takes to import similar models.

Estimates believe around 250 defence startups across the country are creating the killing machines at secret locations that typically look like rural car repair shops.

Costing around $35,000 (£27,000) to build, employees at startups like those run by entrepreneur Andrii Denysenko can put together an unmanned ground vehicle called the Odyssey in four days from a shed.

"We are fighting a huge country, and they don't have any resource limits. We understand that we cannot spend a lot of human lives," said Mr Denysenko, who heads the defence startup UkrPrototyp. "War is mathematics."

The 800kg Odyssey prototype can travel up to 18.5 miles (30km) on one charge of a battery the size of a small beer cooler.

It acts as a rescue and supply drone but can be modified to carry a remotely operated heavy machine gun or sling mine-clearing charges.

A fourth branch of Ukraine's military - the unmanned systems forces - joined the army, navy and air force in May.

"Squads of robots will become logistics devices, tow trucks, minelayers and deminers, as well as self-destructive robots," a government fundraising page said after the launch of the unmanned systems forces.

"The first robots are already proving their effectiveness on the battlefield."

Mykhailo Fedorov, the deputy prime minister for digital transformation, is encouraging citizens to take free online courses and assemble aerial drones at home. He wants Ukrainians to make a million of flying machines a year.

Human Rights Watch and other international rights groups are calling for a ban on weapons that exclude human decision-making.

It's going to be another busy week for Ukraine and Russia as the world reacts to last week's NATO summit and looks ahead to developments in the conflict on the battlefield and further afield.

Before we begin our coverage, here is an overview of what's happening in the conflict...

Reaction to Trump assassination attempt

Kyiv and Moscow have given differing reactions to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

The former president suffered a bullet wound to his ear in the shooting, which happened early on Saturday evening as he was giving a speech to supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Mr Zelenskyy said he was "relieved" to learn that Trump was safe and wished him a "speedy recovery". He added that such violence had "no justification and no place" in the world.

The Kremlin said yesterday it felt the current US administration had created an "atmosphere around candidate Trump" that had "provoked what America is confronting today".

Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it was "obvious to all outside observers that hislife was in danger", adding there were no plans for Mr Putin to call Mr Trump in light of the incident.

Key questions remain after NATO summit

Observers of last week's NATO summit in Washington are somewhat split over its success for Ukraine.

Mr Zelenskyy secured swathes of new aid packages to help defend his country against Russian aggression - including one from the US worth $225m (£173m).

NATO's secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine was on an "irreversible path" to joining the alliance, but stopped short of providing an official timeframe for when that could be.

Ukraine still hasn't convinced all NATO members they should join the alliance. According to reports, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban suggested in a plenary meeting with Mr Zelenskyy that Ukraine shouldn't join.

Mr Orban has, without any coordination with allies, visited Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing, and Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in the last fortnight, prompting criticism that his "peace missions" are undermining the EU's unity on Ukraine.

Russia looks east

Russia and China's naval forces have kicked off a joint exercise at a military point in southern China, days after NATO allies called Beijing a "decisive enabler" of the war in Ukraine.

China's defence ministry said forces from both sides patrolled the western and northern Pacific Ocean and that the operation had nothing to do with international and regional situations.

Exercises are expected to last until mid-July and, according to state broadcaster CCTV, will include anti-missile exercises, sea strikes and air defence.

It comes after Beijing was accused by NATO of helping to enable Russia's war in Ukraine, a claim China refutes.

Russian advances

Ukraine's troops have been struggling to hold strategic locations in the south and southwest of the country, with Russia closing in on a key highway that provides vital support to an entire region.

Russian troops have made it as far as the village of Novooleksandrivka, northeast of Donetsk. There are fears they could soon take highway T0504, seen as a critical artery for some of the last Ukrainian-held cities in Donbas.

If captured, the highway could become a path for Russian forces to attack to the west, east, or both ways.

"It is a very serious threat, because after two years of war, the enemy has the ability and determination to break through the front line and not in one or two places, but in several (places) to threaten logistics," an infantry company commander with the 110th said of the Russian advance toward T0504.

This is what you need to know as we head into the weekend - and you can check the Sky News and app and website for any breaking news on the war before we return with live updates on Monday.

• Poland is considering a proposal from Kyiv to shoot down Russian missiles heading towards Polish territory while they are still in Ukrainian airspace. The proposal was included in a security cooperation agreement signed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw this week.
• Ukraine will receive far fewer F-16 fighter jets than it had hoped for this summer, according to a report from Bloomberg. The first of around 85 jets promised to Ukraine will arrive from the Netherlands and Denmark and are set to be in the skies this summer. But Bloomberg's report says that Ukraine might only be able to field a single squadron of F-16s, anything from 15 to 24 jets, this summer.
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said the "peace missions" being undertaken by Hungarian leader Viktor Orban lack strategy. Mr Orban has angered his NATO and EU allies by holding unauthorised meetings with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jingping. Yesterday, Mr Obran met US presidential candidate Donald Trump at his resort in Mar-a-Lago, shunning Joe Biden at this week's NATO summit in Washington.
• The Kremlin says the whole world paid attention to Joe Biden's verbal slips at the NATO summit, but it was more concerned with his "unacceptable" comments about Vladimir Putin. Mr Biden spoke in detail for some time about geopolitics, but all was overshadowed when he mistakenly introduced Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin", before quickly correcting himself. Separately, the US president referred to Mr Putin as "a murderous madman". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "We continue to consider it absolutely unacceptable and impermissible behaviour for a head of state to make such disrespectful remarks about other heads of state."
• The Kremlin has denied reports Russia planned to assassinate the chief executive of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, which has been producing artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine. CNN and the New York Times reported this week that US intelligence had discovered the plot.
• Russia is likely jamming radars in European nations as part of a campaign targeting NATO allies, according to war analysts. Disruptions to aviation and maritime GPS are likely components of a "hybrid campaign" to undermine unity in the alliance and support for Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Medical workers gathered at the ruins of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital today to hear the Kyiv Classic Orchestra play.

The hospital - described as Ukraine's version of Great Ormand Street - was struck by a Russian missile on Monday.

Two people died, including a 30-year-old doctor, and around 50 people were injured in the attack, which has drawn widespread condemnation from Ukraine and its allies.

Russia denied targeting the hospital, though Sky News has confirmed the missile that hit the hospital was from Russia.

Tonight, the Kyiv Classic Orchestra performed Requiem for the Dead at the ruins of the hospital, with medical workers gathering to listen.

Poland is considering a proposal from Kyiv to shoot down Russian missiles heading towards Polish territory while they are still in Ukrainian airspace.

The proposal was included in a security cooperation agreement signed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw this week.

Ukraine's president said he was "confident" the arrangement could be implemented swiftly, though Poland will consult its NATO allies before attempting to shoot down any Russian missiles.

"At this stage, this is an idea. What our agreement said is we will explore this idea," Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the American Enterprise Institute in Washington today.

Mr Sikorski confirmed that Russian missiles fired from the St Petersburg area towards Ukrainian targets had previously entered Polish airspace for about 40 seconds before turning towards their targets.

The proposal would cover any missile traversing western Ukraine in the direction of Poland.

“Our dilemma is the following. If we shoot them down only when they enter our airspace, the debris is a threat to our citizens and to our property," added Mr Sikorski.

"And the Ukrainians are saying, 'Please, we will not mind, do it over our airspace when they're in imminent danger of crossing into Polish territory.

"To my mind, that's self-defence, but we are exploring the idea."

Ukraine will receive far fewer F-16 fighter jets than it had hoped for this summer, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The first of around 85 jets promised to Ukraine will arrive from the Netherlands and Denmark and are set to be in the skies this summer.

But according to people familiar with the matter, the acquisition of the jets have been plagued by delays, questions around spare parts, and a language barrier between Ukrainian pilots and their foreign trainers.

Bloomberg's report says that Ukraine might only be able to field a single squadron of F-16s, anything from 15 to 24 jets, this summer.

Another source has suggested Kyiv expects to get six F-16s this summer and up to 20 by the end of the year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted his country needs more than 100 F-16s if they are to make an impact on the battlefield.

"The problem with F-16," Mr Zelenskyy said, "is the number and the dates."

"Even if we will have 50, it's nothing. They have 300. Because we are defending, we need 128," he said.

Planners are also worried that Ukraine doesn't have enough runways to support the jets. The ones it does have are also vulnerable to Russian attacks.

"People shouldn't expect miracles," said Jim Townsend, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Those airfields are going to be nice, juicy targets, and the Russians have already been hitting some of them, just as a welcome to the real world for these F-16s."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said the "peace missions" being undertaken by Hungarian leader Viktor Orban lack strategy.

Mr Orban has angered his NATO and EU allies by holding unauthorised meetings with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jingping.

Yesterday, Mr Obran met US presidential candidate Donald Trump at his resort in Mar-a-Lago, shunning Joe Biden at this week's NATO summit in Washington.

The Hungarian also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this month, who said he was unaware that Mr Orban was heading to Moscow and Beijing after his visit to Kyiv.

Mr Orban has been accused of handing legitimacy to Mr Putin at a time when the West wants to isolate him over his invasion of Ukraine.

"I don't see any strategy and no particular consequences," said Ms Meloni.

"Political leaders have the right to meet with other political leaders. I do not see anything special or surprising in this.

"I don't think it's a secret that Orban may be closer to Trump than to Biden. I mean, they are political leaders who talk to each other."

On Mr Orban's visit to the Kremlin, Ms Meloni said the Hungarian leader did not have the mandate to hold talks with Russia.

She added that this week's deadly missile attacks on Ukraine, one of which struck a children's hospital in Kyiv, showed there was no desire for dialogue from Mr Putin.

"The problem is that when you go there, you give this signal, and the next day you blow up a hospital, I think that, unfortunately, it shows that there is no desire for dialogue on the part of Putin's Russia," she said.

"That's the problem, because if there was a desire for dialogue, we would have talked, but I think the answer was quite clear."

The US defence secretary and Russian defence minister have spoken for the second time in just over two weeks, the Pentagon has confirmed.

The call was initiated by Moscow, with US defence secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly stressing the importance of keeping open lines of communication between the Kremlin and Washington to his Russian counterpart.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh declined to provide further details on the call.

Russia's ministry of defence said that "the issue of preventing security threats and reducing the risk of possible escalation was discussed".

The last call between Mr Austin and Andrei Belousov took place on 25 June, which itself was the first call of its kind since March 2023.

Russia's defence ministry said that Mr Belousov warned Mr Austin of the dangers of continued US arms supplies to Ukraine during last month's call.

Vladimir Putin has signed a new bill into Russian law that amounts to the biggest shake-up of the country's tax system in a quarter of a century.

As the war in Ukraine drains the Kremlin's coffers, the government has been looking to find new ways to finance it.

The answer is a new progressive income tax rate, as well as a rise in corporation tax.

"It seems like the tax reform is a tool to move the economy from butter toward guns," Alexander Kolyandr, a non-resident senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, said last month.

"The government is no longer concerned about you eating well, but rather about you producing more guns."

The new bill, approved by both houses of parliament this week, marks a dramatic departure from Mr Putin's previous tax policies.

Shortly after assuming office in 2001, the Russian president introduced a flat rate of 13% that was applied universally. Most Russians have been paying the same rate since.

The new law keeps a 13% rate for incomes of up to 2.4 million roubles (around £20,800) a year.

For incomes over that amount, a steadily higher tax rate would apply.

Incomes between five and 20 million roubles (around £43,500 to £174,000) will be taxed at 18%, those between 20 to 50 million roubles (around £174,000 to £434,000) at 20%, and anything over 50 million roubles at 22%.

Mr Putin has said the increases will affect no more than 3.2% of Russian taxpayers.

Corporation tax will also increase from 20% to 25%.

The changes will come into force next year and are expected to generate 2.6 trillion roubles (£22.5bn) in additional federal revenues in 2025.

As well as helping finance Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, the Kremlin hopes the tax reforms will help make the country less reliant on the revenues generated from oil exports amid continued Western sanctions.