The Economist: Washington is not ready for drone war.

It’s subsidizing electric vehicles (EVs like Teslas), hoping it’ll help drone production.

But Ukraine is showing a different reality — and in this world China is winning.

1/ Ukraine just used 117 kamikaze drones to destroy a dozen Russian bombers deep inside Russia. BBC

Cost: a few hundred dollars per drone.

No jets, no pilots — just batteries, motors, and fast assembly.

2/

Zelensky: The U.S.–russia dialogue is too soft. putin enjoys it. He [instead] must know the U.S. will help Ukraine — with sanctions and military aid.

Cutting support [to Ukraine] sends the wrong message. We [Ukraine and Russia] are not equal — russia is the aggressor. 1/ Zelensky: Only Trump can stop putin diplomatically.

We stopped putin on the battlefield. He still wants to capture and destroy all of Ukraine. He sees Ukraine as a non-independent state under his control. 2/

United 24: Ukraine’s new ballistic missile with a 400 kg warhead hits a russian command post, entering production with better precision than US-made missile ATACMS. 1/ Experts predict future variants may extend the missile’s range to 500 km, with improved accuracy rivaling russian systems like Iskander.

The missile currently strikes up to 240 km into russia, with plans for greater strategic impact.

2/

Sen. Lindsey Graham says the new Russia sanctions bill aims to shift Putin’s war calculations and give more leverage for Trump.

The bill also sends a message to Beijing: if you plan to take Taiwan by force, the economic fallout will mirror Putin’s, Fox news. 1/ 150 lawmakers back the bill, which hits countries that buy Russian oil but refuse to support Ukraine.

Graham: these buyers - especially China - are sustaining Russia’s war machine and must face tariffs and secondary sanctions. 2/

Mossad agents struck Iran from the inside before Israel’s June 13 air raid, Times of Israel.

They planted high-precision munitions near SAM sites, smuggled camouflaged launchers, and built a suicide drone base near Tehran. 1/ Mossad spent years prepping weapons caches and inserting agents. On June 13, they launched drones from central Iran. Main target: Esfedjabad ballistic missile depot. 2/

russia is using AI deepfakes, forged docs, and impersonation in hybrid warfare to sabotage Polish-Ukrainian unity.

By exploiting the Volhynia Massacre, it aims to fracture the alliance that counters its regional ambitions at a critical moment — Kyiv Post. 1/ Polish parliament passed a bill making July 11 a National Day of Remembrance for Poles killed by OUN-UPA — despite a similar day since 2016.

Its author, Tadeusz Samborski, got his PhD in moscow (1977), was a communist-era diplomat, and wrote for a pro-russian outlet in 2023. 2/

Reuters: Israelі Operation Rising Lion aims to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.

Strikes killed Hossein Salami, Iran’s top general, and leading nuclear scientists. Israeli bombed Iran’s uranium enrichment plant, missile production sites, and command centers.

1/ General Hossein Salami — head of Iran’s military elite force was killed in a strike on Tehran.

His unit controls Iran’s long-range missiles and crushes protests.

2/

Orban: Before the war, Ukraine acted as a buffer—between Russia’s nukes and NATO’s nukes. Both sides liked it that way. If Russia attacked, it had to cross Ukraine [so it did and now it’s trying to cross Ukraine]. 0/ Orban: Same for NATO. Everyone fought for influence in Kyiv, but the balance held. Now, that balance is gone [yeah, because your friendly Russia broke it] 1/

Kellogg: We haven’t had an American president since Abraham Lincoln who’s done what Zelensky’s doing.

He’s fighting a war of national survival, on his own soil, for sovereignty. You have to appreciate what they’re facing. 1/ Kellogg: We built a team. Been to Jeddah, Riyadh, Paris, London, Istanbul — twice.

Took Ukraine’s term sheet, Russia’s memo, merged them. Goal: comprehensive ceasefire. Air, land, sea, infrastructure. 2/

WSJ: Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have stalled, bringing focus back to where the war will ultimately be decided: the battlefield [as I have always argued]

Here’s the main:

1/ Russia is seeking sufficient front-line gains to force Kyiv to consent to its demands, which essentially amount to a capitulation. 2/

Russians captured Ukrainian activist Maksym Butkevych.

They forced him to kneel for hours as an officer read Putin’s speeches aloud. They beat him with a wooden stick. They told him he wasn’t a POW — just “missing.” They threatened him with electric rape. 1/ Russians forced him into stress positions. Used psychological torture.

They gave him three options: sign a fake confession, die “while escaping,” or rot in a violent cell. He signed. He never knew what he confessed to. 2/

Russia is militarizing for war with Europe. Putin told his generals: The new state armament program must focus on developing the most advanced weapon systems.

Where we are now is the result of decisions made 10 years ago. 1/ Putin: Special attention should be paid to the nuclear triad, which has always been and remains the guarantor of Russia’s sovereignty and a key element in the global balance of power. 2/

The Economist: Taiwan no longer counts on America to defend it.

For decades, Taiwan’s plan was simple: survive 1 month of Chinese attacks until U.S. forces arrive.

Now, after Trump’s stance on Ukraine, Taiwan is planning for a lonelier, longer war.

1/ Taiwanese officials fear Trump’s message: small countries shouldn’t expect help. It hits close to home.

He’s mocked Taiwan’s ability to fight China before — and said little about risking U.S. lives to defend it.

2/

Zelensky for Politico:

— putin is lying to Trump

— putin is trying to buy time as russian economy suffers

— U.S. withdrawal from Ukraine would be a perfect scenario for putin

0/ Zelensky: russia is simply lying to Trump. Most world leaders agree with this assessment.

Trump holds all leverage to end the war. putin understands nothing but strength, and America has that strength. 1/

Zelensky: Trump criticizes me? If it brings us closer to ending the war, I’ll take it all in stride. He’s chosen his strategy. I’m not here to judge. 1/ Zelensky: Russia hopes sanctions won’t be imposed during negotiations. Trump must impose them now. That’s the only way Putin will say: “Let’s talk about ending the war.” 2/

Reuters: US State Department resumes processing Harvard student visas after judge's ruling. 1/ The U.S. State Department has instructed consulates and overseas missions to resume processing student visas (F, M) and exchange program visas (J) for Harvard University. 2/

Despite Russia’s heaviest missile strikes in months, Ukrainians are not backing down.

A new KIIS poll shows 52% say Ukraine must not give up any land under any conditions. Only 38% would accept territorial concessions for peace

1/ These numbers haven’t moved since February.

Back then, 50% said no concessions. Now — 52%.

Putin’s strategy of escalation is not breaking Ukraine’s resolve

2/

Ukraine's intelligence chief Budanov: North Korea's KN-23 missiles once had a 50% failure rate and poor accuracy — but russian help has sharply improved them.

moscow is also modernizing NK's sub-launched nukes, boosting its sea-based deterrent. 1/ Budanov: russia is transferring Shahed-136 drone tech to North Korea, enabling Pyongyang to produce long-range kamikaze drones.

russia currently makes 2,000 Shaheds monthly, aiming for 5,000, and is helping North Korea build similar domestic production capacity. 2/

Zelensky: We're fighting in transition to World War III.

Russians admit their memorandum was an ultimatum. Orban is making a serious, historic mistake by not supporting Ukraine.

Ukrainian delegation doesn’t have a mandate to discuss Ukraine’s territory. 1/ Zelensky: The world’s leaders can wonder how much more Ukraine can endure, but we expect the world to stop Putin. No one should just sit and wait.

We are fighting in a situation that very much appears to be a transition to World War III. 2/

Pavel Durov to Tucker Carlson: French police arrested me without legal grounds. Governments fear Telegram because it offers privacy.

Actions taken against me hurt France’s global image. Telegram followed the law, but France ignored proper EU procedures.

0/ Tucker: Governments fear Telegram because it offers privacy. They want control over their citizens.

Platforms like Telegram, which bypass that control, are a target. 1/

Russia launched 821 drones and missiles at Ukraine in 2 days.

Ukraine shot down 763. That’s unbelievable 92%. To out it in perspective, in September of 2024, Russia launched 1410 drones in an entire month.

The war definitely has been escalating and far from a stalemate. 1/ Russia used Shahed drones, Iskander-K, Kh-101, Kh-22, Kh-31P, Kh-35, Kinzhal, and KN-23 missiles.

Main targets: Kyiv and Odesa. 2/