Chris Powers

President Volodymyr Zelensky's unexpected dismissal of Ukraine's defense minister triggered protests across the country and caught some of Ukraine's foreign partners off guard. Mykhailo Fedorov is the fourth person to leave the post since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, an extraordinary turnover at one of the country's most critical ministries. His removal comes at an especially precarious moment, as Ukraine races to secure additional Patriot interceptors and launches multi-billion-do

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Despite a long and difficult birth, EU countries passed the bloc's 21st package of sanctions against Russia on July 23, and the measures that made it through show that the EU is not lacking in creativity when it comes to restricting Russia's war efforts. The EU published 218 new sanctioned entities in its July 23 announcement, the most in a single sanctions package since 2022. Several high-profile names did not make the final listing. Bulgaria blocked the addition of Patria

"The negotiations on this package have been challenging, but we found agreement on the remaining issues while maintaining EU unity as we have in the previous 20 packages," an EU diplomat told journalists.

"Every illicit voyage helps sustain Russia's war machine. We are matching our sanctions with actions at sea," the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas tweeted.

Ukraine and Moldova have demonstrated strong progress and dedication, and we believe the EU should continue advancing their negotiations without unnecessary delays," Lithuania's EU representation told the Kyiv Independent.

The EU is set to tie billions of euros in financial support to Kyiv's ability to complete the so-called Kachka-Kos plan for rule-of-law reforms, after months of inertia in Ukraine's parliament and a recent government reshuffle interpreted by some as another attempt to avoid making those changes. President Volodymyr Zelensky decided on July 12 to reshuffle the country's government, a controversial move that has led to consecutive days of protests over the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo F

"It is really important that Laura Loomer is in Ukraine and sees things with her own eyes as they are," Zelensky's office said.

"The more Moscow attacks civilians, the more sanctions must be imposed," said the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas when she first suggested the new measures.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has swapped the roles of the two men overseeing Ukraine's relations with the EU.

The Russian government has been increasingly restricting access to social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram and instead pushing Russian users to the app Max, the development of which was supervised by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

Recently dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote that he had "submitted an application through an EU loan to purchase PAC-3 missiles," which an EU official has confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.

The 21st sanctions package was supposed to be agreed on on July 15, but two EU officials confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Greece was refusing to compromise on its hardline position against proposals to stop EU countries trading LNG to third countries.

The EU also announced a 10-billion-euro ($11 billion) funding plan for additional drones, missiles, and fighter aircraft for Ukraine.

They also agreed that temporary protection would not be granted to new applicants who are not complying with their military obligations in Ukraine.

"I many times claimed that Moldova is the best student in my class, now I change my rhetoric because it is the best performer in my class," Marta Kos said after Chisinau opened the external relations cluster on July 14.