Kuleba: Ukraine won’t accept alternatives to EU candidacy status

The U.S. on July 25 urged China to stop enabling Russia's war in Ukraine during a UN Security Council meeting, prompting a sharp rebuke from Beijing, which accused Washington of creating confrontation.

While Turkish media earlier reported that Erdogan was arranging a meeting between Putin and Trump, the president's office later clarified that he was referring to an in-person meeting with Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Explosions rocked Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as Russia launched waves of missiles, drones, and guided aerial bombs overnight on July 26. Kharkiv's Kyviskyi district has been hit twice by ballistic missiles.

Ukrainians on July 25 participated in mass protests against a controversial new law impacting anti-corruption agencies for the fourth day in a row. President Zelensky earlier addressed criticism of the law, saying there should have been a dialogue between parliament and society before its adoption.

EU member states will not likely agree to push the ban up a year, but officials could use the demand as leverage in the upcoming negotiations, European diplomats told Reuters.

While Belgrade has not joined EU sanctions against Moscow, the decision reflects economic pragmatism rather than political alignment, Serbian European Integration Minister Nemanja Starovic said.

Ukraine needs to cover a $40 billion annual deficit, while domestic military production – namely missiles, drones, and electronic warfare systems – requires $25 billion yearly to operate properly, the president told journalists in Kyiv.

"We're looking at that whole situation. It could be that we'll have to impose secondary sanctions on you," he said, adding "maybe" when asked whether they could come sooner than 50 days.

Interceptors are designed to detect, track, and neutralize other drones or aerial threats — a capability Ukraine sees as increasingly vital to defend cities from Russian barrages.

Ukraine had aimed to receive 4.5 billion euros ($5.2 billion) in the fourth installment, the largest so far, but will instead receive 3.05 billion euros ($3.5 billion).

The strike occurred at around 11:40 a.m. local time, targeting the Industrialnyi district of the city.