President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump on July 4, congratulating him on U.S. Independence Day and discussing the battlefield situation, diplomacy, and efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 74 missiles and 496 long-range drones during the attack, most of which targeted Kyiv.

Russia proposed a temporary ceasefire in the front-line city of Kostiantynivka to facilitate a handover of fallen Ukrainian service members' bodies, and the Kremlin said that President Volodymyr Zelensky should travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin instead of meeting in the embattled city.

The decision to place the Pantheon on the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk-Lavra is associating it with what Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, calls "one of the holiest places in the Christian world."

"When we ask America for Patriots, we believe that the values of respect for life and for people that prevailed 250 years ago will prevail again today," Zelensky said.

The EU's new steel allocation, set to enter into force on July 1, was introduced in response to global steel overcapacity, which has been hurting EU producers. The measure aims to restrict tariff-free steel imports to 18.3 million metric tons per year, a 47% reduction.

Witnesses to the accident claim it was provoked by a driver heading in the wrong direction on the motorway toward the minibus, according to Mykolaiv police.

The new footage was published just hours after another night of Ukraine successfully attacking military targets on the peninsula.

Some groups of Russian infantry troops have entered the embattled city, and the situation is difficult, but Kostiantynivka remains under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Head of Ukraine's General Staff Major Andriy Kovalev stressed.

Ukraine's military reportedly carried out an attack on St. Petersburg in the early hours of July 4, striking an oil terminal in the city, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

KHARKIV OBLAST — New recruits walk into a small, overcrowded log-framed tent, taking their place in the line for lunch to fuel up for the long day of training ahead. The line ends at two large steaming pots: one filled with potato-and-bean soup, the other with sausages. Laughter and chatter from those who arrived early enough to be the first to eat bring warmth to what could otherwise be a bleak atmosphere. The recruits would soon be deployed to the front, many of them about to face the harshes

"The decision will make it possible to hold Russia's senior political and military leadership to account specifically for the crime of aggression, not merely for its consequences," Zelensky said.

The number includes 1,190 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Ukraine's military continued its barrage of attacks on targets in Russian-occupied Crimea overnight on July 4, reportedly striking key infrastructure on the peninsula, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

"In Belgorod, infrastructure objects were damaged, as a result of which disruptions in the supply of electricity and water were recorded," acting Governor Alexander Shuvaev reported.

"I note that massive, coordinated strikes against the infrastructure of Ukraine's military-industrial complex and the facilities supporting its operation must continue," Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

Four people have died, including a 5-year-old girl and her mother, authorities in Sumy reported. Another 27 people were injured, with many in serious condition.

The Lukoil-Nizhegorodorgsintez plant is the fourth-largest oil refinery in Russia, second-largest producer of gasoline, and Lukoil's largest refinery.

"Our job as diplomats is to maintain dialogue and utilize every tool in the diplomatic arsenal to solve problems," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said after a meeting with his Polish counterpart. "It is time to set emotions aside."

There are anniversaries that belong to one nation, and there are anniversaries that remind the world why certain ideas never stop mattering. America's 250th birthday is both. For Ukrainians, this celebration is more than an occasion to congratulate a friend, as we honor a country whose founding principles have inspired generations far beyond its shores, including our own. This day is also a chance to express something deeply personal: our gratitude to the American people. Over the past severa

Key developments on July 3: * Ukraine strikes Russia's Saky air base in occupied Crimea for second time in a week, SBU says * Poland should be cautious in promising further Ukraine aid at NATO summit, PM Tusk says * Next months may be 'critical,' Tusk says amid reports of planned Russian provocation against Poland * 'Terror is their only argument:' Russia's attacks on Ukraine continue, 2 children killed, 10 others injured Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said on July 3 it had struck two Ru

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The EU is hoping to pass its 21st sanctions package at a July 13 meeting of foreign ministers, just in time for summer, but a spate of objections by largely southern countries threatens to deprive the European Commission's original proposal of most of its punch. In its original proposal, outlined by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on June 9, the 21st sanctions package was set to break new ground with measures targeting cryptocurrency, Russian fisheries, and entry b

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said on July 3 it had struck two Russian military air bases in occupied Crimea overnight, damaging or destroying at least seven military aircraft in its second reported attack on the Saky air base within a week.

An agreement was reached to invite Kyiv and Chisinau to submit their negotiating positions on another one of the six enlargement clusters, two EU diplomats told the Kyiv Independent.

For four years, Ukraine’s central bank has faced full scale-invasion, bouts of inflation, and the relentless task of keeping Ukraine’s financial system afloat through it all. But under Governor Andrii Pyshnyi’s tenure, which started in late 2022, the bank has also overseen the monumental rise of Ukraine’s mil-tech sector, progress towards privatization Ukraine’s massive state-owned banks, and — slowly but surely — alignment with EU regulation, which the bank aims to complete by the end of 2027.

The Polish media outlet Onet reported on June 30 that, according to five undisclosed sources, Moscow may be preparing a limited military provocation aimed at Poland.

Customs records obtained by the Kyiv Independent reveal that specialized metalworking equipment manufactured in Germany, Italy, Spain, and other EU countries continued reaching Russian metallurgical plants during the war through a Turkish intermediary.

"Not because I believe Ukraine does not need financial assistance, but because I believe Poland has very significant responsibilities related to the entire eastern EU border," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on July 3.

The smell of smoke and haze lingered over the capital. Authorities urge residents to keep windows closed, limit time outdoors, drink plenty of water, and use air purifiers if available.

Monaco issued a "red notice" via Interpol — an international arrest warrant — for a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman named Anastasiia Berezovska, which appeared publicly on July 3.

A week ago, the European Commission proposed changes to the temporary protection measures it has in place for Ukrainians, no longer granting the same level of protection to men eligible for conscription who are forbidden by Ukrainian law from leaving the country.

The attacks killed at least 17 people and injured 125 others over the past day, local authorities reported. A 2-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl were among those killed, while at least 10 other children were injured in attacks across four Oblasts.