The Kyiv Independent’s Martin Fornusek speaks with Phillips O'Brien, a U.S. historian and professor of strategic studies, about U.S. policy on Ukraine under President Donald Trump, the future of transatlantic relations, and the state of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The shift comes after Rumen Radev — a Russia-friendly former president and a longtime critic of military aid to Kyiv — won the Bulgarian parliamentary elections in April.

History is rattling Ukraine-Poland relations, yet again. The new round of historic grievances erupted in Poland when President Volodymyr Zelensky named a Ukrainian special forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) — an organization that fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II, but which evokes painful memories in Poland. In Ukraine, the UPA represents a historical struggle against Moscow's domination — a legacy that feels especially alive amid Russia's full-s

As a result of the attack, the port was left without power, significantly disrupting Russian military logistics in occupied southern Ukraine, the Azov Corps said.

Damir Davydov, a Russian military official responsible for missile and artillery ammunition supplies, was killed in a car bombing outside Moscow on June 9.

The Chonhar Bridge in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast was destroyed following a Ukrainian drone strike on June 9, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, said on June 10.

The attack on Cheboksary was part of a broader Ukrainian assault that also struck the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast, as well as two oil infrastructure facilities in Russia's Vladimir Oblast.

The Air Force said Russia launched 207 drones, 181 of which were intercepted. At least 21 drones struck 14 locations, while falling debris was recorded at 13 sites.

When a bank asked Ukrainian defense tech company TAF Industries to pledge its assets as collateral for a simple bank loan, the company faced a dilemma: it couldn't reveal the location of its manufacturing facilities. To prove the factory existed, TAF came up with a bold workaround — blindfolding bank officials and driving them to the site. "It worked — they gave us a loan," Volodymyr Zinovskyi, CEO at TAF Industries, told the Kyiv Independent in a cafe in downtown Kyiv. Well into the fifth ye

The Verkhovna Rada failed to gather enough votes for some bills demanded by the EU and the IMF, and one bill necessary for European integration was passed but was lambasted by experts as "imitation" rather than genuine progress.

As Russian drones and missiles continue to pound Ukraine's war-damaged energy infrastructure, Kyiv is struggling to find funding for a 5.4 billion euro ($6.2 billion) "energy resilience plan" first announced in spring. The next few months are a race against time to prepare for what energy experts warn will be another difficult winter under constant Russian bombardment. Ukraine not only needs to repair equipment after Russia wiped out nine gigawatts of power generation last winter, but also deve

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

"Germany will contribute an additional 300 million euros to this initiative – that's approximately 50,000 rounds of long-range ammunition," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.

Ukraine signed new defense cooperation agreements with Latvia and Estonia on June 9, deepening security and defense ties with the Baltic nations.

"No country in Europe is off Russia's target list since its invasion of Ukraine," Kallas said.

Key developments on June 9: * Ukraine targets key Crimea crossing in broader day of strikes on Russian military logistics; * Russia's Starlink rival loses one of its first operational satellites, Russian media reports; * Ukraine strikes ammo depot in Russia's Belgorod Oblast, confirms fuel tank destruction near Mariupol; * Syrskyi approves Rocket Forces and Artillery development plan through 2030; * No visas for Russian soldiers, no crypto, no fish — EU announces new Russia sanctions packa

In its latest update, the General Staff said Ukrainian forces struck targets across several regions in Russia and occupied Ukraine, including an ammunition depot, command posts, drone control centers, logistics hubs, supply warehouses, and concentrations of Russian troops.

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian athletes and national teams have been widely excluded from international sport. Yet the pressure to reintegrate them never really disappeared, and Russian athletes are increasingly allowed back into international competition. First, under neutral status in selected disciplines, following a gradual easing of restrictions, to a point of growing calls for the return of Russian representation on the world stage. Thawing the ice

Russia's answer to Starlink has lost one of the first satellites launched for its planned internet network, according to Russian state-controlled newspaper Kommersant.

The newly approved strategy calls for gradually replacing aging Soviet-caliber artillery systems with domestically produced weapons while retaining some of the most advanced foreign-made systems currently in service, Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

The package will also include a freeze on the current pricing mechanism for Russia energy imports until the end of 2026, meaning Moscow won't be able to profit from rising prices resulting from the U.S. war on Iran.

"June and July this year may determine a lot," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

An investigation by the Irish Times, which revealed that the Aughinish Alumina plant is supporting the Russian war effort against Ukraine, has brought turmoil to domestic politics in Ireland.

Russian forces launched two Kh-59/69 cruise missiles and 168 drones, 146 of which were intercepted, overnight on June 9, according to Ukraine's Air Force.

The number includes 1,370 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

"As of now, 11 drone strikes on (Kharkiv) have been confirmed, with two drones crashing without detonating," Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

The United Nations Security Council convened on June 8 to discuss Russia's recent large-scale attacks on Ukraine, as U.N. officials warned that civilian casualties and destruction have reached some of the highest levels seen in the war in recent months.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a "very positive" phone call with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on June 8.

France and Germany have decided to abandon the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet program, according to multiple media reports citing French and German government sources.

The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), a state-controlled pollster, has reportedly stopped publishing President Vladimir Putin's "open" trust rating after it fell to its lowest level since the start of the full-scale war, the Moscow Times reported on June 8.

Candace Owens billed her trip to Russia last week as a family vacation. It turned into something far more useful for the Kremlin. The U.S. far-right conspiracy theorist — boasting 35 million followers across all social media platforms — ended up appearing at Russia's flagship economic forum, talking to Russian propaganda outlets, and praising the country's "traditional values" while dismissing Western coverage of it as lies. Her visit also exposed a fresh fault line within the MAGA movement, d

YEREVAN, Armenia — The best of a bad lot was how many Armenians described victorious Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of Sunday's pivotal election — the first since the bitter defeat in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan. While the election has frequently been framed outside Armenia as a choice between pro-Russian or pro-Western forces, few locals on the streets of Yerevan saw it in such stark terms. With a population of just over 3 million, Armenia is heavily econom