"After rebounding slightly earlier in the month, Trump’s net approval rating has now hit a new second term low of -20.6. His disapproval rating is dangerously close to breaking 60 percent, while just 21 percent of Americans strongly approve of the job he’s doing." www.natesilver.net/p/trump-appr...

How popular is Donald Trump?

Silver Bulletin approval ratings for President Trump — and all presidents since Truman.

natesilver.net

"A CBC News investigation has identified the woman as Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with a background in economics whose online resume suggests she previously worked for the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada." www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

What we know about Canadian NATO intern arrested in Belgium on espionage charges | CBC News

A CBC News investigation has identified the Canadian woman arrested last week in Belgium on espionage charges as Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer whose resume suggests she has previously worked for the...

cbc.ca

"Without Orbán, every act of repression in Belgrade translates more directly into accession penalties, frozen funds, and pressure on visa-free travel — the levers that have remained the European Union’s most consequential tools in the region." warontherocks.com/how-orbans-f...

How Orbán’s Fall Changed Serbia’s Political Future

In the speech announcing his invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin took only minutes to arrive at the original sin in his catalogue of

warontherocks.com

Important read: "An intern arrested on suspicions of having spied on NATO is an artificial intelligence researcher who has previously worked for multiple other international organisations and who might have provided China with sensitive information ..." www.ftm.eu/articles/int...

Espionage at NATO: This is the suspect who was arrested last week

After allegations of a spy at NATO’s offices emerged over the weekend, FTM and media partners can reveal details on the identity of the suspect.

ftm.eu

"The Ukrainian president's advisers believe Trump has become more favorable toward Ukraine, making the meeting their best opportunity to secure his backing." kyivindependent.com/zelensky-arr...

Zelensky says meeting with Trump was 'good,' covered Patriot licenses, diplomacy

"The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

kyivindependent.com

Oftentimes, between 2015 and 2023, I had to tell non-Polish colleagues that Poland's ruling party, Law and Justice, was highly factionalized. It was unclear whether it would survive Kaczynski's departure. Now it is facing a split with 30+ MPs, led by Morawiecki, expelled. www.pap.pl/en/news/inte...

"Germany wants a fleet of uncrewed combat aircraft to meet a key NATO requirement. But divisions inside its defense ministry over whether to buy an Australian drone or wait for European alternatives threaten to derail Berlin's goal of fielding a fleet by 2029." www.politico.eu/article/germ...

Germany wants combat drones. Government officials can’t agree where to get them.

Internal divisions over whether to buy Boeing Australia’s Ghost Bat or wait for European alternatives could delay Germany’s plan to field a new combat drone.

politico.eu

This is such a major loss to our community. Martin Kragh did exceptional work and I learned so much from reading his scholarship. We are worse off without him. RIP. swedenherald.com/article/russ...

Russia expert Martin Kragh dies after long illness | Sweden Herald

Martin Kragh, senior researcher at the Center for East European Studies at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI), has died after a long illne

swedenherald.com

"President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 21 dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, appointing Joint Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi as his replacement." kyivindependent.com/breaking-zel...

Breaking: Zelensky dismisses Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi amid widespread protests

President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 21 dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, appointing Joint Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi as his replacement. The move...

kyivindependent.com

"Hungary is seeking to reset its relationship with NATO. At the same time, it has a number of complaints regarding Russia, Hungarian Defense Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said, according to Telex." newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/hungary...

Hungary signals major shift in relations with Russia, minister says

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

"Despite positive announcements about a new air defence mission in the Baltic region, NATO has not fulfilled a three-year-old pledge made in Vilnius to maintain a rotational deployment of air defence systems in the Baltic states, officials and experts say." www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-e...

NATO air defence pledge for Baltics: promises and reality

Despite positive announcements about a new air defence mission in the Baltic region, NATO has not fulfilled a three-year...

lrt.lt

"... one legacy of this war will be Russia’s return to a larger, more mobilization-dependent force structure after three decades of focusing on relatively small, high-readiness ground forces, underinvesting in reserves, and its mobilization system." warontherocks.com/a-return-to-...

A Return to Mass: Russian Force Expansion in the War with Ukraine

Joseph Stalin famously said that quantity has a quality of its own. Yet the course of the Russo-Ukrainian War shows both the benefits and the eventual

warontherocks.com

"Zelenskyy and the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom said they recognized “the growing threat posed by ballistic missiles,” which are harder to stop than cruise missiles or drones." apnews.com/article/russ...

Ukraine and 9 other countries announce a coalition to protect Europe from ballistic missiles

Ukraine and nine other countries have announced a coalition to protect Europe from ballistic missiles, taking advantage of Kyiv’s experience of fighting Russia.

apnews.com

"The US has taken an important step toward integrating Ukraine into the Western defense industrial base. Whether that translates into Ukrainian-made Patriot missiles, however, also depends on supply chains, proprietary technologies, and production bottlenecks." united24media.com/opinion/can-...

Can Ukraine Now Build Patriot Missiles? Here’s What the Announcement Means

US-backed Patriot production could be a strategic win for Ukraine, but manufacturing advanced interceptors might take years to become reality.

united24media.com

"By failing to learn the lessons of past failed regime change efforts in the Middle East, U.S. and Israeli policymakers have likely ensured that the Islamic Republic will remain an adversary for the foreseeable future." warontherocks.com/an-unlearned...

An Unlearned Lesson: The Sorry Record of Regime Change Operations in the Middle East

On Feb. 28, 2026, President Donald Trump announced the commencement of Operation Epic Fury, a joint U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran. Among

warontherocks.com

"Ukraine claims that 28 Russian vessels were hit by aerial drones in the Sea of Azov on Saturday. The strikes are the latest in a campaign that Ukrainian authorities assert has resulted in nearly 80 Russian vessels .. being attacked in that body of water since July 6." www.twz.com/news-feature...

Ukraine Claims Scores Of Russian Ships Struck In Sea Of Azov

The long-range drone attacks are targeting Russian oil tankers, adding to that nation's burgeoning war-induced energy woes.

twz.com

"Reports have emerged that Turkey could soon transfer the controversial missiles to an unnamed Gulf state in a move aimed at convincing Washington to lift sanctions and clear the way for Ankara’s return to the F-35 program." www.twz.com/air/russia-c...

Russia Confirms Talks With Turkey Over Fate Of S-400s Amid F-35 Push

Ankara is reportedly eyeing the transfer of the Russian-made SAM systems to a Gulf country in a bid to have Washington lift its F-35 embargo. Reports say Ankara is weighing the transfer of the Russian...

twz.com

"German companies DEUTZ and ARX Robotics are launching industrial-scale serial production of Gereon unmanned ground systems in the city of Ulm, with the first units expected to be delivered to Ukraine by the end of the summer." www.ukrinform.net/rubric-econo...

Germany launches mass production of Gereon ground drones for Ukraine

German companies DEUTZ and ARX Robotics are launching industrial-scale serial production of Gereon unmanned ground systems in the city of Ulm, with the first units expected to be delivered to Ukraine ...

ukrinform.net

"Ultimately, the shift in public opinion alone is unlikely to compel the Kremlin to end the war. More important is that fuel shortages increase the Kremlin's political costs by making public frustration increasingly costly to manage." www.csis.org/analysis/rus...

Russian Attitudes Are Shifting as the War’s Effects Come Home

Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian refineries combine military and economic pressure in ways previous shocks did not. While unlikely to transform public opinion, they raise the Kremlin's domestic...

csis.org

"Germany has struck a deal to buy U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and station them in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Thursday." apnews.com/article/germ...

Germany agrees deal to buy long-range US Tomahawk missiles, Merz says

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced a deal with the United States to buy American-made Tomahawk cruise missiles and station them in Germany.

apnews.com

"Ukraine expects to receive additional PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot air defense systems from its partners, but a timeline for deliveries has not been established, President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on July 9." kyivindependent.com/ukraine-to-r...

Ukraine to receive Patriot missiles from allies — but unclear when, Zelensky says amid air defense crisis

"There are no dates set yet, but there will be additional PAC-3s," President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters a day after the conclusion of the NATO summit in Turkey.

kyivindependent.com

"Ankara was about finding ways to turn The Hague commitments into actual policy and capability, all while keeping the president of the United States content. On that last count, at least, success can be declared. As for the rest, the jury will be out for years." cdainstitute.ca/the-real-age...

The Real Agenda in Ankara: Managing Trump, Spending the Money, and Minding the Gap | CDA Institute

As NATO leaders gathered in Ankara this week for the Alliance’s 36th summit, the official agenda spoke of defence investment, industrial production, and support for Ukraine. The real agenda was differ...

cdainstitute.ca

"The new network [of national satellites], called the Hybrid Alliance Layered Operations in Space (HALO), initially will involve Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey, a NATO official told Breaking Defense today." breakingdefense.com/2026/07/eigh...

Eight NATO allies to create new satellite mega-constellation - Breaking Defense

The network will involve Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey.

breakingdefense.com

⚡️🛰️🇷🇺🇨🇳 “Secret documents from a series of clandestine Russian-Chinese military forums reveal a joint plan to defeat Elon Musk’s Starlink and a weapons development partnership far deeper than either country will admit.” theins.press/en/inv/294635

Shooting Starlink: The “no limits” partnership between Russia and China is taking aim at Elon Musk

Secret documents from a series of clandestine Russian-Chinese military forums reveal a joint plan to defeat Elon Musk’s Starlink and a weapons development…

theins.press

Airpower didn't fail, you just failed airpower. You fool. You absolute simpleton. www.19fortyfive.com/2026/07/airp...

Airpower Did Not Fail in Iran — Simplistic Thinking Did

A retired Air Force general rebuts the claim that air power failed in Iran — arguing critics measured the war against the wrong objective.

19fortyfive.com

"What would disappear most critically with US withdrawal is not mass, but integration. US participation effectively acts as the Alliance’s operating system ..." www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

A European Way of War Without the United States

Were the United States to end its involvement in NATO, what would disappear most critically is not mass but integration. Consequently, a European way of war without the United States would be built...

tandfonline.com

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on his government to provide subsidies for people living on occupied Crimea as the price of fuel continues to soar amid Ukraine's ongoing campaign to cut off logistics to the peninsula." kyivindependent.com/putin-calls-...

Putin calls for Crimea fuel subsidies as Ukraine once again hammers shadow fleet

On the same day Putin spoke, the Russian government announced it would ban the export of diesel fuel until at least the end of the month.

kyivindependent.com

The Ankara Summit Declaration is now up: "We, the Heads of State and Government of the North Atlantic Alliance, have gathered in Ankara to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to our collective defence under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty and to the transatlantic bond." nato.int/en/about-us/...

The Ankara Summit Declaration

The Ankara Summit Declaration

nato.int

From a new report by Colin Dueck: "Assuming the US is serious about counteracting the growth of predatory Chinese practices and capabilities, it should work with its European allies to settle existing commercial differences and refocus on the common threat from Beijing." www.aei.org/research-pro...

Some big positive news from the NATO Summit. "U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 8 that he will grant Ukraine its longstanding request to produce American Patriot missiles, the West's only tool capable of stopping Russian ballistic missile attacks." kyivindependent.com/make-them-yo...

'Make them yourself': Trump gives Zelensky green light to produce Patriot missiles

Editor's note: this is a developing story and is being updated. U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 8 that he will grant Ukraine its longstanding request to produce American Patriot missiles, th...

kyivindependent.com