Ukraine, Putin to Trump: 'We do not retreat'. Zelensky's blitz in EU

Copenhagen, for its part, has certified that it will lead the way in an initiative that could gain momentum in the coming months: allowing Ukrainian companies to produce weapons in individual EU countries. Yet it was Zelensky himself who admitted that this will not be enough. "We are counting on the continued support of the US, because it has certain means that Europe does not have, such as Patriot missiles," the Ukrainian president explained a handful of hours after yet another crucial phone call with Trump.

A concept that is also very clear in Brussels. If the US were to stop sending weapons - which, according to the Wall Street Journal, has indeed happened in Poland in the past few hours - this would represent 'a serious step backwards for the EU and NATO', said Frederiksen.

The point, for the EU, is that Trump's constant changes of strategy make the US an unreliable ally also on the Ukrainian front. The arms stop 'is a signal for us to increase our efforts', von der Leyen warned. On the other hand, the EU is convinced that it has no choice. Convinced that 'Putin does not want peace and does not want to stop'. And in Aarhus no one had too many illusions about the new phone call between Trump and Putin. "I don't know if they can have many ideas in common. In Russia, only Putin decides, that's why we need a high-level summit,' Zelensky stressed, derubricating possible further talks in the wake of the Istanbul ones.

EU efforts are evident on the Ukraine accession dossier. The Hungarian veto threatens to block the process as long as Viktor Orban is in power, but the Danish presidency is betting heavily on Ukrainian enlargement. In the next six months the pressure on Viktor Orban will increase. The idea is to unofficially open all clusters for Kiev by the end of the year and wait for the elections in Budapest in winter. "We must not waste time, I invite the Commission and Ukraine to continue the work and then, when we are able to get approval, we will go ahead," Costa explained. "Invitation accepted," von der Leyen replied. Both of them, together with the Royalty of Denmark and a packed hall of European commissioners, officials and diplomats gave a standing ovation at the opening ceremony of the Danish Presidency, in the City Hall of Aarhus. Denmark's second largest city is nicknamed the 'city of smiles' but Frederiksen's tone was much more serious: "We are in an age of predators but Europe will not be prey".

Russian Navy chief deputy killed in the Kursk

The deputy commander of the Navy of Russia, Mikhail Gudkov, was killed in the Russian region of Kursk. This was announced by Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Primorye region in the Far East, where the senior officer was from. Kozhemyako did not specify the circumstances of Gudkov's death, but in recent days Russian military Telegram channels had spoken of a Ukrainian missile that had hit a position in the Russian region, killing the general and other military personnel..

Manolis Pilavov, the former mayor of Lugansk, the capital of the Russian-annexed eastern Ukrainian region of the same name, was also killed in an assassination attempt today, Ria Novosti news agency reported, citing a source. The family, quoted by the Interfax news agency, confirmed the death without specifying the cause. Earlier, the Lugansk Republic administration had reported an explosion in the centre of the capital with a death toll of one and three wounded. Pilavov was mayor from 2014 to 2023.

Russian troops attacked Ukrainian territory tonight with 52 drones, 40 of which were destroyed by air defence forces. This was stated by the Ukrainian Air Force quoted by Rbc. "On the night of 3 July, the enemy attacked with 52 Shahed attack drones and other UAVs," the air force statement reads. By 8am local time, air defences had neutralised 40 drones in the east and south of the country.

According to reports, Russian troops mainly attacked the southern and northern regions of Ukraine. Late last night, explosions were heard in Kiev and air defence operations were reported in the capital.

In addition, the Russians struck Odessa at night. Five people were injured, including a seven-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl, in last night's Russian raid on the port city of Odessa that hit a multi-storey residential building and other infrastructure. This was stated by regional governor Oleh Kiper, as reported by Sky News. "The children, poisoned by the products of combustion, were hospitalised," Kiper said. The other three injured, all adults, received medical care on the spot. Ukrainian state emergency services shared photos showing rescuers carrying the children in the dark out of a burning multi-storey building and firefighters tackling the flames, which have since been extinguished.

Odessa was hit again. Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on the city, killing two people and wounding three others. This was stated by the head of the military administration in Odessa Oleg Kiper quoted by Ukrainska Pravda. "The port infrastructure was hit by a cluster ballistic missile, the use of which is prohibited. Unfortunately, two people died and three were injured, and they are currently receiving the necessary medical assistance on the spot,' he said.