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Here’s where things stand on Wednesday 2 July 2025:

Fighting

• A Ukrainian drone attack on an industrial plant in Izhevsk, in central Russia, killed three people and injured 35 others, regional Governor Alexander Brechalov said in a post on Telegram.
• The drone struck the Kupol Electromechanical Plant, which produces air defence systems and drones for the Russian military, an unnamed official with Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, told the Associated Press news agency.
• A Russian attack on a vehicle evacuating civilians from Pokrovsk, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, killed one person and injured a policeman, police said.
• The Ministry of Defence in Moscow said that 60 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight over several regions, including 17 over Russian-occupied Crimea, 16 over Russia’s Rostov region and four over Russia’s Saratov region.
• Ukraine’s Air Force said on Tuesday that Russia launched 52 Shahed and decoy drones at the country overnight.
• The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Tuesday that it has been informed of a drone attack last week near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant that damaged several vehicles near the site’s cooling pond.

Weapons

• Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov announced a new joint weapons production programme with members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), an alliance of about 50 countries. The programme would offer “a special legal and tax framework” to help establish new factories, “both on Ukrainian territory and abroad”, Umerov said in a post on social media.
• The Pentagon has reportedly halted some shipments of air defence missiles and other precision munitions to Ukraine over concerns that US stockpiles are too low, the Reuters news agency reported, citing two unnamed sources. The Pentagon did not immediately comment on the report.
• A Russian-British dual national appeared in a London court on Tuesday, charged with sending cryptocurrency for pro-Russian separatist militias in eastern Ukraine to buy weapons and military equipment.

Politics and diplomacy

• French President Emmanuel Macron called for a ceasefire in Ukraine in his first call with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2022.
• A Kremlin statement said that Putin reminded Macron that “the Ukrainian conflict is a direct consequence of the policy of Western states”.
• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “no one is delaying anything here”, after US envoy Keith Kellogg accused Russia of “stall[ing] for time” on ceasefire talks, “while it bombs civilian targets in Ukraine”.
• Peskov added: “We are naturally in favour of achieving the goals that we are trying to achieve through the special military operation via political and diplomatic means. Therefore, we are not interested in drawing out anything.”

US halts some weapons shipments to Ukraine

Missiles for Patriot air defence systems and Hellfire missiles are among items being held back, according to US media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks on during a visit to a military training area to assess the training of Ukrainian soldiers on the “Patriot” anti-aircraft missile system, at an undisclosed location, in Germany, June 11, 2024

The United States says it is halting some weapons deliveries to Kyiv that were promised under the Biden administration, as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukraine.

The Biden-era pledges, which included various munitions to bolster Ukraine’s defences, are now under review as the Pentagon reassesses current inventory levels. The move could signal a shift in priorities under President Donald Trump, who has pressed for a more restrained global military posture.

“This  decision was made to put America’s interests first following a review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a statement on Tuesday.

The internal assessment by the Pentagon found some stockpiles “too low” to justify immediate transfer to Ukraine, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Politico, which first reported the halt of military aid.

“America’s military has never been more ready and more capable,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, noting a major tax and defence spending bill in Congress would help modernise systems for long-term deterrence.

Politico and other US media reported that missiles for Patriot air defence systems, precision artillery and Hellfire missiles are among the items being held back.

Following the announcement, Ukraine called the US envoy to Kyiv, John Ginkel, to discuss ongoing cooperation.

Ukrainian  Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa thanked Ginkel for US assistance but warned that halting military aid – especially air defence systems – would embolden Russia.

“Any  delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities will only encourage the aggressor to continue the war and terror, rather than seek peace,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands said Ukraine was likely to perceive Trump as “an unreliable ally at the moment.”

Russia said the US decision could hasten an end to the conflict.

“The fewer weapons sent to Kyiv, the sooner peace will come,” the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Russia intensifies assault

The halt comes at a precarious moment for Ukraine, as Russia intensifies its aerial bombardment in one of the heaviest phases of the war. Hopes for a ceasefire – long championed by Trump – have faded further, with talks between Kyiv and Moscow stalled.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the US has provided more than $66bn in weapons and security assistance to Ukraine.

Throughout the war, Washington has also urged its allies to supply air defence systems, particularly Patriot missile batteries. However, many NATO members remain reluctant to give up the systems, particularly countries in Eastern Europe that are wary of Russia.

Trump, who met Zelenskyy during last week’s NATO summit, acknowledged Ukraine’s request for more Patriots.

“They do want to have the antimissile missiles, OK, as they call them – the Patriots,” Trump said. “We’re going to see if we can make some available. We need them, too. We’re supplying them to Israel, and they’re very effective. Hard to believe how effective.”

Russian strikes hit Ukraine after US announces weapon shipment cuts

Russian strikes hit a hospital in Kherson and set fires in Kharkiv after the US announced it would halt some weapon shipments to Ukraine.