Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1635: France, Germany and UK build joint front to win Europe seat at Ukraine’s peace talks

Six months into the Russo-Ukrainian war, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have formed a joint front to secure a place for Europe at Ukraine's peace talks. The E3 group, led by France and Germany, aims to influence sanctions and Ukraine's postwar security arrangements. Britain's involvement in this initiative remains uncertain.

Recent developments include Ukraine's successful counteroffensive, which has taken 745 square kilometers from Russian forces. The war has seen significant drone attacks on Russian infrastructure, including a massive Ukrainian drone strike that damaged key platforms for Russia's missile attacks from occupied Crimea. Ukrainian drones have also targeted a plant that fuels Russia's Uragan, Smerch, and Tornado-S rockets, which are used to bombard frontline cities lacking adequate shelter.

Russian attempts to counter Ukrainian advances have included the use of advanced drones that outrun their predecessors by four times and track targets in real-time. However, Ukraine's ground robots have managed to complete nearly 17,000 missions in June, relying on communication signals that are now targeted by new Ukrainian antennas.

The war has also had humanitarian and social impacts, with Russian forces destroying 80% of a UNESCO-listed cathedral's roof in Kyiv. Additionally, Russian missiles have damaged Kyiv's largest book market, affecting booksellers and publishers. A former Ukrainian submarine commander, who deserted to Russia, was killed in a bombing 12 years later, while a Ukrainian rapper accused of supplying drones to Ukraine was allegedly targeted in Poland.

In a surprising turn of events, two intoxicated Polish women attacked Ukrainian men amid rising anti-Ukrainian violence in Poland. However, the case has not yet been classified as a hate crime.