Germany
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a conversation with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz regarding peace efforts. The parameters for ending the war will determine security conditions for Europe, so Europe must be a participant in relevant processes.
Since the beginning of the year, Great Britain has massively denied permanent asylum to Ukrainians. The country's Ministry of Internal Affairs considers the western regions of Ukraine sufficiently safe, which contradicts the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
President Zelenskyy announced a series of negotiations with European leaders and has already spoken with the NATO Secretary General. Discussions include a ceasefire, the format of a leaders' meeting, and long-term security.
Germany's coalition government plans to reduce state payments to newly arrived Ukrainian refugees. According to the draft law, Ukrainians who arrive in Germany from April 1, 2025, will receive 100 euros less per month.
US President Donald Trump informed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that the meeting between Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin was more productive than expected. Earlier, a possible meeting between Trump and Putin, and then with Zelenskyy, was discussed.
Ukraine's partners have pledged over UAH 3 billion for the purchase of household fuel for vulnerable households for the 2025-2026 heating season. Each household can receive UAH 19,400.
Ukrainians who were forced to leave for European countries receive different amounts of state aid. Payments vary from daily allowances in Sweden to over a thousand euros in Belgium, while Germany provides "citizen's allowance."
The first echelon of Russian military personnel and equipment has arrived in Belarus to prepare for the joint strategic exercises "West-2025". These maneuvers are called the main stage of preparation for the armies of the two countries in 2025.
"Ukrzaliznytsia" for the first time organized the transportation of petroleum products from Germany to Ukraine in its own specialized tank cars. The entire route from Hamburg to the Ukrainian border was provided by the subsidiary UZ Cargo Poland Sp. z o.o.
An international coalition, led by Canada and Ukraine, called on Russia to unconditionally return abducted Ukrainian children. 38 countries, the Council of Europe, and the EU signed a joint statement, emphasizing the violation of international law.
The Netherlands fully finances the first military aid package to Ukraine worth $500 million as part of NATO's new PURL initiative. Other Alliance countries will provide similar aid packages on a regular basis.
Germany has redeployed five Eurofighter jets and 150 military personnel to Poland. This happened four weeks before the start of the joint Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2025 exercises, scheduled for September.
From January to July 2025, Gazprom exported 9. 93 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, which is the lowest figure since the early 1970s. This happened after the loss of transit through Ukraine, which led to an almost twofold decrease in supply volumes.
Chinese internet giant Baidu plans to launch its robotaxi service Apollo Go via the Lyft app in Germany and the UK in 2026. This expansion will take place subject to regulatory approval, and the fleet of autonomous vehicles will be expanded to thousands of vehicles across Europe.
In 2023, the EU received 25. 9% of global international tourism revenue, almost double that of the US with 12.3%. Tourism revenues accounted for 2.5% of the EU's GDP, continuing its recovery after COVID-19.
The speed of Patriot air defense system supplies to Ukraine depends on how soon the US provides Europe with a replacement for this type of weapon. Six European countries have about two dozen such systems, their price is about $1 billion per battery.
A Ukrainian-Polish expedition has begun search and exhumation work in Lviv. They will last approximately until August 30 and aim to rebury the remains of Polish Army soldiers who died in 1939.
The UK government is investing £100 million to strengthen border security and combat criminal gangs involved in smuggling people across the English Channel. This funding will support a pilot project of an agreement with France and other initiatives to deter the flow of illegal migrants.
Poland has signed a contract worth over 6 billion euros with South Korea for the purchase of an additional 180 K2 tanks, which will increase its tank fleet to 1,100 units. This will make the country one of the leading tank powers in NATO, surpassing the combined tank numbers of Great Britain, Germany, France, and Italy.
A light aircraft crashed near the Spanish island of Mallorca, killing a 60-year-old former US Air Force pilot and his 13-year-old son. The disaster occurred on August 2 during acrobatic maneuvers over the sea; the causes are being investigated.
In Germany, the number of asylum applications has significantly decreased, with 70,011 initial applications registered from January to July. This is almost 50% less than in the same period last year.
Poland extended border control with Lithuania and Germany until October 4 due to the threat of illegal migration. The decision was agreed with partners and is aimed at closing the migration route.
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder advocates for Ukrainian refugees in Germany to receive lower payments as asylum seekers, instead of citizen's benefits. According to him, this applies to all Ukrainians, not just newcomers, and is the reason for the low employment rate of refugees.
In Germany, the third arson attack on cables on a railway line near Hohenmölsen, Saxony-Anhalt, has been recorded. This led to train disruptions, particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia, where hundreds of services were canceled.
An opinion column by financial expert Olena Sosedka.
A survey in the Czech Republic shows growing fatigue with Ukrainian refugees, although most support their stay. 58% believe the country has accepted too many refugees, but 52% support providing asylum.
The German army has launched an air bridge to the Gaza Strip, dropping 14 tons of humanitarian aid. The action is part of a joint project with Jordan, announced by the German Chancellor.
Slovenia has banned the import, export, and transit of weapons to and from Israel, becoming the first EU country to introduce such restrictions. This decision has symbolic significance due to the almost zero volume of arms trade between the countries.
Germany will transfer additional Patriot launchers to Ukraine as a first stage. Other system components will be transferred within 2-3 months.
In the first six months of the current year, Spain welcomed 44. 5 million tourists, which is 4.7% more than last year. The cumulative spending of travelers increased by 7.5%, reaching almost 60 billion euros.