Separately, the New York Post newspaper has published a long interview with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, in which he says that he talked with US president Donald Trump about a “mega deal” involving battlefield-tested Ukrainian drones and US weapons.
Zelenskyy argued that the US needed to step up its drone readiness learning from Ukraine’s experiences acquired during the fight against the Russian invasion.
“The people of America need this technology, and you need to have it in your arsenal,” he said.
“I think this is really a mega deal, a win-win, as they say,” he added.
He also said that similar talks about sharing Ukrainian experiences were on-going with some European partners, including Denmark, Norway, and Germany.
And in the last few minutes, Andrii Sybiha has been retained by parliament as Ukraine’s foreign minister.
Speaking at a press conference in Lublin yesterday, he joked that he arrived for the visit as a minister, but by the time he attended the press conference he was only an acting minister.
He’s now back to his properly official title.
Speaking in the Ukrainian parliament before today’s votes, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued that the country “needs more of its own strength” with a fast-tracked reform of and investment into Ukrainian defence industry.
“Currently about 40% of all weapons in the hands of our soldiers are made in Ukraine. In six months, it should be no less than 50%,” he said.
He said there would also be a push audit existing procurement contracts and to attract more international cooperation on defence projects including “new agreements with the US”, without offering further detail.
He also said the government will continue to pursue “a fair end to the war and guarantee real security for Ukraine.”
New Ukrainian government approved by parliament - snap analysis
Luke Harding, Artem Mazhulin in Kyiv
The new Ukrainian government led by Yulia Svyrydenko has just been approved by the country’s parliament.
The reshuffle has been heavily trailed and it’s all about a fresh start at a time when, on the international level, things certainly look better for Ukraine than they did back in February, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
What is slightly surprising is the nomination of deputy prime minister for Euro-Atlantic integration, Olha Stefanishyna, as the new Ukrainian ambassador to the US.
It seemed pretty clear that Rustem Umerov, the defence minister, was going to get that post.
Opposition MP Oleksii Honachrenko claimed that the decision to appoint Stefanishyna was made at the very last minute, calling the situation “a mess”.
Stefanishyna has had the Euro-Atlantic portfolio for five years, so she is a very competent and experienced person, but it’s worth keeping an eye on what job Umerov will get in the new administration instead.
US tells Switzerland its order of Patriots will be delayed as Ukraine gets priority
Meanwhile, the Swiss defence ministry has just said that it was informed by the US Department of State that its deliveries of Patriot missile systems will be delayed as a result of its decision to reprioritise deliveries to Ukraine.
The Swiss statement says that its five Patriot systems, ordered in 2022, were meant to be delivered between 2027 and 2028, but the US announcement means that they will be “affected by the new prioritisation” and delayed further.
“It is currently unclear how many systems will be affected and whether the delivery of guided missiles will also be affected. No statement can be made at this stage regarding the exact timing and any further implications for Switzerland. Clarifications are ongoing,” the statement added.
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Flemish NGOs hail 'historic' ruling on military exports
Four Flemish civil society groups that brought the case against the regional Flemish government hailed the court’s decision (12:39) as “historic”.
“This historic ruling acknowledges that the Flemish government bears a heavy legal responsibility when it facilitates military shipments to a state committing war crimes and possibly genocide,” said Fien De Meyer of the League for Human Rights. “The court has now said what politicians refuse to admit.”
“The Flemish government must stop looking the other way,” said Willem Staes of 11.11.11. “As long as military equipment flows to Israel, no government or member of parliament should rest easy.
“This ruling must be the starting point of real political accountability,” he added.
European missile group MBDA selling parts for bombs that have killed children in Gaza
On a related topic, the Guardian has published its investigation today that showed that Europe’s largest missiles maker, MBDA, is selling key components for bombs used in multiple airstrikes where research indicates Palestinian children and other civilians were killed.
With concerns mounting about the extent to which European companies may be profiting from the devastation of Gaza, a Guardian investigation with the independent newsrooms Disclose and Follow the Money has examined the supply chain behind the GBU-39 bomb, and the ways in which it has been deployed during the conflict.
You can read the story here:
Belgian court halts military exports to Israel
The regional Flemish government must stop all transit of military equipment to Israel, a Brussels court has ordered, according to local media.
The Flemish news channel VRT NWS said that the case involves a container of tapered rolled bearings for the Israeli defence company Ashot, which was blocked in one of Europe’s largest ports in Antwerp last month.
The government was also told by the court to prevent the transit of any “defence-related products or other equipment intended for military” where there is no guarantee it will be only deployed for civil use, VRT reported.
Belgian news agency Belga earlier reported that it held three pallets of tapered roller bearings manufactured in France by the US company Timken.
It added that “Flemish regulations prohibit the export or transit of goods that could directly support the Israel Defense Forces,” and the cargo was meant to be sent to Ashot Ashkelon, a key supplier of transmission systems for Israel’s Merkava tanks and Namer armoured vehicles, both actively used in Gaza.
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Question mark over Tomorrowland festival's programme after main stage fire
In other news making the headlines in Europe today, the main stage of the Tomorrowland music festival near Antwerp was totally destroyed by fire on Wednesday, a day before thousands of electronic dance music lovers were due to arrive at the Belgian event.
There were no injuries, organisers said, as they insisted they would still go ahead with the festival over the next two weekends.
But Belgian Le Soir is reporting today that the situation is no longer clear amid continuing discussions with emergency services as to what extent the festival can restart its operations, potentialy in a limited format.
The campsite has opened this morning with first guests arriving, but no final decision on the festival’s weekend programme has been made, it added.
The paper reported that “while the organisers ‘do not lose hope,’ they emphasise that the final decision will rest with the fire department.”
The latest statement from the organisers, on Tomorrowland’s website, said:
“We spent the night working on possible solutions for the Mainstage area. No other parts of the festival venue, stages or areas were impacted.
All detailed info about the festival weekend (Friday – Saturday – Sunday) will follow in the upcoming hours.”
For what it’s worth, the local authorities said they didn’t want to cancel the festival altogether, Le Soir reported.
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Russia 'continuing to analyse' Trump's threat of secondary tariffs
Meanwhile, we are now getting Russia’s reactions to the latest comments by US president Donald Trump, who threatened Russia with secondary tariffs if its invasion on Ukraine isn’t stopped within 50 days.
The Kremlin said Russia was continuing to analyse his remarks, Reuters reported, with no public response from president Vladimir Putin.
The agency noted that Moscow has so far reacted icily to Trump’s recent warnings over Ukraine, saying that decisions taken by the US president and the Nato military alliance would be interpreted by Kyiv as a signal to continue the war.
Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed as new Ukrainian prime minister
Yulia Svyrydenko, 39-year-old economist and former deputy prime minister, has been confirmed the the country’s parliament as the new prime minister of Ukraine, lawmakers Oleksiy Honcharenko and Yaroslav Zheleznyak just reported.
Svyrydenko played a critical role in Kyiv’s negotiations with the US over its access to mineral resources, with Reuters noting that “her nomination sends a signal to Washington that Kyiv is prioritising the relationship.”
She replaces Denys Shmyhal, who served in the post for five years, the longest in Ukraine’s history.
The outgoing prime minister will now become the country’s defence minister, replacing Rustem Umerov, who is rumoured to become the country’s new ambassador to the US.
More personal changes are expected to follow, with defence and digital seen as main priorities for the new administration.
We are just hearing from Reuters that Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more bodies of their war dead, a Kremlin aide said, as part of an agreement struck at June talks in Istanbul.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s delegation at those peace talks, said in a statement on Telegram that Moscow had handed over the bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers and had received 19 bodies of its own fallen soldiers in return.
Starmer hosts Germany's Merz for post-Brexit bilateral treaty signing
Aletha Adu in London and Deborah Cole in Berlin
Keir Starmer will welcome Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to Downing Street on Thursday to sign a new bilateral treaty that promises tighter action on smuggling gangs, expanded defence exports and closer industrial ties between the UK and Germany.
The treaty includes a German commitment to make it illegal to facilitate unauthorised migration to the UK, closing off a key supply route used by smugglers operating from German territory.
UK officials say the new law, expected to be passed by the end of the year, will give police and prosecutors the tools to target warehouses and logistical hubs used to store small boats and engines linked to Channel crossings.
Police will be able to raid warehouses, seize assets and arrest facilitators even where no migrants are present, a move the UK government says will significantly disrupt the supply chain behind dangerous Channel crossings.
This is a relatively late first visit for a German chancellor to the UK. Merz took office in May but officials on both sides say the delay was deliberate.
In his first week, Merz travelled to Kyiv with Starmer, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, in a show of European unity. London and Berlin agreed Merz’s visit should coincide with the signing of the treaty.
It is expected to be focused on mutual security, including cyber and hybrid attacks, stating that “there is no strategic threat to one which would not be a strategic threat to the other”.
A senior German official stressed the treaty is not intended to “replace” Nato guarantees or interfere with a future UK-EU security arrangement, but added that Brexit had left “gaps” in coordination that needed to be filled.
Elsewhere, we will be monitoring the visit of the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to London, where he will sign a treaty between Germany and the UK.
The bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty marks the latest phase of Starmer’s bid to rebuild Britain’s influence in Europe – without reopening formal ties with the EU – but also a diplomatic win for Merz’s new administration in Germany.
So let’s cross to Aletha Adu in London and Deborah Cole in Berlin for more details on the deal.
Preparations for deliveries for Ukraine under way, Nato's top Europe commander says, as he warns Russia is and will remain threat
Preparations are fully under way for delivery of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, Nato’s most senior commander in Europe confirmed, as he warned that Russia is and will remain a threat to the alliance in Europe even if a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine is found.
Nato’s Supreme Allied Commande Europe, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, confirmed this morning that the guidance he has been given was to deliver the Patriots to Ukraine as quickly as possible, making good on US president Trump’s announcement earlier this week.
“I’m not going to reveal to the Russians or anyone else the exact numbers of weapons that we’re transferring or when those will happen, but what I will say is that preparations are under way.
We’re working very closely with the Germans on the Patriot transfer, and the guidance that I’ve been given has been to move out as quickly as possible.
So we’re doing that. And then we’re also looking at other capabilities and what those needs are, and working on proposals for our political leadership.”
He added:
We’re going to move as quickly as we can on this.
He said that Patriot systems already in Europe can be quickly moved to Ukraine, and later backfilled from the production line in the US.
“Air defence is important on the modern battlefield, and we’ve seen the scale of recent Russian attacks against Ukraine, so it is a key focus area,” he said.
Grynkewich, a former fighter pilot who took the most senior allied post in Europe post earlier this month, also warned that even if there is a peaceful solution in Ukraine, Russia will remain a threat.
“War persists on our doorstep in Ukraine.
While we seek a peaceful resolution, even if that resolution comes, the Russian capabilities that are there will reconstitute and just by their very existence will be something that we’ll have to think of from the military perspective, and understand how it threatens the Alliance and the freedoms that we hold dear.
Russia will undoubtedly, in my mind, remain an enduring threat.”
Grynkewich also stressed the urgency of Nato stepping up more broadly, as he warned about the prospect of multiple conflicts happening at the same time, including a war in Europe and a war in the Pacific.
“Those of you who listen to our great secretary general, Mark Rutte, have heard him say that the thing [China’s] Xi is probably going to do before he decides to go across the Taiwan Strait is give his friend Putin a call and ask him to help.
That, to me, means that both of these things could happen together, but we’re going to need every bit of kit and equipment and munitions that we can in order to meet that.
And we’ve all heard the year 2027, that’s just two years away, when we think that Xi could be ready to make his move, and that phone call to Putin might come.
So time is of the essence.”
I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today.
It’s Thursday, 17 July 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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