According to data from international organisations, Ukraine has declined for the third consecutive year in the Rule of Law Index under the criterion of Equal Treatment and Absence of Discrimination, falling from 30th place in 2022 to 43rd place in 2025 among 143 countries.

We are now in the final stretch of negotiations on the EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia. It focuses on energy, financial services, cryptocurrency and trade.

Last year, the Serbian authorities reversed reforms in several sectors, including the independence of the judiciary.

Some institutional failures unfold not through scandal but procedure.

As Türkiye’s geopolitical and economic importance grows, NATO allies are increasingly willing to turn a blind eye to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s attacks on democratic institutions.

Last week's turbulent government reshuffle pulled attention away from the processes tied to Ukraine's EU accession negotiations. Still, the rotations and restructuring of the cabinet will affect the negotiating process going forward, and the effect is unlikely to be positive.

Last weekend, many expected another escalation in relations between Ukraine and Poland, especially since official Kyiv had publicly warned about this possibility.

Last Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Ukraine. The lengthy document is devoted to supporting the country during the war and advancing its path towards European Union membership.

On 7 July, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, announced that she will run in the presidential election.

The intensification of political infighting inside Poland, together with the current extremely serious crisis between Kyiv and Warsaw, has led to military support for Ukraine becoming a hostage of this dispute.

On 7 July, the NATO summit has kicked off in the Turkish capital.

The Ukraine Recovery Conference, which was recently held in Gdańsk, left participants from different sectors with very different impressions.

On 2 July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Yerevan.

According to Eurostat, in 2025 only around 135,000 of the nearly 492,000 return orders issued were actually enforced – roughly 27%.

Next Tuesday, the NATO Summit is set to begin in Ankara. One of the issues on the agenda will be the Alliance's support for Ukraine.