Oleksandr Donii was one of the leaders of student-led protests for sovereignty and political reform in 1990 that preceded Ukraine’s declaration of independence. He remembers thinking the fight for autonomy would take decades.

Sanctions were imposed on Russia’s VTB Bank in February 2022, and it was kicked off the interbank payment system called SWIFT. SWIFT is the global messaging network that enables banks worldwide to communicate and process international money transfers, and without access, VTB should have been isolated from global finance.

The Defense Department has withheld approval for attacks as the White House has sought to entice Moscow to open peace talks.

A July 20 memo ordered U.S. intelligence agencies not to share information about Russia-Ukraine talks with Five Eyes partners U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky has accused Russia of "doing everything it can" to prevent a meeting with Vladimir Putin to try to end the war. US President Donald Trump has sought to bring the two leaders together, but he said on Friday "that's like oil and vinegar... they don't get along too well".

Russia launched its largest drone and missile salvo on Ukraine in more than a month, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday, as Moscow accused Kyiv of not being interested in a “sustainable, fair and long-term settlement.

President Donald Trump started the week declaring a diplomatic breakthrough in his bid to get Russia and Ukraine closer to making peace, announcing he had begun arranging for direct talks between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"We also think there's a significant probability of Russia's economy slipping into a technical recession in the coming quarters."