Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap and successful Ukrainian defense in Sumy region - Thursday brief

Fresh prisoner swap brings Ukrainian fighters back home

On Thursday, June 26, another round of the POW exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia.

“We continue exchanges, another stage. Today, soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning. Most of them have been in captivity since 2014. We are doing everything to find everyone, to check the information on each name,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Ukrainian army chief reports on Russia's summer offensive

Ukrainian Defense Forces have stopped Russia's advance in the Sumy region. This year's wave of Russian summer offensive attempts from the territory of Russia is failing.

"A day of intense work in the North-Slobozhanskyi sector. The defense of the Sumy region is one of the main tasks for today. Based on the results of May-June, we can state that this year's wave of attempts of Russia's summer offensive from the territory of Russia is choking, just like last year's attempted offensive in the Kharkiv region," Syrskyi said.

EU defense chief proposes to create drone army to resist Putin

Military intelligence warns of a possible Russian attack on NATO allies within five years, the EU could face millions of drones, citing the EU Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius in his interview with Sky News.

"Russia can have around five million drones, so we need to have capacities bigger than those in order to prevail," Kubilius said.

Bus carrying 55 Ukrainians overturns in Romania

On June 25, a traffic accident occurred on the DN22 highway, near the village of Tariverde in Romania, involving a bus carrying 55 Ukrainian citizens. Among the passengers were children.

Several people sustained minor injuries, but fortunately, no dead victims were reported.

Hungary vetoes Ukraine's EU talks - When veto could be lifted

Budapest vetoes joint EU statement on Ukraine, blocking accession talks.

All EU member states, except Hungary, declared that the European Council reaffirms Ukraine's inalienable right to self-determination and strongly supports its aspiration to join the European Union. They also praised the pace of reforms in Ukraine and acknowledged the country's significant progress.

According to RBC-Ukraine's informed sources, Hungary is unlikely to lift its veto before its national elections, which are scheduled for the spring of next year.

Therefore, most likely, Ukraine and the EU will focus on intensifying technical work, particularly the implementation of necessary reforms, but formal progress (such as the opening of negotiation clusters) should not be expected for now due to Hungary's position.