President Zelensky is planning to implement diplomatic changes in response to the ongoing air defense crisis

Yesterday, on July 11, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he is preparing changes to Ukraine's diplomatic efforts to accelerate weapons deliveries from allies, as the country faces a critical shortage of Patriot air defense missiles.

In his evening address, Zelensky said Ukraine needs "a new quality of engagement" with its partners to ensure that previously agreed weapons deliveries are implemented more quickly. He said the planned changes would focus on advancing licensed production of Patriot missiles following U.S. President Donald Trump's support for the initiative at the NATO summit, securing the pledged $80 billion in defense aid for 2026, and developing Europe's own anti-ballistic missile capabilities.

The announcement comes after Ukraine exhausted its stock of PAC-3 interceptor missiles, leaving it unable to intercept any of the 23 Russian ballistic missiles and six hypersonic Zircon missiles launched during a major attack on Kyiv on 6 July. Zelensky did not specify which diplomats or positions would be affected by the planned reshuffle but said the changes are intended to speed up the implementation of key defense agreements.

 Ukrainian strikes on Russian gasoline tankers in the Sea of Azov have reportedly led Russia to close some maritime routes

Ukraine allegedly hit 28 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov

Ukraine's General Staff and Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Major Robert "Magyar" Brovdi said Ukrainian forces struck 28 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov during the night of 10-11 July, including 21 tankers, four tugboats, two dry cargo ships, and a dredger.

According to the General Staff, the tankers were transporting Russian petroleum products in violation of international sanctions, while the other vessels supported Russian military logistics and cargo transport. Brovdi said Ukrainian forces have struck a total of 76 Russian vessels between 6 and 11 July and suggested that maritime traffic through the Kerch Strait has effectively been halted.

Reuters, citing three grain export industry sources, reported that Russia temporarily suspended shipping through the Don-Azov Canal after the attacks. One source said Russian border guards stopped accepting requests for passage through the Kerch Strait on 10 July. The latest strikes appear to mark a new phase in Ukraine's campaign to disrupt Russian maritime logistics, particularly fuel and grain shipments, and further isolate occupied Crimea from Russia's supply network.

Ukraine's ambassador to Poland commemorated the Volyn massacres as historical issues shifted Kyiv-Warsaw relations

Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, laid a wreath at a monument to the victims of the Volyn massacres in Warsaw on 11 July, Poland's National Day of Remembrance for those killed during the World War II-era atrocities.

In a statement, the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland said honoring every victim with dignity is a shared responsibility and reaffirmed Ukraine's support for establishing the full historical truth, continuing search and exhumation efforts, and promoting dialogue between historians. Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who commemorated the victims in Ukraine's Volyn Oblast, said the goal was not to reopen old wounds but to allow them to heal through truth and remembrance.

The commemorations come amid escalated tensions following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision in May to name a Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a move that drew strong criticism in Poland. In his evening address, Zelensky said Ukraine is committed to uncovering the truth about the victims and announced that exhumation work will begin within days in the villages of Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovetska. He also urged both countries to remember that Russia remains their common threat, even as historical disagreements continue to strain bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Polish politician Przemysław Czarnek, a candidate for prime minister from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, introduced a parliamentary resolution calling on the government to block Ukraine's accession to the European Union until disputes over the Volyn massacres are resolved.

"We are submitting a draft parliamentary resolution opposing Ukraine's membership in the European Union due to the glorification of the perpetrators of the Volyn massacres," Czarnek wrote on social media. "We call on the government to oppose any further progress in the process of Ukraine's integration with the EU."

The proposal comes as historical disputes continue to strain Polish-Ukrainian relations, a rift that analysts say benefits the Kremlin by creating divisions between Kyiv and one of its key European allies.