8 July 2026
NATO Summit
At the NATO summit in Ankara, President Trump once again called for the United States to take over Greenland, citing Chinese and Russian activity. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attempted to showcase NATO defence spending increases as a way to ply President Trump. Rutte wants NATO countries to detail how they will meet the Hague Commitment. The Hague Commitment agreed to increase defence spending to 3.5% of GDP for a country’s armed forces and a further 1.5% for defence-related infrastructure. The United States has provided no roadmap to their commitment.
Ten NATO countries announced the new Deep Precision Strike project, a long-range missile project worth £37 billion (50 billion USD). The range is reported to be up to 2,000 km, and it is not expected to be ready until somewhere in the 2030s.
Ukraine signed drone deals with Estonia and the Netherlands and continued talks with Finland and Canada. Canada unveiled a $900 million aid package that will include vehicles, munitions, and other military equipment.
Great Britain and the Netherlands agreed to jointly develop a new class of amphibious transport ships in a £2.4 billion program. The ships will be built in the UK, but designed in the Netherlands. These ships will be larger than the Dutch LST 100 design, which has been chosen by the United States and Australia.
Iran-US
After Iran fired at commercial shipping, the US cancelled Iran’s waiver to sell oil and bombed more than 80 targets, including air-defence systems, command and control networks, antiship missile sites and more than 60 Iranian small boats near the waterway. Iran responded by firing drones and ballistic missiles at Bahrain and Kuwait. Trump said he believes the ceasefire is over and that he doesn’t want to deal with the Iranians anymore. “They’re liars, they’re cheats, they’re sick people,” he said of the Iranians.
Russia
Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov stated that the defence-industrial complex is nearing its maximum output and that, without growth in that sector, the Russian economy will not see further economic activity. This year’s budget allocated 12.1 trillion rubles ($158.5 billion) to defence.
Ukraine-Russia War
For a third night, Ukraine targeted Russian shadow fleet tankers in the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait. So far, Ukraine has hit 20 tankers, with nine being hit within the past 24 hours. The drones used, the FP-2 drones, can carry warheads weighing between 50 and 100 kilograms, enough to damage a cargo ship, but not enough to sink it. Videos show the drones targeting ship bridges, personnel, engine spaces, and fuel bunkers.
Pakistan
Pakistani authorities report that 27 policemen and 11 security personnel were killed in operations in Balochistan while 54 terrorists were killed since operations began on 5 July. There have been three terrorist attacks in the past three days, including an attack on a police outpost and an ambush on an army convoy.
Social Media Wires
Trump says the US will give the license to Ukraine for Patriot missiles
The moment Erdogan knew that Trump was lifting sanctions
Featured Photo: “Nato 2026 Summit” – NATO, 2026
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