War in Ukraine: Burnham meets Zelensky Monday, EU adopts 21st sanctions package

Herz — World Desk · 27 July 2026 at 04:13 · 30s summary · 1 min read

What we know

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will receive Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 28, 2026, in London. According to Le Temps, Downing Street indicated that he will reaffirm the United Kingdom's "unwavering" support for Ukraine.

The European Union has adopted its 21st sanctions package against Moscow. The text was weakened: Greece obtained an exemption allowing it to continue exporting Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG).

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced from Kyiv a partnership to increase drone production in Ukraine. Ukraine has also obtained the capacity to manufacture Patriot missiles — the MIM-104 Patriot is a medium-range air-defense system built by U.S. firm Raytheon, used by the U.S. military and several NATO countries.

The Ukrainian military has extended its strikes to Russia's e-commerce sector, after previously targeting oil infrastructure.

Crisis in Ukrainian military command

Zelensky dismissed the commander of the Ukrainian military to exit a political crisis he had himself created. Thousands of Ukrainian protesters are also demanding the resignation of General Syrsky, commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Zelensky also sidelined the official who had built Ukraine's drone combat capability, in favor of the old military hierarchy. This decision is seen as weakening Ukraine's war effort.

What remains uncertain

The identity of the dismissed commander and that of the official sidelined from the drone force leadership are not specified in available sources. The actual impact of the exemption granted to Greece on the overall effectiveness of the 21st sanctions package has not yet been assessed.