Latest on the Ukraine war: Ukraine builds secret “robot army”; Kremlin reacts to Trump assassination attempt | World news

We’re pausing our live coverage of the war in Ukraine today. Check the Sky News website and app for breaking news on the war before we return with live updates.

But here’s what you need to know and the latest developments on Monday.

Ukraine prepares peace plan for summit and will work with Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he will work with Donald Trump if the presidential candidate returns to the White House.

He also promised to have a peace plan ready for a summit in November, a follow-up to the summit hosted by the Ukrainian president in Switzerland on June 15-16, which aimed to bring together heads of state and government to try to chart a course for lasting peace in Ukraine.

Although 92 countries participated, Russia was not present, leading to criticism of its realism.

Ukraine’s “secret robot army”

Ukraine wants to assemble a large number of cheap, unmanned drones to kill Russian soldiers and rescue its own wounded soldiers and civilians.

An ecosystem of laboratories in hundreds of secret workshops across Ukraine is building this robot army at a fraction of the cost of importing similar models.

It is estimated that around 250 defense startups across the country are producing these killing machines at secret locations that typically resemble rural auto repair shops.

For more information, see our 7:30am post or our key points.

Russia and China launch joint military exercises

The navies of Russia and China have launched a joint exercise in southern China, days after NATO allies called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine.

The two navies will take part in exercises in the southern city of Zhanjiang that are expected to last until mid-July.

Ukrainian drones attack Crimea – after Russian ‘double-tap’ attack

Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked a coastal area near Sevastopol in occupied Crimea and hit a power substation in Russia’s Lipetsk region.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-appointed chief of Sevastopol, claimed that Russian defenses shot down at least one drone over Cape Fiolent on the southern coast of Crimea, targeting a military base equipped with air defense systems.

Elsewhere, images emerged of a Russian attack that killed two people and wounded 23 others. The attack targeted the railway station in Budy, officials said. After rescue teams arrived, a second rocket struck the area.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the head of the Kharkiv district rescue service, Artem Kostyria, and a police officer from a rapid response unit were killed.

“There will always be Ukraine”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a statement calling on the citizens of Ukraine to celebrate Statehood Day.

The national holiday was introduced by decree of Mr Zelensky in 2021 to mark the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.

The day commemorates the baptism of Kyiv, which took place in 988 under the rule of Volodymyr the Great.

He said: “Ukraine will always be here: our history, our people, our state.”

“We are fighting against a terrible enemy that cannot be called human and that is infinitely far removed from true Christianity.”

Reactions to Trump’s assassination attempt

Kiev and Moscow have reacted differently to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

The former president suffered a gunshot wound to the ear in the shooting, which occurred early Saturday evening as he was delivering a speech to supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Mr Zelensky said he was “relieved” to learn that Trump was safe and wished him a “speedy recovery”. He added that there was “no justification and no place” in the world for such violence.

The Kremlin yesterday expressed its impression that the current US administration had created an “atmosphere around candidate Trump” that had “provoked what America is facing today”.