A new poll shows that some 69% of respondents in Ukraine believe their country should seek an early negotiated end to the war with Russia, data obtained by the American Institute for Public Opinion Research Gallup shows.
“In the latest Gallup poll in Ukraine, conducted in early July, 69% of respondents favored an early negotiated end to the war, while 24% support continuing the fight until victory,” the organization’s website says.
The survey also shows that Ukrainians’ hopes of joining NATO and the European Union have faded and support for the US leadership has plummeted, Ukrainians still see the EU, the UK and the US as key players in ending the war. However, most doubt this will happen anytime soon.
“Although the vast majority of Ukrainians now favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible, most are skeptical that active fighting will end anytime soon. One in four (25%) believe that active hostilities are likely to end within the next 12 months, although only 5% consider this “very likely.” More than two-thirds (68%) believe that active hostilities are unlikely to end within the next year,” the survey says.
It is noted that Ukrainians’ views on the US as a military ally have changed dramatically since the first months of the war.
“In 2025, 16% of Ukrainians approve of US leadership, while 73% express disapproval, a record high. All the goodwill that Washington accumulated in 2022, when 66% approved of U.S. leadership, has disappeared,” the institute reports.
Despite the sharp disapproval of US leadership, a majority of Ukrainians still believe Washington has a significant role to play in ending the war.
“70% believe that the US should play a ‘significant role’ in peace talks, which is in line with views relative to EU countries (75%) and the UK (71%).” Although some negotiations have recently taken place in Turkey, 55% of Ukrainians support its significant involvement, which is much lower than support for the EU, the UK and the US,” the pollsters inform.
But the perception of Germany has improved significantly this year. “The approval rating for Berlin’s leadership reached a record high of 63%, despite Germany’s more cautious stance in the early months of the war. Russia’s approval rating remains insignificant (1%), and China continues to receive low marks (8%), as it did at the beginning of the war,” the study said.
Ukraine has long expressed a desire to join NATO, which many see as crucial to the country’s long-term security.
“In the first two years of the war, there were high hopes for rapid NATO membership, with large majorities (64% in 2022 and 69% in 2023) expecting Ukraine to be admitted to the Alliance within the next decade. Hopes for early NATO membership fell to 51% last year and continue to decline, reaching 32% in 2025… Meanwhile, the percentage of those who believe Ukraine will never be admitted to NATO rose to 33%, the same percentage as those who expect to join within the next 10 years,” the American Institute for Public Opinion Research reported.
The survey results are based on a sample of 1,000 or more respondents aged 15 and older living in Ukraine. Some territories that are under Russian control and have a population of about 10% were excluded from surveys conducted after 2022 due to lack of access.
As reported, Russia’s conditional peace plan, which among other things includes a significant reduction of Ukraine’s army, refusal of NATO membership and the transfer of Ukrainian-controlled territories under Russian control, is categorically rejected by 76% of Ukrainians, can agree to Russia’s demands – 17%, as evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology during July 23 – August 4, 2025.
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) donated medical equipment for comprehensive diagnosis and examination of children to the Artek International Children’s Center (Kyiv region). According to the TİKA press service, the delivery includes equipment for dentist, ophthalmologist, and otolaryngologist offices, as well as laboratory analysis. The aid is aimed at expanding diagnostic capabilities for children, including those from socially vulnerable groups and rural areas.
According to Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine Mustafa Levent Bilgen, the Artek initiative is an important humanitarian project, and Turkey, as a friendly country, is pleased to contribute to providing medical care for children.
“Such comprehensive examination opportunities can become the basis for further treatment of children within the state healthcare system,” the diplomat said.
TİKA Program Coordinator in Ukraine Yahya Kemal Tunca noted that this is not the agency’s first initiative based at Artek.
Previously, projects in the field of education have been implemented. According to him, the new direction will allow more children to access quality medical services.
On the Ukrainian side, Deputy Minister of Health Yevhen Gonchar took part in the handover of the equipment. He thanked the Turkish side for its support and stressed the importance of such projects in the context of the war.
Currently, Artek annually receives about 11,000 children from disadvantaged groups from all regions of Ukraine for health improvement and recreation.
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) is a state agency under the Vice President of Turkey. It implements international technical and humanitarian assistance projects. The agency has been operating in Ukraine since 1997, implementing dozens of social, educational, and medical initiatives.
In January-July 2025, Ukrainian metallurgists increased pig iron production by 6.7% compared to the same period in 2024, to 4.361 million tons, according to the Ukrmetallurgprom association.
In July, 621,100 tons of pig iron were smelted, which is lower than the June figure of 661,900 tons.
For comparison, at the end of 2024, pig iron production increased by 18.1% to 7.090 million tons.
In 2023, this figure decreased by 6.1% to 6.003 million tons.
Peak pre-war pig iron production in Ukraine in 2021 was 21.165 million tons.
The Northern Mining and Processing Plant (Pivnichnyi GZK, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region), part of the Metinvest Group, is actively working on the construction of a modern hydraulic engineering facility for the thickening of enrichment waste at its technical water and sludge management workshop.
According to the company, the complex will enable the plant to reduce costs and lower its environmental impact by cutting energy and water consumption.
It is specified that Metinvest received a loan of EUR 23.6 million to purchase Finnish professional equipment from Metso Finland for the complex. The loan is provided by the Finnish export credit agency Finnvera. Deutsche Bank is the sole organizer and lender, with legal support from the international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright.
The press release explains that the concept of expanding the existing tailings storage facility at the Northern GOK from +165 m to +189 m using tailings thickening technology was approved back in 2015. After developing the project documentation in March 2021, Metinvest announced the launch of one of its largest high-tech projects, which will be managed by Metinvest Sichstal specialists.
Three years later, the facility was scheduled to be commissioned, but the outbreak of full-scale war forced construction to be put on hold.
Metinvest Sichstal Project Manager Vladimir Sidorov noted that a certain amount of work had been completed before the forced shutdown.
“The design was completed, basic and detailed engineering was developed, and calculations were made. We decided on the construction site, set up headquarters there, purchased some of the equipment, and began preparatory work. Directly at the site of the future complex, we had to remove the top layer of soil, which was unsuitable for construction, and replace it with another layer that was suitable in terms of characteristics. It was during this preparatory period that active hostilities began,” Sidorov explained in the statement.
However, a year ago, in July 2024, the company decided to resume construction work, continuing with the earthworks to lay and level the imported soil, and then moving on to the construction phase of the concentration complex facilities. Currently, despite the risks of wartime, builders are working on the pile foundation and grillage, which will ensure the stability and reliability of the hydraulic engineering structure.
“The biggest challenge we are currently facing is the lack of qualified specialists, both engineers and technical workers. This problem is relevant both for Metinvest and for the contractors we work with. After all, a significant number of professionals are currently working not on peaceful construction projects, but on the front lines,” said the project manager.
In addition, the company faces the risk of shelling on a daily basis. To ensure people’s safety, one shelter was installed on the site during the preparatory work, and two more were added when construction began. The company decided to protect itself from power supply problems caused by possible attacks on energy facilities by using generators.
By the end of this year, specialists plan to complete the pile driving and concreting of the foundations for the main facilities of the complex. In the near future, they will also begin installing metal structures for the reverse water supply pumping station, thickener No. 4, and the combined slurry pumping station. The commissioning of the slurry thickening complex will take place in three stages. The completion of work on the facility is currently scheduled for the end of 2027.
“Advanced technology for thickening enrichment waste using safe reagents to separate water from solid particles will allow the enterprise to reduce transportation costs and not increase the area for tailings disposal. This will give us a real opportunity to reduce the cost of concentrate and pellets, increase profitability, and strengthen our position in the raw materials market,” said Dmitry Nepomnyashchy, Director of Capital Construction and Investments at GOK, commenting on the resumption of construction of the pulp thickening complex as opening up new prospects for the Northern GOK.
As reported, Metinvest presented a $189 million waste thickening project at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) 2025 in Rome. The new complex will reduce the volume of sludge transferred to the tailings pond during iron ore enrichment by 30%. The energy savings will amount to 125 MWh per year.
The project will be launched in three years.
Pivdenny GOK is part of the Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are System Capital Management (SCM, Donetsk) (71.24%) and the Smart Holding group of companies (23.76%). The managing company of the Metinvest Group is Metinvest Holding LLC.
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises reduced total rolled steel production by 2.8% in January-July 2025 compared to the same period last year, to 3.622 million tons, according to operational data from the Ukrmetallurgprom association.
Steel production during this period decreased by 7% to 4.263 million tons.
In July 2025, Ukraine produced 552,000 tons of rolled steel and 580,500 tons of steel, compared to 563,000 tons and 621,400 tons in June.
For comparison, in 2024, rolled steel production increased by 15.8% to 6.222 million tons, and steel production by 21.6% to 7.575 million tons. In 2023, rolled steel production grew by only 0.4%, while steel production decreased by 0.6%.
Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, increased its EBITDA in April-June 2025 by 23.5% compared to the same period last year, to 6.90 billion UAH, while its revenue grew by 25.8% to UAH 1.86 billion due to significant growth in the telecommunications and digital technology segments.
“EBITDA margin was 58.2% (-1.1 p.p. compared to the same period last year), reflecting a higher share of direct digital revenues after the consolidation of Uklon. In the second quarter, there was pressure on expenses, including an increase in utility, consulting, and IT support costs,” according to the report published by the parent company VEON on Thursday.
According to the report, EBITDA for the first half of the year increased by 39.5% to UAH 12.85 billion, while revenue increased by 36.1% to UAH 22.58 billion.
It is noted that Kyivstar increased its capital investments in the second quarter of 2025 by 72.8% to UAH 3.93 billion, and for the first half of the year by 89.8% to UAH 6.35 billion.
“Capital investments of 33.2% (of revenue) in the second quarter of 2025 and 28.2% in the first half of 2025 underscore Kyivstar’s accelerated reinvestment in its existing business to maintain its technological leadership amid the ongoing war,” VEON emphasized.
The company specified that in dollar terms, EBITDA grew by 18.6% in the second quarter to $166 million, while revenue increased by 20.8% to $286 million, while for the first half of the year as a whole, they increased by 31.5% to $309 million and 27.9% to $542 million, respectively.
According to the report, the total number of mobile subscribers decreased by 4.5% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 22.4 million, reflecting the continued migration of customers amid the conflict.
The decline in the 4G user base was smaller, at 1.2% to 14.4 million, while the number of customers using service packages increased by 23.7% compared to the same period last year and currently stands at 6.5 million, or 31.7% of total subscribers, as demand for bundled services remains high.
It is noted that ARPU (average monthly revenue per user) increased by 20.6% to UAH 146.
In addition, Kyivstar recorded a 20.3% increase in data usage in the second quarter, to 12.6 GB per user, while the number of digital users grew by 51.2% over the year, to 13.4 million.
As for subsidiary businesses, the report notes that the number of users of the Helsi medical information system reached 2.5 million in June 2025, which is 15.8% more than in the second quarter of 2024. In addition, new subscription models and the development of the B2B segment are also showing growth.
The number of users of Kyivstar TV at the end of Q2 2025 increased by 21.7% compared to the same period last year, to 2 million. The company added that the positive dynamics was ensured by the launch of an app for Xbox with Ukrainian-language content and exclusive sports broadcasts.
Uklon, which was consolidated into Kyivstar’s financial statements in April 2025, generated $21.7 million in revenue and $9.3 million in EBITDA in the second quarter of 2025, with 41.2 million trips and 1.1 million deliveries. It is noted that this integration was a strategic step in expanding the company’s presence in the digital services market.
Among other notable events in the second quarter, the report mentions the signing of a memorandum with the Ministry of Digital Transformation on the creation of the first large Ukrainian-language language model. The project is planned to be implemented by the end of the year to provide secure digital services based on localized data.
In addition, the company has received permission to conduct test trials of Direct to Cell satellite technology. Kyivstar plans to use this technology to provide connectivity in regions without traditional terrestrial mobile coverage, particularly in remote mountainous and rural areas.
