Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces struck oil and military facilities near St. Petersburg.

July 4, 2026 — China foreign minister met Sweden’s foreign minister in Stockholm. Beijing said bilateral ties, which were strained in recent years, have warmed since the Swedish minister’s visit last year and signalled a push to improve mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation and focus on a positive agenda. China urged Sweden to continue upholding the One China principle to consolidate the political basis for the relationship.

Labour politician Andy Burnham said that if he replaces Starmer as prime minister he would not call an early general election and would maintain Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitments, including the pensions triple lock. He supports stronger regulation in public services and did not rule out nationalization in some sectors. Burnham said he favors closer UK‑EU relations, electoral reform, guaranteed funding for defence investment and continued firm support for Ukraine. If unopposed for the party nomination he could become Labour leader and then prime minister in mid‑July.