Lulldapull
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Uki drone attack on Russian bomber airfields explained:
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Vsdoc
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We are heading towards a maritime muthbhed with the US navy.
Saif
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Ukraine says it hit Russian oil facilities, military airfield
Ukraine's military said on Saturday that it had struck oil facilities inside Russia, including a major refinery as well as a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory. In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said they had hit the oil refinery in Ryazan, about 18
Ukraine says it hit Russian oil facilities, military airfield
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 02, 2025 16:17
Updated :
Aug 02, 2025 16:17
Ukraine's military said on Saturday that it had struck oil facilities inside Russia, including a major refinery as well as a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory.
In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said they had hit the oil refinery in Ryazan, about 180 km (110 miles) southeast of Moscow, causing a fire on its premises.
Also hit, the USF said, was the Annanefteprodukt oil storage facility in the Voronezh region that borders on northeastern Ukraine.
The statement did not specify how the facilities were hit, but the USF specialises in drone warfare, including long-range strikes.
There was no immediate comment from Russia on the reported attacks on its infrastructure sites.
Separately, Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency said its drones had hit Russia's Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield, which has been used to launch waves of long-range drones at targets in Ukraine.
The SBU said it also hit a factory in Penza that it said supplies Russia's military-industrial complex with electronics.
At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine had no response to Moscow's vast long-range strike capacity but it has since built up a fleet of long-range kamikaze drones able to carry explosive warheads for many hundreds of kilometres (miles).
Russia's defence ministry said in its daily report that its defence units had downed a total of 338 Ukrainian drones overnight. Its reports do not say how many Ukrainian drones were launched at any given time.
For its part, Ukraine's air force said it had downed 45 of 53 Russian drones launched towards its territory overnight.
On Ukraine's eastern battlefront, Russia's defence ministry said, Russian forces had captured the village of Oleksandro-Kalynove in the Donetsk region on Saturday.
Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield report.
Russian forces now control almost 20 per cent of Ukraine in its east and south after three-and-a-half years of grinding war.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 02, 2025 16:17
Updated :
Aug 02, 2025 16:17
Ukraine's military said on Saturday that it had struck oil facilities inside Russia, including a major refinery as well as a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory.
In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said they had hit the oil refinery in Ryazan, about 180 km (110 miles) southeast of Moscow, causing a fire on its premises.
Also hit, the USF said, was the Annanefteprodukt oil storage facility in the Voronezh region that borders on northeastern Ukraine.
The statement did not specify how the facilities were hit, but the USF specialises in drone warfare, including long-range strikes.
There was no immediate comment from Russia on the reported attacks on its infrastructure sites.
Separately, Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency said its drones had hit Russia's Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield, which has been used to launch waves of long-range drones at targets in Ukraine.
The SBU said it also hit a factory in Penza that it said supplies Russia's military-industrial complex with electronics.
At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine had no response to Moscow's vast long-range strike capacity but it has since built up a fleet of long-range kamikaze drones able to carry explosive warheads for many hundreds of kilometres (miles).
Russia's defence ministry said in its daily report that its defence units had downed a total of 338 Ukrainian drones overnight. Its reports do not say how many Ukrainian drones were launched at any given time.
For its part, Ukraine's air force said it had downed 45 of 53 Russian drones launched towards its territory overnight.
On Ukraine's eastern battlefront, Russia's defence ministry said, Russian forces had captured the village of Oleksandro-Kalynove in the Donetsk region on Saturday.
Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield report.
Russian forces now control almost 20 per cent of Ukraine in its east and south after three-and-a-half years of grinding war.
Saif
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Ukraine bets big on interceptor drones as low-cost air shield
When President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at the end of last month that Ukraine needs $6 billion to fund the production of interceptor drones, setting a target of 1,000 a day, he had his reasons. Having already reshaped the battlefield by doing work once reserved for long-range missiles, field artil
Ukraine bets big on interceptor drones as low-cost air shield
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 04, 2025 22:57
Updated :
Aug 04, 2025 22:57
A view shows an interceptor FPV-drone of the 1129th Bilotserkivskyi Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment during its flight, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine July 8, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
When President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at the end of last month that Ukraine needs $6 billion to fund the production of interceptor drones, setting a target of 1,000 a day, he had his reasons.
Having already reshaped the battlefield by doing work once reserved for long-range missiles, field artillery and human intelligence, drones are now fighting Russian drones - a boon for Ukraine's dwindling stock of air defence missile systems.
In the last two months, just one Ukrainian charity supplying aerial interceptor drones says its devices have downed around 1,500 of the drones that Russia has been sending to reconnoitre the battlefield or to bomb Ukraine's towns and cities.
INTERCEPTORS HELP TO SAVE VALUABLE MISSILE STOCK
Most importantly, such interceptors have the potential to be a cheap, plentiful alternative to using Western or Soviet-made air defence missiles, depleted by allies' inability, or reluctance, to replenish them.
Colonel Serhiy Nonka's 1,129th air defence regiment, which started using them a year ago to ram and blow up enemy drones, estimated that they could down a Russian spotter drone at about a fifth of the cost of doing so with a missile.
As a result, the depth to which these enemy reconnaissance drones can fly behind Ukrainian lines has decreased sharply, Nonka said.
Some estimates put the interceptors' speed at over 300 kph (190 mph), although the precise figures are closely guarded.
Other units are using interceptors to hit the long-range Shahed "kamikaze" drones that Russia launches at Kyiv and other cities, sometimes downing dozens a night, according to Zelenskiy.
In the three and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine at scale, drones have gone from an auxiliary tool to one of the primary means of waging war for both sides.
To chase them down, interceptor drones need to be faster and more powerful than those that have already revolutionised long-range precision strikes and aerial reconnaissance.
INTERCEPTOR DRONES TO BECOME UBIQUITOUS
Like the First-Person View drones that now dominate the battlefield, interceptor drones are flown by a pilot on the ground through the video feed from an onboard camera.
“When we started to work (with these drones), the enemy would fly at 800 or a thousand metres," the officer who spearheaded their adoption by the 1,129th regiment, Oleksiy Barsuk. "Now it's three, four or five thousand – but their (camera) zoom is not infinite.”
Most of the regiment’s interceptor drones are provided by military charities that crowdfund weapons and equipment through donations from civilians.
Taras Tymochko, from the largest of these, Come Back Alive, said it now supplies interceptors to 90 units.
Since the project began a year ago, the organisation says over 3,000 drones have been downed by equipment it provided, nearly half of them in the last two months.
However, such interceptors are still no match for incoming missiles or the fast jet-powered attack drones that Moscow has recently started deploying.
The organisation reports the value of the downed Russian craft at $195 million, over a dozen times the cost of the drones and equipment handed over under the project.
Sam Bendett, adjunct senior fellow at the Centre for a New American Security, said Russian forces were complaining about the effectiveness of large Ukrainian interceptors, but were also developing their own.
“We're starting to see more and more videos of various types of interceptions by both sides ... I think this is going to accelerate and it's going to become more and more ubiquitous in the coming weeks."
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 04, 2025 22:57
Updated :
Aug 04, 2025 22:57
A view shows an interceptor FPV-drone of the 1129th Bilotserkivskyi Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment during its flight, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine July 8, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
When President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at the end of last month that Ukraine needs $6 billion to fund the production of interceptor drones, setting a target of 1,000 a day, he had his reasons.
Having already reshaped the battlefield by doing work once reserved for long-range missiles, field artillery and human intelligence, drones are now fighting Russian drones - a boon for Ukraine's dwindling stock of air defence missile systems.
In the last two months, just one Ukrainian charity supplying aerial interceptor drones says its devices have downed around 1,500 of the drones that Russia has been sending to reconnoitre the battlefield or to bomb Ukraine's towns and cities.
INTERCEPTORS HELP TO SAVE VALUABLE MISSILE STOCK
Most importantly, such interceptors have the potential to be a cheap, plentiful alternative to using Western or Soviet-made air defence missiles, depleted by allies' inability, or reluctance, to replenish them.
Colonel Serhiy Nonka's 1,129th air defence regiment, which started using them a year ago to ram and blow up enemy drones, estimated that they could down a Russian spotter drone at about a fifth of the cost of doing so with a missile.
As a result, the depth to which these enemy reconnaissance drones can fly behind Ukrainian lines has decreased sharply, Nonka said.
Some estimates put the interceptors' speed at over 300 kph (190 mph), although the precise figures are closely guarded.
Other units are using interceptors to hit the long-range Shahed "kamikaze" drones that Russia launches at Kyiv and other cities, sometimes downing dozens a night, according to Zelenskiy.
In the three and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine at scale, drones have gone from an auxiliary tool to one of the primary means of waging war for both sides.
To chase them down, interceptor drones need to be faster and more powerful than those that have already revolutionised long-range precision strikes and aerial reconnaissance.
INTERCEPTOR DRONES TO BECOME UBIQUITOUS
Like the First-Person View drones that now dominate the battlefield, interceptor drones are flown by a pilot on the ground through the video feed from an onboard camera.
“When we started to work (with these drones), the enemy would fly at 800 or a thousand metres," the officer who spearheaded their adoption by the 1,129th regiment, Oleksiy Barsuk. "Now it's three, four or five thousand – but their (camera) zoom is not infinite.”
Most of the regiment’s interceptor drones are provided by military charities that crowdfund weapons and equipment through donations from civilians.
Taras Tymochko, from the largest of these, Come Back Alive, said it now supplies interceptors to 90 units.
Since the project began a year ago, the organisation says over 3,000 drones have been downed by equipment it provided, nearly half of them in the last two months.
However, such interceptors are still no match for incoming missiles or the fast jet-powered attack drones that Moscow has recently started deploying.
The organisation reports the value of the downed Russian craft at $195 million, over a dozen times the cost of the drones and equipment handed over under the project.
Sam Bendett, adjunct senior fellow at the Centre for a New American Security, said Russian forces were complaining about the effectiveness of large Ukrainian interceptors, but were also developing their own.
“We're starting to see more and more videos of various types of interceptions by both sides ... I think this is going to accelerate and it's going to become more and more ubiquitous in the coming weeks."
Saif
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Russia hit key Ukraine gas interconnector to undermine preparation for winter, Kyiv says
Russia has struck a gas pumping station in Ukraine's southern Odesa region used in a scheme to import LNG from the US and Azerbaijan, undermining preparations for winter, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the gas infrastructure had been attacked in the villa
Russia hit key Ukraine gas interconnector to undermine preparation for winter, Kyiv says
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 06, 2025 17:37
Updated :
Aug 06, 2025 17:37
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures during a press conference on the first day of the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference, on plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine, in Rome, Italy, July 10, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane//Files
Russia has struck a gas pumping station in Ukraine's southern Odesa region used in a scheme to import LNG from the US and Azerbaijan, undermining preparations for winter, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the gas infrastructure had been attacked in the village of Novosilske on the border with Romania, where the Orlovka interconnector, through which Ukraine receives gas via the Transbalkan route, is located.
"This was a deliberate blow to our preparations for the heating season, absolutely cynical, like every Russian blow to the energy sector," Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
Reuters could not independently confirm details of the attack.
Russia's TASS news agency quoted the Russian defence ministry as confirming the attack on Ukraine's gas transport system.
Ukraine has faced a serious gas shortage since a series of devastating Russian missile strikes this year, which significantly reduced domestic production.
Ukraine's energy ministry said in a statement that the attacked station was used as part of a route connecting Greek LNG terminals with Ukrainian gas storage facilities via the Transbalkan gas pipeline.
It noted that it had already been used to deliver LNG from the United States and test volumes of Azerbaijani gas.
"This is a Russian strike purely against civilian infrastructure, deliberately targeting the energy sector and, at the same time, relations with Azerbaijan, the United States and partners in Europe, as well as the normal lives of Ukrainians and all Europeans," the ministry said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington this week.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, but says infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort.
Earlier on Wednesday, the governor of the southern Odesa region reported an attack on the main gas pipeline.
Ukrainian energy officials did not say whether gas would continue to be pumped via the interconnector.
Kyiv says 0.4 million cubic metres of gas was scheduled to be pumped through Orlovka on Wednesday.
Last month, Ukraine pumped a small test volume of Azerbaijani gas through the Transbalkan route for the first time and announced plans to significantly increase gas imports from Azerbaijan's SOCAR energy firm.
Kyiv has called the route "extremely important", as it provides access to liquefied gas from Greek and Turkish LNG terminals, Azerbaijani and Romanian pipeline gas and, potentially, to Bulgarian offshore gas.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 06, 2025 17:37
Updated :
Aug 06, 2025 17:37
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy gestures during a press conference on the first day of the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference, on plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine, in Rome, Italy, July 10, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane//Files
Russia has struck a gas pumping station in Ukraine's southern Odesa region used in a scheme to import LNG from the US and Azerbaijan, undermining preparations for winter, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the gas infrastructure had been attacked in the village of Novosilske on the border with Romania, where the Orlovka interconnector, through which Ukraine receives gas via the Transbalkan route, is located.
"This was a deliberate blow to our preparations for the heating season, absolutely cynical, like every Russian blow to the energy sector," Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
Reuters could not independently confirm details of the attack.
Russia's TASS news agency quoted the Russian defence ministry as confirming the attack on Ukraine's gas transport system.
Ukraine has faced a serious gas shortage since a series of devastating Russian missile strikes this year, which significantly reduced domestic production.
Ukraine's energy ministry said in a statement that the attacked station was used as part of a route connecting Greek LNG terminals with Ukrainian gas storage facilities via the Transbalkan gas pipeline.
It noted that it had already been used to deliver LNG from the United States and test volumes of Azerbaijani gas.
"This is a Russian strike purely against civilian infrastructure, deliberately targeting the energy sector and, at the same time, relations with Azerbaijan, the United States and partners in Europe, as well as the normal lives of Ukrainians and all Europeans," the ministry said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington this week.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, but says infrastructure such as energy systems are legitimate targets because they help Ukraine's war effort.
Earlier on Wednesday, the governor of the southern Odesa region reported an attack on the main gas pipeline.
Ukrainian energy officials did not say whether gas would continue to be pumped via the interconnector.
Kyiv says 0.4 million cubic metres of gas was scheduled to be pumped through Orlovka on Wednesday.
Last month, Ukraine pumped a small test volume of Azerbaijani gas through the Transbalkan route for the first time and announced plans to significantly increase gas imports from Azerbaijan's SOCAR energy firm.
Kyiv has called the route "extremely important", as it provides access to liquefied gas from Greek and Turkish LNG terminals, Azerbaijani and Romanian pipeline gas and, potentially, to Bulgarian offshore gas.
Lulldapull
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As per that Kugelman's vid on Trump cozying up to Pakistan, I believe my hunch is that Munira's been told that:
'you will be sending your soldiers into Ukraine as mercenaries, or else'
There is no other use for Pakistan left for the beltway in DC. Anyone can see what's coming soon down the road.
'you will be sending your soldiers into Ukraine as mercenaries, or else'
There is no other use for Pakistan left for the beltway in DC. Anyone can see what's coming soon down the road.
Sharma Ji
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Ukrainian drone are Chinese ones they jerry rigged themselves and converted them for military use or were they an off the shelf purchase ?
Saif
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Ukraine's Zelenskiy rejects land concessions ahead of Trump-Putin talks
Ukraine will not cede its land, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, rejecting US suggestions that a deal with Russia could involve swapping territories as Washington and Moscow prepared for talks between their leaders on ending the war. US President Donald Trump announced on Friday tha
Ukraine's Zelenskiy rejects land concessions ahead of Trump-Putin talks
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 09, 2025 22:24
Updated :
Aug 09, 2025 22:24
Servicemen of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launch system towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 8, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov
Ukraine will not cede its land, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, rejecting US suggestions that a deal with Russia could involve swapping territories as Washington and Moscow prepared for talks between their leaders on ending the war.
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, saying the parties, including Zelenskiy, were close to a deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict.
Details of the potential deal have yet to be announced, but Trump said it would involve "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both". It could require Ukraine to surrender significant parts of its territory - an outcome Kyiv and its European allies say would only encourage Russian aggression.
"Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Zelenskiy said in a video address, adding that Ukraine's borders were fixed in the country's constitution.
"No one will deviate from this – and no one will be able to," he said.
US Vice President JD Vance will meet Ukrainian and European allies in Britain on Saturday to discuss Trump's push for peace, Downing Street said, adding that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had spoken about it with Zelenskiy.
"They agreed this would be a vital forum to discuss progress towards securing a just and lasting peace," the Downing Street spokesperson added.
'CLEAR STEPS NEEDED'
Zelenskiy has made a flurry of calls with Ukraine's allies since Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow on Wednesday which Trump described as having achieved "great progress".
"Clear steps are needed, as well as maximum coordination between us and our partners," Zelenskiy said in a post on X after his call with Starmer.
"We value the determination of the United Kingdom, the United States, and all our partners to end the war."
Ukraine and the European Union have pushed back on proposals that they view as ceding too much to Putin, whose troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, citing what Moscow called threats to Russia's security from a Ukrainian pivot towards the West.
Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion is an imperial-style land grab.
Moscow has previously claimed four Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – as well as the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
Russian forces do not fully control all the territory in the four regions and Russia is demanding that Ukraine pull out its troops from the parts of all four of them that they still control.
Ukraine says its troops still have a small foothold in Russia's Kursk region a year after its troops crossed the border to try to gain leverage in any negotiations. Russia said it had expelled Ukraininan troops from Kursk in April.
Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, described the current peace push as "the first more or less realistic attempt to stop the war".
"At the same time, I remain extremely sceptical about the implementation of the agreements, even if a truce is reached for a while. And there is virtually no doubt that the new commitments could be devastating for Ukraine," she said.
Fierce fighting is raging along the more than 1,000-km (620-mile) front line along eastern and southern Ukraine, where Russian forces hold around a fifth of the country's territory.
Russian troops are slowly advancing in Ukraine's east, but their summer offensive has so far failed to achieve a major breakthrough, Ukrainian military analysts say.
Ukrainians remain defiant.
"Not a single serviceman will agree to cede territory, to pull out troops from Ukrainian territories," Olesia Petritska, 51, told Reuters as she gestured to hundreds of small Ukrainian flags in the Kyiv central square commemorating fallen soldiers.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 09, 2025 22:24
Updated :
Aug 09, 2025 22:24
Servicemen of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launch system towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 8, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov
Ukraine will not cede its land, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, rejecting US suggestions that a deal with Russia could involve swapping territories as Washington and Moscow prepared for talks between their leaders on ending the war.
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, saying the parties, including Zelenskiy, were close to a deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict.
Details of the potential deal have yet to be announced, but Trump said it would involve "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both". It could require Ukraine to surrender significant parts of its territory - an outcome Kyiv and its European allies say would only encourage Russian aggression.
"Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Zelenskiy said in a video address, adding that Ukraine's borders were fixed in the country's constitution.
"No one will deviate from this – and no one will be able to," he said.
US Vice President JD Vance will meet Ukrainian and European allies in Britain on Saturday to discuss Trump's push for peace, Downing Street said, adding that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had spoken about it with Zelenskiy.
"They agreed this would be a vital forum to discuss progress towards securing a just and lasting peace," the Downing Street spokesperson added.
'CLEAR STEPS NEEDED'
Zelenskiy has made a flurry of calls with Ukraine's allies since Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow on Wednesday which Trump described as having achieved "great progress".
"Clear steps are needed, as well as maximum coordination between us and our partners," Zelenskiy said in a post on X after his call with Starmer.
"We value the determination of the United Kingdom, the United States, and all our partners to end the war."
Ukraine and the European Union have pushed back on proposals that they view as ceding too much to Putin, whose troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, citing what Moscow called threats to Russia's security from a Ukrainian pivot towards the West.
Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion is an imperial-style land grab.
Moscow has previously claimed four Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – as well as the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
Russian forces do not fully control all the territory in the four regions and Russia is demanding that Ukraine pull out its troops from the parts of all four of them that they still control.
Ukraine says its troops still have a small foothold in Russia's Kursk region a year after its troops crossed the border to try to gain leverage in any negotiations. Russia said it had expelled Ukraininan troops from Kursk in April.
Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, described the current peace push as "the first more or less realistic attempt to stop the war".
"At the same time, I remain extremely sceptical about the implementation of the agreements, even if a truce is reached for a while. And there is virtually no doubt that the new commitments could be devastating for Ukraine," she said.
Fierce fighting is raging along the more than 1,000-km (620-mile) front line along eastern and southern Ukraine, where Russian forces hold around a fifth of the country's territory.
Russian troops are slowly advancing in Ukraine's east, but their summer offensive has so far failed to achieve a major breakthrough, Ukrainian military analysts say.
Ukrainians remain defiant.
"Not a single serviceman will agree to cede territory, to pull out troops from Ukrainian territories," Olesia Petritska, 51, told Reuters as she gestured to hundreds of small Ukrainian flags in the Kyiv central square commemorating fallen soldiers.
Saif
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Ukraine's future cannot be decided without Ukrainians, France's Macron says
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a social media post on X that the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians. US President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, Trump said on Friday. The d
Ukraine's future cannot be decided without Ukrainians, France's Macron says
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 09, 2025 22:14
Updated :
Aug 09, 2025 22:14
France's President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands, as they meet on the sidelines of the two-day NATO's Heads of State and Government summit, in The Hague, Netherlands June 24, 2025. Photo : Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/Files
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a social media post on X that the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians.
US President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, Trump said on Friday.
The deal is expected to involve land concessions, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected earlier Saturday.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 09, 2025 22:14
Updated :
Aug 09, 2025 22:14
France's President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands, as they meet on the sidelines of the two-day NATO's Heads of State and Government summit, in The Hague, Netherlands June 24, 2025. Photo : Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/Files
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a social media post on X that the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians.
US President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, Trump said on Friday.
The deal is expected to involve land concessions, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected earlier Saturday.
Saif
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Trump says would meet Putin without Zelensky sit-down
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin for upcoming talks on the Ukraine war
en.prothomalo.com
Trump says would meet Putin without Zelensky sit-down
AFP Washington
Published: 08 Aug 2025, 20: 21
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump File Photo
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would meet with Vladimir Putin for upcoming talks on the Ukraine war even if the Russian leader had not sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The statement, which contradicted earlier reports that a Putin-Zelensky meeting was a prerequisite for the summit, came after Trump gave Moscow until Friday to reach a ceasefire or face fresh sanctions.
But asked by reporters in the Oval Office if that deadline still held, Trump did not answer clearly.
"It's going to be up to (Putin)," Trump said. "We're going to see what he has to say."
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has been pressuring Moscow to end Russia's military assault on Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Thursday that Putin was set to attend a summit with Trump in the "coming days," but the Russian leader essentially ruled out including Zelensky.
Zelensky meanwhile insisted that he had to be involved in any talks.
When Trump was asked if Putin was required to meet Zelensky before a summit, the US president said simply: "No, he doesn't."
Putin has named the United Arab Emirates as a potential location for the summit, but this was not confirmed by Washington.
Next week?
The summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021.
Three rounds of direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to yield any progress towards a ceasefire. The two sides remain far apart on the conditions they have set to end the more than three-year-long conflict.
Trump and Putin last sat together in 2019 at a G20 summit meeting in Japan during Trump's first term. They have spoken by telephone several times since January.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that "next week has been set as a target date," adding that both sides have agreed the venue "in principle," without naming it.
However, Washington later denied that a venue or date had been set.
"No location has been determined," a White House official said, while agreeing that the meeting "could occur as early as next week."
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian bombardments have forced millions of people to flee their homes and have destroyed swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire.
At talks in Istanbul, Russian negotiators outlined hardline territorial demands for halting its advance -- calling for Kyiv to withdraw from some territory it still controls and to renounce Western military support.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged Trump to "finally get tough on the Kremlin" and use his leverage to end the war.
"Face-to-face dialogue is important, but Putin cannot be allowed yet another opportunity to delay or water down President Trump's promise of harsh sanctions taking effect tomorrow," she said in a statement late Thursday.
'Only fair' Ukraine involved
Reports of the possible summit came after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.
Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Zelensky, but Putin appeared to rule out direct talks with the Ukrainian leader.
"Certain conditions must be created for this," Putin told reporters. "Unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions."
The former KGB agent, who has ruled Russia for over 25 years, said in June that he was ready to meet Zelensky, but only during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the conflict.
In his regular evening address on Thursday, Zelensky said "it is only fair that Ukraine should be a participant in the negotiations."
The Ukrainian leader spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as he called for the continent to be included in any potential peace talks.
"Ukraine is an integral part of Europe -- we are already in negotiations on EU accession. Therefore, Europe must be a participant in the relevant processes," Zelensky said on social media.
AFP Washington
Published: 08 Aug 2025, 20: 21
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump File Photo
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would meet with Vladimir Putin for upcoming talks on the Ukraine war even if the Russian leader had not sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The statement, which contradicted earlier reports that a Putin-Zelensky meeting was a prerequisite for the summit, came after Trump gave Moscow until Friday to reach a ceasefire or face fresh sanctions.
But asked by reporters in the Oval Office if that deadline still held, Trump did not answer clearly.
"It's going to be up to (Putin)," Trump said. "We're going to see what he has to say."
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has been pressuring Moscow to end Russia's military assault on Ukraine.
The Kremlin said Thursday that Putin was set to attend a summit with Trump in the "coming days," but the Russian leader essentially ruled out including Zelensky.
Zelensky meanwhile insisted that he had to be involved in any talks.
When Trump was asked if Putin was required to meet Zelensky before a summit, the US president said simply: "No, he doesn't."
Putin has named the United Arab Emirates as a potential location for the summit, but this was not confirmed by Washington.
Next week?
The summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021.
Three rounds of direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to yield any progress towards a ceasefire. The two sides remain far apart on the conditions they have set to end the more than three-year-long conflict.
Trump and Putin last sat together in 2019 at a G20 summit meeting in Japan during Trump's first term. They have spoken by telephone several times since January.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that "next week has been set as a target date," adding that both sides have agreed the venue "in principle," without naming it.
However, Washington later denied that a venue or date had been set.
"No location has been determined," a White House official said, while agreeing that the meeting "could occur as early as next week."
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian bombardments have forced millions of people to flee their homes and have destroyed swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire.
At talks in Istanbul, Russian negotiators outlined hardline territorial demands for halting its advance -- calling for Kyiv to withdraw from some territory it still controls and to renounce Western military support.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged Trump to "finally get tough on the Kremlin" and use his leverage to end the war.
"Face-to-face dialogue is important, but Putin cannot be allowed yet another opportunity to delay or water down President Trump's promise of harsh sanctions taking effect tomorrow," she said in a statement late Thursday.
'Only fair' Ukraine involved
Reports of the possible summit came after US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.
Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Zelensky, but Putin appeared to rule out direct talks with the Ukrainian leader.
"Certain conditions must be created for this," Putin told reporters. "Unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions."
The former KGB agent, who has ruled Russia for over 25 years, said in June that he was ready to meet Zelensky, but only during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the conflict.
In his regular evening address on Thursday, Zelensky said "it is only fair that Ukraine should be a participant in the negotiations."
The Ukrainian leader spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as he called for the continent to be included in any potential peace talks.
"Ukraine is an integral part of Europe -- we are already in negotiations on EU accession. Therefore, Europe must be a participant in the relevant processes," Zelensky said on social media.
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Trump, Putin to meet in Alaska next Friday
Thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes.
en.prothomalo.com
Trump, Putin to meet in Alaska next Friday
AFP Washington
Published: 09 Aug 2025, 08: 47
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and US President Donald Trump shake hands before a meeting in Helsinki on 16 July 2018. AFP
US President Donald Trump said Friday he would meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in one week in Alaska, and suggested that an eventual deal between Moscow and Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine could involve swapping territory.
The Kremlin later confirmed the summit, calling the location "quite logical."
"The presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes.
Putin held consultations Friday with the leaders of China and India ahead of the summit with Trump, who has spent his first months in office trying to broker peace in Ukraine without making a breakthrough.
"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska," Trump said on his Truth Social site.
He said earlier at the White House that "there'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" Ukraine and Russia, without providing further details.
Trump invited to Russia
Three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have failed to bear fruit, and it remains unclear whether a summit would bring peace any closer.
Russian bombardments have forced millions of people to flee their homes and have destroyed swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire.
He has also ruled out holding talks with Volodymyr Zelensky at this stage, a meeting the Ukrainian president says is necessary to make headway on a deal.
At talks in Istanbul last month, Russian negotiators outlined hardline territorial demands for halting its advance -- calling for Kyiv to withdraw from some territory it controls and to renounce Western military support.
The Alaska summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021.
Trump and Putin last sat together in 2019 at a G20 summit meeting in Japan during Trump's first term. They have spoken by telephone several times since January.
The Kremlin's Ushakov said that Trump had been invited to visit Russia.
"Looking ahead, it is natural to hope that the next meeting between the presidents will be held on Russian territory. A corresponding invitation has already been sent to the US president," Ushakov said.
Witkoff visit
The Kremlin said Friday that Putin had updated Chinese President Xi Jinping on "the main results of his conversation" with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who visited Moscow earlier this week.
Xi expressed support for a "long-term" solution to the conflict, the Kremlin said.
China's Xinhua state news agency quoted Xi as having told Putin: "China is glad to see Russia and the United States maintain contact, improve their relations, and promote a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis."
Moscow and Beijing have deepened political, economic and military ties since the start of Russia's offensive in Ukraine.
Putin also spoke by phone to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after both countries condemned new US tariffs over New Delhi's oil purchases from Russia.
Xi and Modi have both tried to tout their own peace initiatives for Ukraine, though they have gained little traction.
Putin, a former KGB agent who has ruled Russia for more than 25 years, said in June that he was ready to meet Zelensky, but only during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the conflict.
In his regular evening address on Thursday, Zelensky said "it is only fair that Ukraine should be a participant in the negotiations."
Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said Friday that families with children would be evacuated from 19 more villages in the region's east, where Russian forces have been advancing.
The villages, home to hundreds of people, are all within about 20 miles (30 kilometers) of the front line.
AFP Washington
Published: 09 Aug 2025, 08: 47
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and US President Donald Trump shake hands before a meeting in Helsinki on 16 July 2018. AFP
US President Donald Trump said Friday he would meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in one week in Alaska, and suggested that an eventual deal between Moscow and Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine could involve swapping territory.
The Kremlin later confirmed the summit, calling the location "quite logical."
"The presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes.
Putin held consultations Friday with the leaders of China and India ahead of the summit with Trump, who has spent his first months in office trying to broker peace in Ukraine without making a breakthrough.
"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska," Trump said on his Truth Social site.
He said earlier at the White House that "there'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" Ukraine and Russia, without providing further details.
Trump invited to Russia
Three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have failed to bear fruit, and it remains unclear whether a summit would bring peace any closer.
Russian bombardments have forced millions of people to flee their homes and have destroyed swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire.
He has also ruled out holding talks with Volodymyr Zelensky at this stage, a meeting the Ukrainian president says is necessary to make headway on a deal.
At talks in Istanbul last month, Russian negotiators outlined hardline territorial demands for halting its advance -- calling for Kyiv to withdraw from some territory it controls and to renounce Western military support.
The Alaska summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021.
Trump and Putin last sat together in 2019 at a G20 summit meeting in Japan during Trump's first term. They have spoken by telephone several times since January.
The Kremlin's Ushakov said that Trump had been invited to visit Russia.
"Looking ahead, it is natural to hope that the next meeting between the presidents will be held on Russian territory. A corresponding invitation has already been sent to the US president," Ushakov said.
Witkoff visit
The Kremlin said Friday that Putin had updated Chinese President Xi Jinping on "the main results of his conversation" with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who visited Moscow earlier this week.
Xi expressed support for a "long-term" solution to the conflict, the Kremlin said.
China's Xinhua state news agency quoted Xi as having told Putin: "China is glad to see Russia and the United States maintain contact, improve their relations, and promote a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis."
Moscow and Beijing have deepened political, economic and military ties since the start of Russia's offensive in Ukraine.
Putin also spoke by phone to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after both countries condemned new US tariffs over New Delhi's oil purchases from Russia.
Xi and Modi have both tried to tout their own peace initiatives for Ukraine, though they have gained little traction.
Putin, a former KGB agent who has ruled Russia for more than 25 years, said in June that he was ready to meet Zelensky, but only during a "final phase" of negotiations on ending the conflict.
In his regular evening address on Thursday, Zelensky said "it is only fair that Ukraine should be a participant in the negotiations."
Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said Friday that families with children would be evacuated from 19 more villages in the region's east, where Russian forces have been advancing.
The villages, home to hundreds of people, are all within about 20 miles (30 kilometers) of the front line.
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Vance says Ukraine peace deal unlikely to satisfy either side
US Vice President JD Vance said a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine is unlikely to satisfy either side, and any peace deal will likely leave both Moscow and Kyiv "unhappy." He said the US is aiming for a settlement both countries can accept. "It's not going to make anybody super ha
Vance says Ukraine peace deal unlikely to satisfy either side
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 10, 2025 23:09
Updated :
Aug 10, 2025 23:09
US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent, Britain Aug 8, 2025. Photo : Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
US Vice President JD Vance said a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine is unlikely to satisfy either side, and any peace deal will likely leave both Moscow and Kyiv "unhappy."
He said the US is aiming for a settlement both countries can accept.
"It's not going to make anybody super happy. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it," he said in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Trump said Russia and Ukraine were close to a ceasefire deal that could end the three-and-a-half-year conflict, possibly requiring Ukraine to surrender significant territory.
Zelensky, however, said Saturday that Ukraine cannot violate its constitution on territorial issues, adding, "Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupiers."
In the Fox News interview recorded on Friday, Vance said the United States was working to schedule talks between Putin, Zelensky, and Trump, but he did not think it would be productive for Putin to meet with Zelensky before speaking with Trump.
"We're at a point now where we're trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that, around when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict," he said.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 10, 2025 23:09
Updated :
Aug 10, 2025 23:09
US Vice President JD Vance speaks during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent, Britain Aug 8, 2025. Photo : Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
US Vice President JD Vance said a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine is unlikely to satisfy either side, and any peace deal will likely leave both Moscow and Kyiv "unhappy."
He said the US is aiming for a settlement both countries can accept.
"It's not going to make anybody super happy. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it," he said in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug 15 in Alaska to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Trump said Russia and Ukraine were close to a ceasefire deal that could end the three-and-a-half-year conflict, possibly requiring Ukraine to surrender significant territory.
Zelensky, however, said Saturday that Ukraine cannot violate its constitution on territorial issues, adding, "Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupiers."
In the Fox News interview recorded on Friday, Vance said the United States was working to schedule talks between Putin, Zelensky, and Trump, but he did not think it would be productive for Putin to meet with Zelensky before speaking with Trump.
"We're at a point now where we're trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that, around when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict," he said.
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Kallas says any deal between US and Russia must include Ukraine and EU
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 10, 2025 19:17
Updated :
Aug 10, 2025 19:17
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas appear at a joint meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 1, 2024. Photo : Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday that any deal between Washington and Moscow to end the war in Ukraine must include Ukraine and the EU, adding that she will convene a meeting of European foreign ministers on Monday to discuss next steps.
“The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine’s and the whole of Europe’s security,” Kallas said in emailed comments.
US President Donald Trump plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Kallas said that “as we work towards a sustainable and just peace, international law is clear: all temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine”.
“A deal must not provide a springboard for further Russian aggression against Ukraine, the transatlantic alliance and Europe,” she added.
Kallas also said that ministers will discuss the situation in Gaza.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 10, 2025 19:17
Updated :
Aug 10, 2025 19:17
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas appear at a joint meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, December 1, 2024. Photo : Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday that any deal between Washington and Moscow to end the war in Ukraine must include Ukraine and the EU, adding that she will convene a meeting of European foreign ministers on Monday to discuss next steps.
“The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine’s and the whole of Europe’s security,” Kallas said in emailed comments.
US President Donald Trump plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Kallas said that “as we work towards a sustainable and just peace, international law is clear: all temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine”.
“A deal must not provide a springboard for further Russian aggression against Ukraine, the transatlantic alliance and Europe,” she added.
Kallas also said that ministers will discuss the situation in Gaza.
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Ukraine says it struck oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 10, 2025 18:46
Updated :
Aug 10, 2025 18:46
Smoke and fire rise from an industrial facility, which, according to the governor of the southern Russian region, was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, in Saratov, Russia, in this sreengrab obtained from social media video released on August 10, 2025. Social Media via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. VERIFICATION - Reuters was able to independently verify the location with the buildings, road layout, streetlights, and towers seen in the video that matched the file and satellite imagery of the area. - Reuters was not able to independently verify the date when the video was filmed. However, Governor of Saratov Region Roman Busargin confirmed the attack on region in a Telegram post. A large heat signature was also registered by NASA FIRMS (Fire Information Resource Managment system) today (August 10) in the area.
Ukraine's military said on Sunday that it had struck an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region in an overnight drone attack.
In a statement, the General Staff said the strike on the Saratov oil refinery had caused explosions and a fire.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 10, 2025 18:46
Updated :
Aug 10, 2025 18:46
Smoke and fire rise from an industrial facility, which, according to the governor of the southern Russian region, was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, in Saratov, Russia, in this sreengrab obtained from social media video released on August 10, 2025. Social Media via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. VERIFICATION - Reuters was able to independently verify the location with the buildings, road layout, streetlights, and towers seen in the video that matched the file and satellite imagery of the area. - Reuters was not able to independently verify the date when the video was filmed. However, Governor of Saratov Region Roman Busargin confirmed the attack on region in a Telegram post. A large heat signature was also registered by NASA FIRMS (Fire Information Resource Managment system) today (August 10) in the area.
Ukraine's military said on Sunday that it had struck an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region in an overnight drone attack.
In a statement, the General Staff said the strike on the Saratov oil refinery had caused explosions and a fire.
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Says Zelensky; Ukrainian drones hit Russian missile component plant
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday warned against capitulating to the demands of Vladimir Putin ahead of talks this week between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump.
‘Concessions’ won’t make Russia end war
Says Zelensky; Ukrainian drones hit Russian missile component plant
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday warned against capitulating to the demands of Vladimir Putin ahead of talks this week between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump.
"Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits. And this is not just a moral position -- it is a rational one. Concessions do not persuade a killer," he said in a statement published on social media.
Meanwhile, Ukraine struck a Russian plant producing missile components in Nizhny Novgorod region in a drone attack overnight, an official in Ukraine's domestic security service said yesterday.
At least four drones hit the Arzamas manufacturing plant, the official told Reuters. The plant, it added, is producing control systems and other components for Russian X-32 and X-101 missiles.
EU foreign ministers were due to hold emergency talks yesterday to discuss their next steps before talks between presidents Putin and Trump, as Europe fears any deal made without Ukraine could force unacceptable compromises.
The two leaders will meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday to try to resolve the three-year war but the European Union has insisted that Kyiv and European powers should be part of any deal to end the conflict.
The idea of a US-Russia meeting without Zelensky has raised concerns that a deal would require Kyiv to cede swathes of territory, which the EU has rejected.
The US is working to "schedule" a meeting between Trump and his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Vice President JD Vance said Sunday. "We're at a point now where we're trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that around when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict," Vance said.
Says Zelensky; Ukrainian drones hit Russian missile component plant
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday warned against capitulating to the demands of Vladimir Putin ahead of talks this week between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump.
"Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits. And this is not just a moral position -- it is a rational one. Concessions do not persuade a killer," he said in a statement published on social media.
Meanwhile, Ukraine struck a Russian plant producing missile components in Nizhny Novgorod region in a drone attack overnight, an official in Ukraine's domestic security service said yesterday.
At least four drones hit the Arzamas manufacturing plant, the official told Reuters. The plant, it added, is producing control systems and other components for Russian X-32 and X-101 missiles.
EU foreign ministers were due to hold emergency talks yesterday to discuss their next steps before talks between presidents Putin and Trump, as Europe fears any deal made without Ukraine could force unacceptable compromises.
The two leaders will meet in the US state of Alaska on Friday to try to resolve the three-year war but the European Union has insisted that Kyiv and European powers should be part of any deal to end the conflict.
The idea of a US-Russia meeting without Zelensky has raised concerns that a deal would require Kyiv to cede swathes of territory, which the EU has rejected.
The US is working to "schedule" a meeting between Trump and his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Vice President JD Vance said Sunday. "We're at a point now where we're trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that around when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict," Vance said.
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UK PM Starmer says coalition of the willing ready to implement Ukraine plans if ceasefire reached
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that the "coalition of the willing" group of countries was ready to implement the military plans it has been working on to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in its war with Russia. In a call with the coalition, Ukrainian President Vol
UK PM Starmer says coalition of the willing ready to implement Ukraine plans if ceasefire reached
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 13, 2025 23:37
Updated :
Aug 14, 2025 00:35
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that the "coalition of the willing" group of countries was ready to implement the military plans it has been working on to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in its war with Russia.
In a call with the coalition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and US Vice President JD Vance, Starmer said that the military plans "are now ready, in a form that can be used if we get to that ceasefire," ahead of talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Starmer said that, in an earlier call with Trump, they had made "real progress" on security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure any peace would be lasting.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 13, 2025 23:37
Updated :
Aug 14, 2025 00:35
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that the "coalition of the willing" group of countries was ready to implement the military plans it has been working on to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in its war with Russia.
In a call with the coalition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and US Vice President JD Vance, Starmer said that the military plans "are now ready, in a form that can be used if we get to that ceasefire," ahead of talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Starmer said that, in an earlier call with Trump, they had made "real progress" on security guarantees for Ukraine to ensure any peace would be lasting.
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Europe, Kyiv lay out Ukraine ceasefire terms to Trump on call
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European leaders had laid out terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would protect their security interests in a call on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump. European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held the call with Trump in a bi
Europe, Kyiv lay out Ukraine ceasefire terms to Trump on call
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 13, 2025 23:34
Updated :
Aug 13, 2025 23:34
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (back L) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (back R) attend a video conference of European and world leaders on the Ukraine war, ahead of the summit between US President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Berlin, Germany, Aug 13, 2025. Photo : JOHN MACDOUGALL/Pool via REUTERS
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European leaders had laid out terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would protect their security interests in a call on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump.
European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held the call with Trump in a bid to influence his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the first US-Russia summit since 2021.
"We have made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place," Merz said in at the joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We want negotiations to proceed in the right order, with a ceasefire at the outset."
Merz, who initiated the meeting with Trump, said that Ukraine was prepared to negotiate on territorial issues, but "legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate".
The country would need "robust security guarantees", he said, although he did not detail what kind.
If there was no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, however, "then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure".
"President Trump is aware of this position and largely shares it," Merz said.
The chancellor noted that all conversations held with Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three and a half years ago had each time been accompanied by an even Russian harsher military response.
If the same occurred this time, it would show conversations with Putin were neither credible nor successful.
"If the United States of America now work towards peace in Ukraine that safeguards European and Ukrainian interests, he can count on our full support in this endeavour," said Merz.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 13, 2025 23:34
Updated :
Aug 13, 2025 23:34
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (back L) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (back R) attend a video conference of European and world leaders on the Ukraine war, ahead of the summit between US President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Berlin, Germany, Aug 13, 2025. Photo : JOHN MACDOUGALL/Pool via REUTERS
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European leaders had laid out terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would protect their security interests in a call on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump.
European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held the call with Trump in a bid to influence his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the first US-Russia summit since 2021.
"We have made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place," Merz said in at the joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We want negotiations to proceed in the right order, with a ceasefire at the outset."
Merz, who initiated the meeting with Trump, said that Ukraine was prepared to negotiate on territorial issues, but "legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate".
The country would need "robust security guarantees", he said, although he did not detail what kind.
If there was no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, however, "then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure".
"President Trump is aware of this position and largely shares it," Merz said.
The chancellor noted that all conversations held with Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three and a half years ago had each time been accompanied by an even Russian harsher military response.
If the same occurred this time, it would show conversations with Putin were neither credible nor successful.
"If the United States of America now work towards peace in Ukraine that safeguards European and Ukrainian interests, he can count on our full support in this endeavour," said Merz.
Saif
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A brief history of summits in our time
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be meeting in Alaska on Friday in what has been billed as a summit. And the summit will focus on the war between Ukraine and Russia that has been raging for more than three years. That is when a question comes up: Why has Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky not been in
A brief history of summits in our time
Syed Badrul Ahsan
Published :
Aug 13, 2025 22:30
Updated :
Aug 14, 2025 00:36
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be meeting in Alaska on Friday in what has been billed as a summit. And the summit will focus on the war between Ukraine and Russia that has been raging for more than three years. That is when a question comes up: Why has Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky not been invited to Alaska? If Trump's role is to act as a broker between Moscow and Kyiv, he could have done the diplomatic thing of bringing Putin and Zelensky together, in his presence.
But Trump has not done that, in the expectation that he can have the door opened to a bilateral meeting in the near future between the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine. That again raises the question of whether, given the bellicosity Putin and Zelensky have been demonstrating toward each other, a Moscow-Kyiv summit will at all take place without Washington being present on the scene.
In the not so distant past, American administrations carefully assisted parties in conflict to come together in a search for peace in such global regions as the Middle East. President Jimmy Carter brought Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin together in the 1970s. In the 1990s, it fell to President Bill Clinton to have Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres work out the details of a peace deal for their region.
Summits are serious affairs, different from official or state visits by heads of state or government. They involve either the leaders of two states tied to seemingly intractable conflicts or are moves by statesmen attempting to have leaders of nations engaged in conflict with one another, in that military sense of the meaning, speak to each other in the presence of their hosts.
But with Donald Trump, summitry has not quite been a serious affair. One need only go back to his much touted meetings with North Korea's Kim Jong-Un, summits which yielded little in terms of substance. Which raises the apprehension that the Alaska summit may not have much on offer. Much hype will be there, of course. But hype has never made a success of diplomacy.
When leaders of nations wary of each other meet, they do so with full preparation for the points they mean to articulate during their summit. The summit between President Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong/Zhou En-lai in February 1972 was a carefully organised coming together of leaders intellectually and diplomatically prepared to present their ideas before each other.
In similar fashion, the summits between Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, beginning in 1972, were focused affairs, the agenda being the issue of a promotion of détente even as both Moscow and Washington were fully aware of the need to maintain their positions at the talks without jeopardising their national interests.
Summits are also occasions when leaders test each other, often to the point of trying to gauge one another's resilience in the face of hard negotiations. The experienced Nikita Khrushchev was clearly determined to subject the new US President John Kennedy to nervousness at their summit in Vienna in 1961. It was a meeting which had Kennedy rattled and the Soviet leader feeling rather triumphant in the feeling that he had bested the American leader. The summit achieved nothing, unless of course a deepening of the Cold War could be measured in terms of achievement.
Summitry by mediation, which ought to have been a thought with the Trump administration, was diplomacy the Soviet Union deployed in bringing the leaders of India and Pakistan to Tashkent for peace talks in the aftermath of the September 1965 war between their two countries. Alexei Kosygin carefully orchestrated the occasion, to the point of ensuring that President Ayub Khan and Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri made their entry to the summit hall through different doors but at the same time. Premier Kosygin and Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko were rewarded for their diligence when Ayub and Shastri initialled the Tashkent Declaration in January 1966.
But third party mediation was not required the next time India and Pakistan went to war, this time over Bangladesh, in December 1971. The summit in Simla in July 1972 was a bilateral arrangement arrived at by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It resulted in the Simla Agreement, which was purely a statement defining the future course of ties between the two countries. Given that Pakistan's eastern wing had seven months earlier broken away to become the independent nation of Bangladesh, the Simla Agreement stayed clear of any statement on it.
Not until June 1974 did Bangladesh and Pakistan engage in summitry when Bhutto visited Dhaka at the head of an 80-member delegation. The negotiations, with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman leading the Bangladesh delegation, produced no result. No agreement was reached on a sharing of the assets and liabilities of pre-1971 Pakistan as well as the repatriation to Pakistan of Biharis stranded in Bangladesh. No joint statement or joint communique was issued at the end of the summit. It was a pointer to the long road the two countries would need to travel before the bitterness engendered between them in 1971 could be replaced by normal ties.
There are moments when summits, before they actually take place, project all the signs of drama. In the weeks before new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan met in Geneva in late 1985, the media in the West busied themselves in predictions of how Reagan would deal with a relatively young and agile Gorbachev. In the end, the summit went off well and in subsequent years the two leaders got along very well with each other. Both Gorbachev and Reagan needed to deal with knotty issues of the Cold War. They did the job with noticeable finesse.
Some summits leave a lasting impact on succeeding generations. During the Second World War, the summits attended by Franklin Roosevelt, Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill in Tehran and Yalta, followed by the summit in Potsdam which Roosevelt's successor Harry Truman attended were to prove instrumental in a reshaping of the world following the collapse of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.
Summits abjure theatrics. They are not for leaders unprepared on issues which need thrashing out at the table. They are not about Presidents and Prime Ministers driven by a desire to play to the gallery or impress the public. All of this leaves one wondering about the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, about its results or, in a worst case scenario, about its being a sad waste of time.
Putin knows what he wants. History informs us that Trump is not in the league of Kennedy or Nixon or Carter or Clinton, for diplomacy is an area he has not mastered.
Syed Badrul Ahsan
Published :
Aug 13, 2025 22:30
Updated :
Aug 14, 2025 00:36
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be meeting in Alaska on Friday in what has been billed as a summit. And the summit will focus on the war between Ukraine and Russia that has been raging for more than three years. That is when a question comes up: Why has Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky not been invited to Alaska? If Trump's role is to act as a broker between Moscow and Kyiv, he could have done the diplomatic thing of bringing Putin and Zelensky together, in his presence.
But Trump has not done that, in the expectation that he can have the door opened to a bilateral meeting in the near future between the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine. That again raises the question of whether, given the bellicosity Putin and Zelensky have been demonstrating toward each other, a Moscow-Kyiv summit will at all take place without Washington being present on the scene.
In the not so distant past, American administrations carefully assisted parties in conflict to come together in a search for peace in such global regions as the Middle East. President Jimmy Carter brought Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin together in the 1970s. In the 1990s, it fell to President Bill Clinton to have Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres work out the details of a peace deal for their region.
Summits are serious affairs, different from official or state visits by heads of state or government. They involve either the leaders of two states tied to seemingly intractable conflicts or are moves by statesmen attempting to have leaders of nations engaged in conflict with one another, in that military sense of the meaning, speak to each other in the presence of their hosts.
But with Donald Trump, summitry has not quite been a serious affair. One need only go back to his much touted meetings with North Korea's Kim Jong-Un, summits which yielded little in terms of substance. Which raises the apprehension that the Alaska summit may not have much on offer. Much hype will be there, of course. But hype has never made a success of diplomacy.
When leaders of nations wary of each other meet, they do so with full preparation for the points they mean to articulate during their summit. The summit between President Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong/Zhou En-lai in February 1972 was a carefully organised coming together of leaders intellectually and diplomatically prepared to present their ideas before each other.
In similar fashion, the summits between Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, beginning in 1972, were focused affairs, the agenda being the issue of a promotion of détente even as both Moscow and Washington were fully aware of the need to maintain their positions at the talks without jeopardising their national interests.
Summits are also occasions when leaders test each other, often to the point of trying to gauge one another's resilience in the face of hard negotiations. The experienced Nikita Khrushchev was clearly determined to subject the new US President John Kennedy to nervousness at their summit in Vienna in 1961. It was a meeting which had Kennedy rattled and the Soviet leader feeling rather triumphant in the feeling that he had bested the American leader. The summit achieved nothing, unless of course a deepening of the Cold War could be measured in terms of achievement.
Summitry by mediation, which ought to have been a thought with the Trump administration, was diplomacy the Soviet Union deployed in bringing the leaders of India and Pakistan to Tashkent for peace talks in the aftermath of the September 1965 war between their two countries. Alexei Kosygin carefully orchestrated the occasion, to the point of ensuring that President Ayub Khan and Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri made their entry to the summit hall through different doors but at the same time. Premier Kosygin and Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko were rewarded for their diligence when Ayub and Shastri initialled the Tashkent Declaration in January 1966.
But third party mediation was not required the next time India and Pakistan went to war, this time over Bangladesh, in December 1971. The summit in Simla in July 1972 was a bilateral arrangement arrived at by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It resulted in the Simla Agreement, which was purely a statement defining the future course of ties between the two countries. Given that Pakistan's eastern wing had seven months earlier broken away to become the independent nation of Bangladesh, the Simla Agreement stayed clear of any statement on it.
Not until June 1974 did Bangladesh and Pakistan engage in summitry when Bhutto visited Dhaka at the head of an 80-member delegation. The negotiations, with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman leading the Bangladesh delegation, produced no result. No agreement was reached on a sharing of the assets and liabilities of pre-1971 Pakistan as well as the repatriation to Pakistan of Biharis stranded in Bangladesh. No joint statement or joint communique was issued at the end of the summit. It was a pointer to the long road the two countries would need to travel before the bitterness engendered between them in 1971 could be replaced by normal ties.
There are moments when summits, before they actually take place, project all the signs of drama. In the weeks before new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan met in Geneva in late 1985, the media in the West busied themselves in predictions of how Reagan would deal with a relatively young and agile Gorbachev. In the end, the summit went off well and in subsequent years the two leaders got along very well with each other. Both Gorbachev and Reagan needed to deal with knotty issues of the Cold War. They did the job with noticeable finesse.
Some summits leave a lasting impact on succeeding generations. During the Second World War, the summits attended by Franklin Roosevelt, Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill in Tehran and Yalta, followed by the summit in Potsdam which Roosevelt's successor Harry Truman attended were to prove instrumental in a reshaping of the world following the collapse of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.
Summits abjure theatrics. They are not for leaders unprepared on issues which need thrashing out at the table. They are not about Presidents and Prime Ministers driven by a desire to play to the gallery or impress the public. All of this leaves one wondering about the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, about its results or, in a worst case scenario, about its being a sad waste of time.
Putin knows what he wants. History informs us that Trump is not in the league of Kennedy or Nixon or Carter or Clinton, for diplomacy is an area he has not mastered.
Saif
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2024
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- 15,345
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- 7,857
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Trump wants Ukraine to have say on territory talks with Russia, Macron says
US President Donald Trump has said Ukraine must be involved in talks about land in any truce deal with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, suggesting Kyiv and its European allies had got their message across before a superpower summit. The comments were among the first indi
Trump wants Ukraine to have say on territory talks with Russia, Macron says
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 13, 2025 22:03
Updated :
Aug 13, 2025 22:03
French President Emmanuel Macron, Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, and France's Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu attend a video conference with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Union leaders about the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting on Ukraine, at Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France, Aug 13 2025. Photo : PHILIPPE MAGONI / POOL/Pool via REUTERS
US President Donald Trump has said Ukraine must be involved in talks about land in any truce deal with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, suggesting Kyiv and its European allies had got their message across before a superpower summit.
The comments were among the first indications of what came out of talks between Trump, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, intended to influence Trump as he prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Trump’s insistence on involving Ukraine, if confirmed, could bring a measure of relief to Ukraine and its allies, who have feared that Trump and Putin could reach a deal that sells out Europe’s and Ukraine’s security interests and proposes to carve up Ukrainian territory.
Trump and Putin are due to discuss how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two. Trump has said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
On a day of intense diplomacy, Zelensky flew into Berlin for German-hosted virtual meetings with European leaders and then with Trump.
The Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine, rewarding it for almost 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian territory, and embolden Putin to expand further west into the future.
“The second point on which things were very clear, as expressed by President Trump, is that territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president,” Macron said.
“There are currently no serious territorial exchange schemes on the table.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump would prioritise reaching a ceasefire on Friday, adding that there was no question of legally recognising Russia’s territorial holdings.
Zelensky said there should be a three-way meeting between himself, Putin and Trump.
Merz said Ukraine was prepared to negotiate on territorial issues, but “legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate”.
“If the United States of America now works towards a peace in Ukraine that safeguards European and Ukrainian interests, he can count on our full support in this endeavour,” Merz said at a joint press conference with Zelensky.
REUTERS
Published :
Aug 13, 2025 22:03
Updated :
Aug 13, 2025 22:03
French President Emmanuel Macron, Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, and France's Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu attend a video conference with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Union leaders about the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting on Ukraine, at Fort de Bregancon in Bormes-les-Mimosas, France, Aug 13 2025. Photo : PHILIPPE MAGONI / POOL/Pool via REUTERS
US President Donald Trump has said Ukraine must be involved in talks about land in any truce deal with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, suggesting Kyiv and its European allies had got their message across before a superpower summit.
The comments were among the first indications of what came out of talks between Trump, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, intended to influence Trump as he prepares to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Trump’s insistence on involving Ukraine, if confirmed, could bring a measure of relief to Ukraine and its allies, who have feared that Trump and Putin could reach a deal that sells out Europe’s and Ukraine’s security interests and proposes to carve up Ukrainian territory.
Trump and Putin are due to discuss how to end the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War Two. Trump has said both sides will have to swap land to end fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
On a day of intense diplomacy, Zelensky flew into Berlin for German-hosted virtual meetings with European leaders and then with Trump.
The Europeans worry that a land swap could leave Russia with almost a fifth of Ukraine, rewarding it for almost 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian territory, and embolden Putin to expand further west into the future.
“The second point on which things were very clear, as expressed by President Trump, is that territories belonging to Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president,” Macron said.
“There are currently no serious territorial exchange schemes on the table.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Trump would prioritise reaching a ceasefire on Friday, adding that there was no question of legally recognising Russia’s territorial holdings.
Zelensky said there should be a three-way meeting between himself, Putin and Trump.
Merz said Ukraine was prepared to negotiate on territorial issues, but “legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate”.
“If the United States of America now works towards a peace in Ukraine that safeguards European and Ukrainian interests, he can count on our full support in this endeavour,” Merz said at a joint press conference with Zelensky.
Saif
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End the war or face ‘very severe consequences’
US President Donald Trump yesterday threatened Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with “very severe consequences” if he does not agree to end the war in Ukraine during their upcoming summit in Alaska.
End the war or face ‘very severe consequences’
Trump tells Putin ahead of Alaska meet
US President Donald Trump yesterday threatened Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with "very severe consequences" if he does not agree to end the war in Ukraine during their upcoming summit in Alaska.
Asked if Russia would face repercussions if Putin does not agree to end the conflict, Trump told reporters, "Yes, they will."
"They will face very serious consequences," he said during remarks at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
The remarks came just hours after Trump took part in a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders, which the US president said was "very good."
"I would rate it a 10, you know, very, very friendly," he said.
The comments come as the president prepares to sit down with Putin for the first time in his second term.
Trump said the face-to-face summit, slated to take place in Alaska's most populous city of Anchorage, is likely to result in the establishment of a trilateral summit with Putin, Zelenskyy and himself.
"There's a very good chance that we're going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first, because the first is, I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing," he said.
"If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one. I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they'd like to have it," he said.
Trump said that while "certain great things" can be achieved during Friday's summit it is largely geared toward "setting the table" for a follow-up trilateral, which he acknowledged may not be in the offing.
"There may be no second meeting because if I feel that it's not appropriate to have it because I didn't get the answers that we have to have, then we're not going to have a second meeting," he said.
The US leader promised dozens of times during his 2024 election campaign to end the conflict on his first day in office but has made scant progress towards securing a peace deal.
He threatened "secondary sanctions" on Russia's trading partners over its invasion of Ukraine but his deadline for action came and went last week with no measures announced.
According to an AFP analysis of battlefield data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces made their biggest 24-hour advance into Ukraine in more than a year on Tuesday.
As the war rages on in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky flew to Berlin and joined Chancellor Friedrich Merz on an online call with other European leaders and the NATO and EU chiefs, in which they talked to Trump and urged a united stance against Russia.
Zelensky voiced doubt about Moscow's intentions and said: "I have told my colleagues -- the US president and our European friends -- that Putin definitely does not want peace."
Trump on Monday played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected "constructive conversations" with Putin.
"This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit," Trump said. But he added that eventually "there'll be some swapping, there'll be some changes in land".
Trump tells Putin ahead of Alaska meet
US President Donald Trump yesterday threatened Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with "very severe consequences" if he does not agree to end the war in Ukraine during their upcoming summit in Alaska.
Asked if Russia would face repercussions if Putin does not agree to end the conflict, Trump told reporters, "Yes, they will."
"They will face very serious consequences," he said during remarks at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
The remarks came just hours after Trump took part in a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders, which the US president said was "very good."
"I would rate it a 10, you know, very, very friendly," he said.
The comments come as the president prepares to sit down with Putin for the first time in his second term.
Trump said the face-to-face summit, slated to take place in Alaska's most populous city of Anchorage, is likely to result in the establishment of a trilateral summit with Putin, Zelenskyy and himself.
"There's a very good chance that we're going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first, because the first is, I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing," he said.
"If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one. I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself, if they'd like to have it," he said.
Trump said that while "certain great things" can be achieved during Friday's summit it is largely geared toward "setting the table" for a follow-up trilateral, which he acknowledged may not be in the offing.
"There may be no second meeting because if I feel that it's not appropriate to have it because I didn't get the answers that we have to have, then we're not going to have a second meeting," he said.
The US leader promised dozens of times during his 2024 election campaign to end the conflict on his first day in office but has made scant progress towards securing a peace deal.
He threatened "secondary sanctions" on Russia's trading partners over its invasion of Ukraine but his deadline for action came and went last week with no measures announced.
According to an AFP analysis of battlefield data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces made their biggest 24-hour advance into Ukraine in more than a year on Tuesday.
As the war rages on in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky flew to Berlin and joined Chancellor Friedrich Merz on an online call with other European leaders and the NATO and EU chiefs, in which they talked to Trump and urged a united stance against Russia.
Zelensky voiced doubt about Moscow's intentions and said: "I have told my colleagues -- the US president and our European friends -- that Putin definitely does not want peace."
Trump on Monday played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected "constructive conversations" with Putin.
"This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit," Trump said. But he added that eventually "there'll be some swapping, there'll be some changes in land".
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