A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Political Developments
A recent Gallup poll indicates that most Ukrainians now favor a negotiated end to the war with Russia, a significant shift from the strong support for fighting until victory seen in 2022. Although support for continuing the fight has dropped across all demographics, Ukrainians still believe the EU, U.K., and U.S. are crucial to achieving peace, even as they remain skeptical that a resolution will come soon.
Early in the week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he moved American nuclear submarines in response to ‘inflammatory’ comments made by Dmitry Medvedev, formerly Russia’s prime minister and one-term president.
But the spat did not appear to impact special envoy Steve Witkoff’s trip to Moscow for high-level dialogue with Russia’s leadership this week. Both sides stated that negotiations were constructive and may lead to a direct meeting between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin — but the White House and Kremlin differed on whether those talks would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump had set a deadline of Friday for a ceasefire in Ukraine, vowing to impose new sanctions on Russia’s economy should it not come to the table. As Witkoff was in Russia, the U.S. hiked tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil and Trump warned that more buyers of Russian oil could face the same penalty.
Russia says it has ended a self-imposed ban on deploying nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, citing U.S. and allied plans to station such weapons, including Typhoon and Dark Eagle missiles, in Germany. The move, linked to rising tensions over Ukraine and NATO policies, comes as Moscow warns it could use its new Oreshnik missiles for potential strikes on NATO allies supporting Kyiv’s attacks inside Russia. The Kremlin says future deployments will depend on U.S. and allied actions and the broader security situation.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
NATO is now coordinating regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraine, with the Netherlands pledging 500 million euros in military aid, including air defense equipment. Sweden, Denmark, and Norway are also jointly contributing 500 million dollars in air defenses and other military supplies, which are expected to arrive in September to help Ukraine counter Russia’s ongoing offensive.
Croatia, meanwhile, confirmed this week that it is crafting an assistance package to Kyiv utilizing loan financing from the E.U. under the bloc’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument.
Andriy Sybiha, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said this week that his government had submitted a request to Warsaw for a loan to support the acquisition of Krab self-propelled howitzers and Piorun manportable air-defense systems. Kyiv is requesting EUR120 million in loan facilities for the acquisition, Sybiha stated.
New TRML-4D radars being delivered to Ukraine have been upgraded to additionally help Ukrainian troops identify Russian artillery positions for counter-battery fire.
The U.S. State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Ukraine involving the repair and sustainment of M777 howitzers. The agreement is valued at $104 million, and BAE Systems is the principal contractor.
Battlefield Updates
Moscow claims a Ukrainian drone attack caused a large fire at an oil depot near Sochi, leading to a temporary suspension of flights at a nearby airport. This incident was one of several drone strikes Russia says Ukraine launched over the weekend, while Russia itself continued its bombardment of Ukrainian cities, killing civilians and damaging infrastructure.
The Ukrainian Army has formed a battalion as an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) unit. The UGVs will participate in combat, including evacuating wounded.
Despite heavy losses facing Russian infantry, the Russian Armed Forces is expanding the size of its force by about 9,000 soldiers each month, Ukrainian Armed Forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi estimated in an interview published this week.
Another Russian drone has crossed into Lithuanian airspace, authorities said over the weekend. The drone, a decoy used in mass strike attacks, crashed near a Lithuanian training ground, following a similar incident in July.
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