A snapshot of recent news from sources around the world on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Political Developments
U.S. President Donald Trump was set to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday for dialogue over the conflict in Ukraine. The talks were set up following U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Russia earlier this month. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued flight restrictions over Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, where the meeting is taking place.
Ahead of the face-to-face with Putin, Trump held phone calls with leaders in Europe, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has insisted that Ukraine will not withdraw from its current positions in the Donbas as part of a peace agreement.
“If we leave Donbas today, our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control, we will clearly open a bridgehead for the preparation of a Russian offensive.” – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Following a virtual meeting, European leaders are cautiously optimistic after Donald Trump agreed that Ukraine must be involved in any territorial decisions and that security guarantees are necessary to end the war. However, they remain nervous, publicly stressing that Kyiv must be at the table for any final agreement ahead of Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin, fearing a deal could be struck without Ukrainian consent.
As part of the latest Bomber Task Force Europe, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft have deployed to Norway to begin training operations with NATO allies. The deployment is intended to refine tactics, increase flexibility, and strengthen coordination within complex airspace. These missions serve as a clear message of deterrence, demonstrating to Moscow that NATO can project heavy bomber capability and strike with speed and force if necessary.
Military Assistance to Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv has secured $1.5 billion from European allies through a NATO initiative to purchase U.S.-made weapons, a mechanism he says “truly strengthens our defense.”
European military support to Ukraine has now surpassed the total provided by the United States, according to a new report from the Kiel Institute, which tracks assistance to Kyiv. Since 2022, Europe has allocated over $41 billion in military aid to Ukraine, around $5 billion above what Washington has reserved for the embattled country.
Germany announced on Wednesday that it will put together a new military aid package to Ukraine worth $500 million, focusing on supplying more air-defense equipment to the Ukrainian military.
Battlefield Updates
On the battlefield, Russia has sought to make a rapid breakthrough of Ukrainian lines. Russian troops have often been advancing on foot or on motorcycle – leaving them vulnerable to Ukrainian drones – but, despite heavy casualties, Russian troops have made an advance of around 10 kilometers in the vicinity of the town Dobropillia, located near Pokrovsk in Donetsk. The offensive is reportedly Russia’s deepest advance into Ukraine in over a year. Analysts suggest Russia may try to leverage these battlefield gains at the negotiating table to pressure Ukraine into ceding territory, a demand that has been rejected by Ukraine’s president.
Ukraine has attacked a Russian defense plant that manufactures missile components. The factory builds different missile parts including gyroscopic devices, control systems and onboard computers.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that it had performed strikes on several Ukrainian missile manufacturers.
Russia conducted another missile attack against targets inside Ukraine on August 12. Moscow fired four Iskander-M ballistic missiles targeting the Chernihiv region.
Ukrainian Armed Forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said this week that Ukraine is working to increase the number of unmanned ground vehicles in operation around the front, especially for the purpose of medical evacuations.
A Russian reconnaissance drone was found on a beach in Bulgaria, after evidently crashing during a patrol mission. The discovery of the drone follows recent incidents of Russian drones crossing into Lithuanian airspace.
Ukraine has armed a Zlin Z-137 Agro Turbo agricultural aircraft with R-73 infrared-guided air-to-air missiles. This improvised air defense system is likely intended to counter Russian long-range kamikaze drones, freeing up more advanced fighter jets for other missions. The slow-moving crop duster is a suitable platform for hunting low and slow-flying drones.
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