Ukraine, Russian attacks with 526 drones. Trump: I will talk to Putin in the coming days

"Putin continues to play games with everyone by making clearly unacceptable proposals," is how Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha commented on Putin's proposal to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Moscow. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

"I have no message for President Putin. He knows how I think and he will make a decision one way or another. Whatever his decision will be, we will be happy or unhappy with it and if we are unhappy you will see things happen." This was said by Donald Trump speaking in the Oval Office before his bilateral with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

Il Presidente della Repubblica di Polonia Karol Nawrocki e il Presidente degli Stati Uniti Donald J. Trump partecipano a un incontro bilaterale nello Studio Ovale della Casa Bianca a Washington, DC, USA, 03 settembre 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / PISCINA

"Ukraine needs solid guarantees to keep the peace. Estonia, for its part, will continue to support Ukraine on the road to NATO membership: this is the best guarantee for a peaceful future in Ukraine, a stronger NATO and a safer Europe." This was stated today by Estonian President Alar Karis during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Karis emphasised that his country is firmly convinced of the necessity of sending a European interposition force to Ukraine and confirmed Estonia's readiness to take part in it. The Baltic politician also reiterated that the American presence in Europe remains the main guarantee for the security and defence of the continent. "The presence of US troops in Europe, including on NATO's eastern flank, is the best tool to deter the aggressor. The transatlantic relationship is a heritage to be preserved and enhanced,' Karis concluded.

European and Ukrainian leaders Volodymyr Zelensky will speak by telephone with US President Donald Trump after Thursday's Paris summit, which focused on security guarantees for Kiev. This was announced by the Elysée Palace. The summit will be co-chaired by the leaders of France and the UK, with some leaders attending in person and others via video link. The meeting will be followed by telephone talks with Trump. A press conference will follow. (ANSA-AFP).

Newly sworn-in Polish President Karol Nawrocki is visiting the White House this morning a few months after receiving an endorsement from Donald Trump. Nawrocki's visit is intended to strengthen his relationship with the US president and support the need for the US to maintain a strong military presence in his country. The visit to Washington is Nawrocki's first foreign trip since taking office last month.

According to Nawrocki's office, the White House talks will mainly focus on security issues concerning Poland and the region in general, including the war in Ukraine. Chief of Staff Zbigniew Bogucki said that the president intends to emphasise that neither Russia nor its leader, Vladimir Putin, can be trusted. Poland is also seeking assurances that the US will maintain its military presence in Poland at current levels, even if Washington decides to reduce its military presence elsewhere in Europe.

The Russian Defence Ministry claims that its troops control 'about half' of the town of Kupyansk in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, the Interfax news agency reports. The statements of the Russian Defence Ministry cannot be independently confirmed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that "if he is ready" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "can come to Moscow" and meet him. This was reported by the Interfax news agency.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced a conversation with US President Donald Trump to be held 'today or tomorrow' in which he hopes to talk to him about sanctions on Russia. Zelensky spoke from Denmark, where he arrived for a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries, while he is expected to meet with Emmanuel Macron in Paris this evening ahead of tomorrow's meeting of the willing. The meeting in Copenhagen was attended by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden, countries that have been among Kiev's staunchest supporters since the start of the war.

"We said that US pressure could force Putin to switch to a diplomatic format," Zelensky said, speaking alongside Frederiksen. "We conveyed these signals to the US president, who said a few weeks ago that he would give an answer, perhaps within two or three weeks. We will talk to the US president today or tomorrow and clarify the issue," he added, as reported by Ukrainian media.

It is possible that US President Donald Trump will also join the Voluntary Summit on Ukraine tomorrow. Friedrich Merz's spokesman Stefan Kornelius said this while answering a question at a press conference in Berlin. "I don't want to pre-empt the summit, but there are thoughts that the president might also connect," he said.

"Today meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Coalition of the Willing to discuss Ukraine: Russia does not show it wants to stop the war and Europe in this scenario must increase its support to Kiev, financial and military". This was said by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas.

Family members of political prisoners in Belarus involved in the project 'Rehabilitation of families of Belarusian political prisoners', promoted by Talaka, an association of Belarusians in Italy, landed at Pisa's 'Galilei' airport late yesterday evening. The project is in collaboration with the Region of Tuscany, Terre Regionali Toscane and Iscos Toscana, i.e., the trade union institute for development cooperation of the Cisl. The project, explains the Pisa CISL, 'consists of the safe relocation of family members from Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania with reception in Italy'.

At today's joint press conference in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Estonian President Alar Karis said that Tallinn will participate in the procurement of US-made weapons for Ukraine under the Purl initiative and is also ready to send a military contingent to Ukraine, should this measure be approved by the Coalition of the Willing. "The US-NATO arms initiative, Purl, is an excellent initiative," the Estonian President said, adding that "Estonia fully supports this initiative and we will gladly participate in this effort. Estonia will continue to support Ukraine in the defence of its freedom'.

"In recent hours, Merz has made several offensive remarks about our president. Therefore, his opinion can hardly be taken into consideration at this time," Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said, commenting on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's words that Switzerland could be a suitable venue for talks between Russia and Ukraine. Tass reports. Merz stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'is perhaps the greatest war criminal of our time'.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Denmark, where he will meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and then participate in talks with the leaders of the Nordic-Baltic Eight, presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov told reporters. "Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Denmark for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and negotiations with the leaders of the NB8 (Nordic-Baltic 8, ed.) format," the spokesman said.

In a note released by the British government today, London announced new sanctions against Russia for the forced deportation, indoctrination and militarisation of abducted Ukrainian children. "Those responsible for Russia's atrocious policy of deportation, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children were sanctioned by the UK today. These include eight individuals and three organisations affiliated with the Russian state," the note reads. 'The Kremlin's policy of forced deportations, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children is despicable and demonstrates the depth of depravity to which President Putin is willing to go to erase Ukrainian language, culture and identity,' said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has declared that "in order for peace to be lasting" in the Ukraine invaded by Russian troops "what he calls the new territorial realities that have emerged since joining the Russian Federation following referendums" of the Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, some of which are only partly occupied by Kremlin troops, must be recognised and formalised in an international legal manner", the Interfax news agency reports, citing an interview with Lavrov in the Indonesian daily Kompas. Russia claims to have annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia (which its soldiers occupy only in part) by means of so-called 'referendums' that were not recognised by the overwhelming majority of the international community and which are believed to have been held without the slightest respect for democratic standards. Moscow also effectively took control of Crimea in 2014 by force and in a controversial referendum, in violation of international law. "It is necessary to create a new system of security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine as an integral part of a pan-continental architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia," Lavrov also stated, who then in fact reiterated Moscow's opposition to any entry of Kiev into NATO, arguing that Ukraine's "neutral, non-aligned and nuclear-free status must be guaranteed."

British Defence Minister John Healey paid a surprise visit to Ukraine. During a meeting with the Ukrainian defence minister, Healey and Denys Shmyhal coordinated the positions of London and Kiev ahead of the Ukraine Defence Coordination Group meeting in the British capital. "We are preparing important bilateral decisions that will strengthen our countries' defence capabilities," Shmyhal wrote on X.

Nordic and Baltic leaders will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Copenhagen today to discuss further support to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's office said. "The heads of state and government will discuss how the Nordic and Baltic countries can ensure further support for Ukraine on the front line and in negotiations," a note read.

British Defence Minister John Healey arrived in Kiev today, welcomed by his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal. "I am pleased to welcome British Defence Minister John Healey to Ukraine," the Ukrainian minister wrote on X. "During the meeting, we will coordinate the main issues of the upcoming meeting in the Ramstein format in London, as well as joint defence projects," Shmyhal added.

"I want to say that no one has plotted, no one has plotted anything, there is no conspiracy". This was stated by Kremlin foreign policy adviser Iuri Ushakov commenting on US President Donald Trump's words. "Nobody has thought about it, none of these three leaders," Ushakov told Russian state TV referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Kim Jong-un. Tass reports.

Opening the bilateral with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that providing assistance to Moscow in repelling the Ukrainian incursion into the Russian border region of Kursk is North Korea's 'brotherly duty'.

Kiev reported that Russia launched 526 drones and missiles over Ukraine overnight.

"The heads of the delegations are in direct contact. We expect the negotiations to continue. Solving the crisis in Ukraine by peaceful means remains our priority". This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with the Indonesian daily Kompas, adding: 'Territorial realities must be recognised internationally for lasting peace. The US administration,' he added, 'has recently made active diplomatic efforts. We welcome all constructive initiatives, including those from our partners in the South and East'.

Russia and North Korea "fight together against modern Nazism". This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his bilateral meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Beijing. The Kremlin leader then thanked Kim for sending North Korean soldiers to Russia, particularly to the Kursk region, to fight alongside Moscow's army against the Ukrainian armed forces.

Further reading

Xi shows his muscles in the big military parade

03 September 2025

The Russian Armed Forces conducted a massive drone and missile attack against Ukraine overnight, striking central and western regions. The raids resulted in the death of a 62-year-old man in Zaporizhia oblast, Polohivskyi district, and the wounding of at least five people in the town of Znamianka in Kirovohrad oblast, where 28 buildings were damaged. This was reported by the Kyiv Independent. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukrainian defences shot down 12 drones, a local official said. Several fires in Kiev and raids in the Ivano-Frankivsk oblast were also reported during the night. In western Ukraine, explosions were reported in the cities of Kalush, Khmelnytskyi, Luts and Rivne. Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire also went into action in Lviv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un started their bilateral in Beijing, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. This was reported by Tass, according to which Kim boarded Putin's presidential car, a Russian-made Aurus President, to reach the venue of the talks, as he did on Monday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin. After the military parade followed on Tiananmen Square for the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II together with President Xi Jinping, Putin and Kim attended a reception hosted by the Chinese president at the Great Hall of the People.

The half of the globe with Eurasian roots and a distinct identity as the Global South, some 20 countries in all, is in Tianjin at the court of Emperor Xi Jinping to chart the common course for the next ten years.

"The world is faced with a choice between peace and war," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his opening speech at the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II victory ceremony. "China is for a force of peace and development. No bully will be able to intimidate us," he added. The Chinese president welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the military parade in Tiananmen Square. 'Please extend my warmest greetings to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un as you conspire against the United States,' Donald Trump said on his Truth social. 'I'm not attacking Europe, an agreement on Kiev's security is possible. 'Never said no to Ukraine in the EU, but never in Nato'. That's the glimmer Putin opens for negotiations at a meeting in Beijing with Slovak premier Robert Fico, who will see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. Trump says he is "very disappointed" in the tsar.