Ukraine, Trump: 'If Putin does not stop war serious consequences'. Starmer: 'Gb and allies want guarantees for Kiev'

'Meaningful negotiations' to resolve the conflict in Ukraine 'can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or a lasting and meaningful cessation of hostilities'. This was stated in a communiqué issued by the French Presidency at the end of the virtual meeting, co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of a group of leaders of the 'Coalition of the Willing', with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice-President JD Vance, ahead of the meeting between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska.

"Secondly," the note continues, "sanctions and broader economic measures to put pressure on the Russian war economy should be reinforced if Russia does not accept a ceasefire in Alaska. Third, international borders must not be changed by force. Fourth, Ukraine must have solid and credible security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity'.

"If the first meeting goes well, I will try to arrange a trilateral with President Zelensky." This was said by the US President, Donald Trump, speaking about his meeting in Alaska with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on the war in Ukraine.

"If after Friday Putin does not agree to stop the war in Ukraine, he will face serious consequences." Donald Trump said so.

"We had a very good conversation with Zelensky and European leaders, grade 10". Donald Trump said this, reiterating that he will call the Ukrainian leader after his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

The US is committed under Donald Trump's administration to 'bring peace back to Europe', as happened after the Second World War. Vice President JD Vance said this while addressing US military personnel deployed at the British Raf base in Gloucestershire, on the sidelines of a family holiday he is spending in the UK. It is 'a mission', he added, noting that he spoke to Trump today two days before the 15 August summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially crucial to the war in Ukraine and the future of Kiev.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni 'said she was very pleased with the unity of purpose and capacity for dialogue that the West is showing in the face of a fundamental challenge to security and the defence of international law. It is now time to see what will be, in Alaska, the attitude of Russia, which so far has not intended to take any significant step forward'. This was announced by Palazzo Chigi in a note regarding the telephone call that the premier had, together with the leaders

of Ukraine, Finland, France, Germany, Poland, the UK, the EU and NATO, with President Trump ahead of his meeting with President Putin in Alaska on 15 August.

The UK remains committed to 'unwavering support for Ukraine so that its international borders are not changed by force' and calls with European and NATO allies for 'robust and credible security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity as part of any agreement' with Russia. This was stated by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a summary of his speech at today's video conference. He went on to reiterate his willingness to 'continue to work alongside President Trump', whom he thanked along with allies for his negotiating efforts, 'and President Zelensky for a just and lasting peace'.

The White House is looking for a location to host a possible meeting between President Donald Trump, his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, as early as the end of next week. Cbs claims this, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The third video conference of the day on Ukraine has begun, attended by several world leaders. This time the so-called 'Willing' countries are gathered, i.e., in addition to the major European states, also Australia, Canada and Turkey.

"We discussed" the issue of territorial cessions "and I think the principle to remember is that in any case these topics should be discussed only by Ukraine and there was no discussion at any level in a solid way about territorial exchanges". French President Emmanuel Macron said this at the end of European leaders' talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump ahead of the US-Russia summit in Alaska on Friday.

"The issues of the occupied territories will be crucial elements of a peace negotiation. They are inseparable from the security guarantees given to the rest of the Ukrainian territory and to Europe and can be discussed without the presence of the Ukrainian president around the table. There are no serious territorial exchange plans on the table today,' he emphasises. Whether Ukraine is ready to make territorial concessions? 'President Zelensky will say that, it's not us. These things are never taken lightly and a country that has lost so many young people defending its territory cannot take such decisions lightly,' he adds.

'There is hope that something is moving'. This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after talks with US President Donald Trump. The ceasefire must be the first step in the direction of a lasting peace agreement, emphasised the chancellor, who insisted on the principle that 'borders must not be changed by force' and assured that the European partners are willing to provide 'solid security guarantees for Ukraine'.

At the end of the European leaders' video conference with Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the request to the US president for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskuy to attend the summit in Alaska was reiterated. He also reiterated that a ceasefire must be the priority of any agreement. "We have made it clear that Ukraine must be present at the negotiating table at the next meeting. We want things to proceed in the right sequence: we want a ceasefire from the beginning, and then a framework agreement must be drawn up. If Ukraine is ready to discuss territorial negotiations, then we have to make sure that there are no changes obtained by force at the borders". "We need solid security guarantees for Kiev," Merz concluded, "and that there are Ukrainian forces in place to defend the sovereignty of the country, and they must also be able to count on Western aid for this.

"The ball is now in Putin's court," Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on his own X profile following today's video conference meeting with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.

"Excellent call with President Trump and President Zelensky and European leaders ahead of President Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska. We are united in pressing to end this terrible war and achieve a just and lasting peace," Rutte wrote. "We appreciate Trump's leadership and close coordination with allies. The ball is now in Putin's court," Rutte concluded.

"We wished Trump every success and agreed that, immediately after the meeting with Putin, he will first inform Zelensky and then the European leaders participating in this initiative. There is hope for progress, there is hope for peace in Ukraine. From the European point of view, and also from the German point of view, I will do everything I can to take every opportunity, including diplomatic ones, to put an end to this terrible war'. This was said by German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Berlin, following a video conference with EU leaders and US President, Donald Trump.

The phone call between Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders ended after about an hour. This was reported by CNN.

"We expect a ceasefire, an immediate ceasefire". This is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during the joint conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz following the virtual summit with European leaders, US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of the upcoming summit in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Record number of Russian drones launched against Ukraine in July. According to the British Intellogence, Moscow used 6,200 unmanned aircraft in attacks against the country last month, an unprecedented figure in the almost three and a half years of war. By June, 5,600 drones had been launched against Ukraine, increasingly used in combination with missile raids to 'make Ukrainian anti-aircraft defence more difficult'.

A call is underway between US President Donald Trump, his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, and visiting European leaders from Friday's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was reported by Axios journalist Barak Ravid on X.

"Russia's position remains unchanged and was expressed in this very hall just over a year ago, on 14 June 2024". This was said by the deputy spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexei Fadeev, referring to a speech delivered by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, a year ago at the Foreign Ministry in which he outlined the conditions for ending the war in Ukraine. Russia insisted on its 'maximalist' conditions, which are crucial to ending the conflict, and confirmed that they will remain unchanged, as reported by the Guardian. At the time, Moscow demanded the complete withdrawal of Kiev's forces from key regions of Ukraine and the abandonment of its NATO ambitions. The demands at the time were described as 'maximalist', considered unacceptable by international partners and repeatedly rejected by Ukraine.

The Ukrainian authorities have ordered the 'mandatory evacuation of families with children' from dozens of locations in the Donetsk region in the east of the country, where the Russian army has been advancing rapidly in recent days. The governor of the region, Vadym Filashkin, ordered the families to leave several localities, in particular the small town of Bilozerske. According to him, some 1,150 children are still in the area. The evacuation order confirms the worsening security conditions in the area.

"I'm going to talk to the European leaders in a little while. They are great people who want to reach an agreement," Donald Trump said on his Truth profile about this afternoon's meeting on the situation in Ukraine.

Today the European Commission signed a guarantee agreement with EBRD, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, to enable an unprecedented EUR 500 million loan for Ukraine's energy security. The loan will enable the Ukrainian state-owned company Naftogaz (Nak) to finance emergency gas purchases. The Commission will guarantee 90% of the loan under the modified Hi-Bar programme, financed by the EU's investment framework for Ukraine. The financing follows serious Russian attacks against the company's gas production and processing facilities. These attacks against civil infrastructure, which intensified in the first half of 2025, caused significant production losses and a stressful situation for the country's reserves ahead of the coming winters.

"For the first time, two Italian F-35s take off in Estonia in response to Russian aircraft as part of the NATO air patrol mission. The Italian Air Task Force, a detachment of the 32nd Wing at the Ämari air base, is on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week rapid alert status, demonstrating the Alliance's commitment to safeguarding Nato airspace." This is stated by the NATO Air Command.

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed the conquest in the last 24 hours of two more villages in eastern Ukraine: Suvorovo and Nikanorovka, in the Donetsk region.

Russia's 'principled position' for peace in Ukraine remains 'unchanged' from what President Vladimir Putin announced last year. Thus, withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the four regions claimed by Moscow (Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson) and Kiev's renunciation of joining NATO. This was said by the deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Department, Alexei Fadeyev, quoted by the Tass news agency. "Russia's position is unchanged, and was expressed on 14 June 2024," the diplomat said, recalling a speech by Putin at the Foreign Ministry.

Alaska Airlines has cancelled some flights due to ash from the eruption of the Klyuchevskoy volcano on the Kamchatka peninsula, the Alaska Public Media website reports. According to meteorologists, the ash is expected to persist for at least the next 18 hours. The summit on Ukraine between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin - who will both fly to Anchorage - is scheduled for 15 August.

The Uri president, Volodymyr Zelensky, landed in Berlin at around 11.30am. A guest of the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, Zelensky will be present in person at the Berlin Chancellery this afternoon for virtual talks with Trump and his vice-president, J.D. Vance. All other participants will join via video link. Merz plans to receive Zelensky at the Berlin government headquarters. A short lunch is planned afterwards. Around 4pm, the chancellor and Zelensky will make joint public statements on the consultations with Trump scheduled from 3pm to 4pm.

"Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures in light of the EU's use of Russian resources to help Kiev". This was stated by Alexey Fadeyev, deputy director of the information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Ria Novosti reports. "Any attack on our property will result in a painful response for the expropriators. Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures in full compliance with the principle of reciprocity in international relations,' he said.

It is on a 'total cease-fire' that the Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, insists as he awaits the meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. On X Sybiha writes that he had talks with the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noel Barrot, and reports an 'exchange of views on diplomatic developments and coordinated work to achieve peace by force. A comprehensive ceasefire is a key step along this path,' the Ukrainian foreign minister adds, with thanks to Paris for its support in 'restoring a just peace and stability in Europe'.

The consultations between Ukraine and European countries ahead of the 15 August summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are 'irrelevant'. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexey Fadeev. "We regard the consultations requested by the Europeans [on the 15 August summit] as politically and practically insignificant. The Europeans verbally support Washington and Moscow's diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, but in fact the EU sabotages them,' he concluded.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the summit on Ukraine scheduled for 15 August in Alaska. This was confirmed by the same ministry, stating that the agenda of the work includes both the Ukrainian crisis and bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington. Lavrov is expected to meet his US counterpart Marco Rubio before the talks between the two presidents, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Talks that, according to White House reports, should be held face-to-face with only the two leaders present.

Ukraine is stepping up its 'terrorist activities' against Russian territory ahead of the August summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. This was stated by Alexei Fadeyev, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's press department. "As the Russian-American summit in Alaska approaches, the Kiev regime is intensifying its terrorist activities against our regions," Fadeyev said, quoted by Tass. Earlier, the Moscow Defence Ministry accused the Ukrainian armed forces of preparing a provocation immediately before the summit in the north-eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. The operation, according to the Russian military leadership, was supposed to involve drone and missile bombardments of densely populated areas and a hospital, with a high number of civilian casualties, to be 'recorded' by Western journalists specially conducted there.

According to the German government, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold a joint press conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin today after scheduled video conferences with several EU leaders and US President Donald Trump. The statement is scheduled for around 4pm, according to the schedule of the Federal Chancellery. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian presidential office also confirmed Zelensky's visit to the German capital.

In his greeting to Polish pilgrims, the Pope recalled St Maximilian Mary Kolbe who offered his life in the Auschwitz concentration camp in place of that of a family man. "I encourage you to take example from his heroic attitude of sacrifice for others. Through his intercession, implore God to grant peace to all peoples living the tragedy of war," the Pope asked.

Further reading

The Pope to the faithful of the Holy Land: God protect you from all evil, beseech him to grant peace to all

13 August 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had liberated six of the 18 Russian-occupied villages in the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy, even reaching the border with Russia in two places. Quoted by Ukrainska Pravda, Zelensky said in a press briefing yesterday: 'In the Sumy oblast there were 18 villages or important localities occupied. Six have been liberated. So we are advancing and this is good news. We have reached the border with the Russian Federation in two places. I think the situation there is more or less positive."

"We will not allow Russia to deceive us," says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected in Berlin for the EU-Trump summit.

"We cannot accept territorial issues being discussed between the US and Russia over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians." Friedrich Merz could not have been more explicit. And in full agreement with the EU position: no peace without Kiev, without a preventive ceasefire and solid security guarantees. For everyone. Any agreement must respect international law, including Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity.

That is why, in Sunday's telephone tête-à-tête with Donald Trump, the German Chancellor had also called for sanctions against Russia and its partners to put pressure on Vladimir Putin. It would seem with little luck.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban justifies on Facebook his refusal to sign the joint declaration of the 26 EU countries to support Ukraine ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska by accusing the EU of 'trying to give instructions from the bench. The EU was not invited to the negotiations which is a sad thing, but it is even worse that it is trying to give lessons from the bench. Rather, we should follow the example of the American-Russian meeting and initiate the convening of a Russian-European meeting. Let's give peace a chance,' wrote the Hungarian populist leader, who has always held pro-Russian positions.

China's Ministry of Commerce has announced countermeasures against two EU financial institutions in response to Brussels' decision to include two Mandarin financial institutions in the 18th sanctions package against Russia, which has come under fire for its aggression against Ukraine. These are, according to a note, the Lithuanian Ab Mano Bankas and Uab Urbo Bankas: 'Organisations and individuals within the territory of China are prohibited from transacting, cooperating and carrying out other activities with these banks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could participate in person in a video conference between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and US President Donald Trump ahead of the summit on 15 August, German newspaper Bild reports.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed his "full support" for Russia in telephone talks with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, ahead of the upcoming summit in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and the Kremlin chief. This was reported by the official Kcna news agency, marking the first time the North gave an account of Kim's telephone conversation with a foreign leader. The respected marshal 'expressed his firm belief that North Korea will always remain faithful to the spirit of the Pyongyang-Moscow Treaty and will fully support all measures that will be taken by the Russian leadership in the future', regarding the mutual defence treaty signed in Pyongynag by the two nations in June 2024 and which provides for the provision of military assistance 'without delay' should either side suffer an attack.

Russian air defences last night shot down 46 Ukrainian drones in six regions of the country, in occupied Crimea and on the Sea of Azov, the Moscow Defence Ministry announced on Telegram. The largest number of the downed unmanned aircraft, 15, was intercepted on the territory of the Bryansk region.

Russia has lost 1,066,110 soldiers in Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. The estimate is from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, reports the Kyiv Independent. The number includes the 890 casualties suffered by Russian forces yesterday. According to the report, Russia also lost 11,099 tanks, 23,127 armoured fighting vehicles, 58,265 vehicles and fuel tanks, 31,429 artillery systems, 1,465 multiple rocket launch systems, 1,207 air defence systems, 421 aircraft, 340 helicopters, 50,852 drones, 3,558 cruise missiles, 28 ships and one submarine.

For the EU it is now "premature" to talk about a possible "bad deal" for Ukraine in the framework of the summit because this is just "speculation. We are preparing for the summit, our position is clear and we are working with Ukraine so that its position is present' in Alaska, a Commission spokeswoman said, recalling today's call organised by Chancellor Merz, which will be attended by both Trump and Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader, however, excludes the cession of the Donbass.

The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska does not represent a victory for the Kremlin and should not be seen as a concession to Russia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Sid Rosenberg on the Sid & Friends in the Morning podcast. The meeting will be exploratory, during which Trump will try to express his assessment of the situation by "looking this man in the eye", Rubio added, noting that Trump did not get the desired result in his phone calls with Putin: which is why the president decided to meet him personally. "For President Trump, a meeting is not a concession," Rubio stated. "If you watch the news, you see people going crazy: 'Oh, what a victory for Putin, he got a meeting!' He doesn't see it that way. A meeting is something you do to clarify positions and make a decision. "I want to have all the facts. I want to look this person in the eye." And that is exactly what the president wants to do." Rubio also emphasised that the meeting in Alaska will be exploratory in nature, adding, "Honestly, I think we will know by the beginning of the meeting whether this thing has any chance of success or not." At the same time, the Secretary of State admitted that the negotiations will be difficult, because 'this war is very important for Putin'.

The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will be held at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base, less than ten kilometres from Anchorage, reports CNN. According to the US broadcaster, the base is the only one in Alaska that meets the security requirements, although the White House hoped to avoid giving the image of hosting the Russian president on an American military base. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt had limited herself yesterday to stating that the meeting would be held in Anchorage, without specifying the location.