War in Ukraine, latest news. Wsj: from EU and Kiev counter-proposal: truce before exchange of territories

The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, discussed the war in Ukraine and cooperation within the Brics in a telephone conversation that lasted about 40 minutes. According to an official statement issued by the Brazilian government, in the phone call, 'Putin shared information about his ongoing discussions with the United States and recent peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine'. In addition, the Kremlin leader thanked Brazil for its commitment and interest and spoke about the results of his recent meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff and the summit with Donald Trump, scheduled for 15 August in Alaska.

"Lula emphasised that Brazil has always supported dialogue and the search for a peaceful solution and reaffirmed that his government is available to contribute whatever is necessary, including within the framework of the Group of Friends of Peace, launched at the initiative of Brazil and China," the South American country's official note specified. During the talks, Lula and Putin also discussed the current international political and economic scenario and "cooperation between the two countries within the Brics", with Putin congratulating Brazil on the results of the bloc's summit, held on 6 and 7 July in Rio de Janeiro. In the bilateral sphere, Putin and Lula reiterated their intention to organise the next Brazil-Russia High-Level Cooperation Commission this year.

Friday, in Alaska. Here, according to announcements, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet. To try to end the conflict in Ukraine, triggered by the large-scale Russian invasion that started on 24 February 2022. But it is not known why in Alaska. Nor where exactly the talks will be held. White House officials, writes the New York Times, would not provide details, neither on the exact location of the meeting, nor on why Trump decided to choose Alaska for the face-to-face with Putin, the first since June 2019, when they saw each other at the G20 in Osaka. Alaska is, however, the closest US state to Russia. "It seems quite logical that our delegation should simply fly over the Bering Strait," Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov commented in statements reported by Russia's Tass news agency.

European countries and Ukraine have rejected Vladimir Putin's plan for a cease-fire in the war and developed a counter-proposal. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, online edition, according to which the Europeans and Ukrainians do not accept the Russian proposal to exchange some Ukrainian-controlled regions of Donetsk for a ceasefire. The counter-proposal was put forward at the meeting in the UK and includes a demand for a ceasefire before any other action is taken, as well as stipulating that any exchange of territory should be reciprocal. Vance and British Foreign Secretary Lammy met in the UK today. Meeting extended to European partners.

European countries and Ukraine have responded to Vladimir Putin's plan for a ceasefire with a counter-proposal that they believe should be the framework. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, according to which the Europeans and Ukrainians rejected the Russian proposal to exchange some Ukrainian-controlled regions of Donetsk for the ceasefire. The counter-proposal was made at the meeting in the UK and includes a demand for a ceasefire before any other action is taken, as well as stipulating that any exchange of territory should be reciprocal.

US officials have informed European and Ukrainian leaders of the plan offered to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war in exchange for significant territorial concessions by Kiev. This was reported by Western sources quoted by CNN, according to which the plan presented by Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff to the Kremlin on Wednesday envisages that Kiev would cede the Donbass and Crimea, while the current front lines would be frozen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, about the results of his talks held in recent days in the Kremlin with US envoy Steve Witkoff and about the summit with Donald Trump scheduled for next week. The Kremlin reports. Lula, the press service of the Russian presidency adds, 'expressed his support for the efforts to facilitate the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis'. Putin and Lula also 'confirmed their mutual intention to further strengthen the strategic partnership relations between Russia and Brazil, as well as cooperation in the framework of the Brics'. Yesterday, Putin had telephone consultations with leaders of other partner countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On X Zelensky thanked Sanchez and Stubb for their support and explained that he had updated the Spanish premier 'on the diplomatic situation and our contacts with partners' and 'shared our opinion on what the next steps should be'. "It is important that Pedro Sanchez and I share the same opinion: the voice of Europe should be taken into account. We are coordinating our common European position. We are ready to move as quickly as possible, as constructively as possible, towards a just peace,' insists Zelensky, who also returns to Ukraine's 'path towards European integration'. In another post, the Ukrainian leader reports on the "good talks" with Stubb, with whom "we are coordinating positions". "It is important that America has the determination and ability to end the war and we welcome Trump's desire to stop the killing," Zelensky adds, convinced we must respond "to Russia's intention to prolu

"I just spoke again with President Zelensky, as well as with Chancellor Merz and Prime Minister Starmer. We remain committed to supporting Ukraine, working in a spirit of unity and continuing the work done within the Coalition of the Willing." French President Emmanuel Macron wrote this on X.

According to Macron, 'the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians who have been fighting for their freedom and security for over three years. Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their security depends on it'.

Today's meeting in the UK between national security advisors from Europe, Ukraine and the US was reportedly convened at the request of the US. The BBC reports. The meeting will be held in Chevening, the official country residence of British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Kent, where US Vice President JD Vance and his family are currently staying.

A week after the summit in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, a mystery has emerged about the real understanding towards a possible peace agreement on Ukraine. According to reports by Bild, in his 6 August talks with the Russian president, US special envoy Steve Witkoff misunderstood the Russian request for a 'peaceful withdrawal' of Ukrainian forces from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, interpreting it as an offer by Moscow to withdraw its troops from the same regions. The Kremlin, stresses the German tabloid, has not changed its position: to obtain full control of the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson (and not only the already occupied parts of the same regions) and Crimea as a condition for the end of the conflict. The only opening would concern 'sectoral ceasefires' on energy infrastructure or large cities far from the frontline. Putin would not be willing to stop the offensives even in the face of a US offer to lift most sanctions and initiate new trade agreements.

However, some of the words spoken by Moscow were allegedly misread by the special envoy as a sign of openness. "Witkoff does not know what he is talking about," a senior Ukrainian official told Bild, an assessment that would also be shared in government circles in Berlin. In Thursday's teleconference with European partners, the US delegation - consisting of Witkoff, Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance - appeared "chaotic and divided", the tabloid writes, with the envoy deemed "overwhelmed and ill-prepared" and with internal divisions over the EU's involvement in the negotiations, with the secretary of state more favourable than the other two to keeping the dialogue with the Europeans open

Vladimir Putin presented Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's special envoy, with an award to be presented to a senior CIA official whose son was killed in Ukraine while fighting alongside Russian forces. This was reported by Cbs citing sources who said the award was intended for Juliane Gallina, the CIA's deputy director for digital innovation. Her son, Michael Gloss, was killed in 2024.

"The EU continues to support peace negotiations to end Russia's military aggression, at a negotiating table where Ukraine can make independent and sovereign decisions that the EU will support." This is what a European Commission spokeswoman told reporters, quoted by Ukrainian media Ukrinform.

Another civilian was wounded in the Tserkovnyi district of Belgorod during an FPV drone attack on a motor vehicle, the governor said, adding that the individual was transported to Belgorod City Hospital No. 2 in serious condition, with blast wounds and multiple shrapnel wounds.

The choice of Alaska as the venue for the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin "naturally favours Russia" and its "symbolism" is clear. Chatham House research associate Nigel Gould-Davies told the Associated Press, commenting on the upcoming summit between the two leaders set for 15 August. "It's easy to imagine Putin making his point. Once this territory was ours and we gave it to you, so Ukraine had this territory and now it should give it back to us,' the expert said referring to the 1867 transaction known as the Alaska Purchase, when Russia sold Alaska to the US for $7.2 million.

The Moscow Defence Ministry announces that Russian forces have taken control of Yablunivka in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. This was reported by the Russian media.

Next Friday's summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is not the result of "a breakthrough in the narrow sense" but is the first "more or less concrete attempt to end the war" in Ukraine, stresses Russian analyst Tatyana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik and political scientist for Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, not hiding her scepticism about the possibility of a real holding of an agreement, although "for a certain period there could be a lull" in the fighting. "However, significant events are taking place and the coming days will be decisive for the dynamics of the conflict in the short term," Stanovaya writes in a post on Telegram.

Compared to the openness of last April, the US now takes more seriously the 'roots' at the origin of the conflict denounced by Moscow (the threats to Russia's security posed by Ukraine and its neighbours as a result of NATO expansion to the east and the repression of the rights of the Russian-speaking community in eastern Ukraine and of Russian culture and beliefs in Ukraine, ed.) and is willing to discuss it "in a substantive way", and then that last spring White House envoy Steve Witkoff had tried to coordinate the proposal with the Ukrainians before receiving support from the US and Russian leadership. "There is no doubt that for Ukraine the new commitments, if ever accepted, could prove devastating. In this sense, the risk of the renewal of hostilities afterwards is very high. . The possibility of the summit between Trump and Putin - now set for next Friday in Alaska - came about not because of concessions by Vladimir Putin, but because of a reversal by Donald Trump, i.e. that the US President was unwilling to see his ultimatum fall on deaf ears, as well as the behind-the-scenes work of Aleksandr Lukashenko, and Russia and US experts and officials in recent weeks.

I spoke with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen. I am grateful for the support. We discussed the diplomatic situation and communication with partners, both ours and Mette's. These days, diplomatic activity is extremely intense. However, we see no change in Russia's position'. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote this on X. "The Russians continue to refuse to stop the killing, continue to invest in the war and insist on the proposal to 'exchange' Ukrainian territory for Ukrainian territory, with consequences that guarantee nothing but more favourable positions for Russia to resume the war," he explained. "All our steps must bring us closer to a real end to the conflict, not its reconfiguration. And our joint decisions with partners must serve our common security," he added. "We also talked about our work towards EU membership and the progress on this path for both Ukraine and Moldova. We share the same view on the need for a fair approach and the fulfilment of commitments for Ukraine and Moldova together," he concluded.

"I spoke with French President @EmmanuelMacron. I am grateful for the support. We exchanged views on the diplomatic situation. Ukraine, France and all our partners are ready to work as productively as possible for the sake of real peace. It is really important that the Russians are no longer able to deceive anyone'. This is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, giving an account of a telephone conversation he had with the French president.

"We all need a real end to the war and a solid basis of security for Ukraine and other European nations," Zelensky's message concluded.

"We do not see any change in Russia's position: the Russians still refuse to stop the killings, continue to invest in the war and continue to promote the idea of "exchanging" Ukrainian territory for Ukrainian territory, with consequences that guarantee nothing but more favourable positions for Russia to resume the war". This is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote, giving an account of a telephone conversation he had with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. "All our steps must bring us closer to a real end to the war, not to its reconfiguration. And our joint decisions with partners must serve our common security." "We also discussed with Mette our work towards EU membership and the progress on this path for both Ukraine and Moldova," Zelensky's message concludes. "We share the same view on the need for a fair approach and fulfilment of commitments for Ukraine and Moldova together.

'Ukraine can count on Estonia's full support along its path to a just and lasting peace'. This was confirmed by Prime Minister Kristen Michal via X after the news of the telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 'Respect for territorial integrity is the basis of stable international relations and,' she points out, 'it is never acceptable to change borders by force. These were my messages in today's telephone conversation with Zelensky'.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and US Vice-President JD Vance will host a meeting of European and US national security advisors in London today to discuss the war in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office confirmed. The meeting will be "a key forum to discuss progress towards achieving a just and lasting peace," Downing Street said in a note regarding a phone call today between Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Both leaders welcomed President Trump's desire to end this barbaric war and agreed that we must keep up the pressure on Putin to end his illegal war," the note continued

"This is how Russia 'wants peace': an attack on an ordinary bus on the outskirts of Kherson, where the Russians hunt civilians every day. People killed. For what?" Andrij Yermak, head of the office of the president of Ukraine, wrote this on X. "The Russians deceive everyone, pretending to be ready to stop the war, but doing nothing to achieve this goal," he added.

The meeting between Europeans and Ukrainians with the US that will take place this afternoon in London (organised ahead of the Trump-Putin summit on 15 August) will be attended by US Vice-President J.D.Vance. According to reports, representatives from Italy (with Ambassador Fabrizio Saggio, Giorgia Meloni's diplomatic advisor), France, Germany, and Poland will also attend.

Italy had all the right cards to host the summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. But it lost the chance to achieve this 'undoubted, historic diplomatic success' due to the 'Russophobia of the ruling class', a 'senseless all-round support for Ukraine' and a 'total refusal of dialogue'. The Russian ambassador to Italy, Alexei Paramonov, writes this on his Telegram channel.

In the run-up to the 15 August summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin 'clear measures are needed from the Europeans', Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, speaking to British Prime Minister Kier Starmer. Zelensky emphasised that 'maximum coordination between Kiev and its allies' was needed at this time. A meeting between Europeans and Ukrainians is scheduled to take place in London this afternoon, in which the US will also participate.

"We share the opinion that security decisions for Ukraine are important for everyone in Europe". This was written on X by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who gave news of a telephone conversation with the Estonian premier, Kristen Michal, who thanked the Ukrainian leader "for the support". "I updated him on our diplomatic work with partners to end the war and ensure our shared security," Zelensky added, "We also talked about issues at the EU level, in particular the situation in the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. "Estonia's principled position on fair conditions for Ukraine and Moldova on their path to the EU is important. There can be no divisions or injustices along this path," he concluded, insisting on "unity".

The Russian army announced that it had captured the village of Yablonovka in Donetsk. This was announced by the Moscow Defence Ministry, reported by Russian agencies.

In the run-up to the 15 August summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin 'clear measures are needed from the Europeans', Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, speaking to British Prime Minister Kier Starmer. Zelensky emphasised that 'maximum coordination between Kiev and its allies' was needed at this time. A meeting between Europeans and Ukrainians is scheduled to take place in London this afternoon, in which the US will also participate.

Moscow's Defence Ministry claimed the capture of another village in eastern Ukraine: Yablonovka, in the Donetsk region.

"I spoke with the British Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer. I am grateful for his support. We share the same view on the need for a truly lasting peace for Ukraine and the danger posed by Russia's plan to reduce everything to discussing the impossible." This is what the Ukrainian President said in a message posted on X after his telephone conversation with the British Prime Minister.

The UK will host a meeting this afternoon between senior officials from the US, the EU, Ukraine and several European countries to define a common position ahead of the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin scheduled for 15 August in Alaska. This was stated by a spokesman for the European Commission, confirming the participation of one of its representatives in the meeting. (ANSA).

"Ukraine is ready to cooperate with the United States and all our international partners in order to achieve a just and lasting peace together," Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, writes on X today. "Ukraine remains open to meaningful dialogue and real solutions negotiated together with Ukraine, respecting the will of our people," the head of Kiev diplomacy stressed. "We need a lasting peace that will not be destroyed by Moscow's next move. "Ukrainians deserve a just peace based on international law and respect for our territorial integrity and the borders defined by our Constitution," the minister added. Russia should not be rewarded for starting this war.

Two people died and 16 others were injured this morning after a Russian drone attack on a shuttle bus on the outskirts of Kherson, southern Ukraine: during rescue operations, the Russians struck again with another drone, injuring three police officers. This was announced by the regional authorities, as Ukrainska Pravda reports. All victims were inside the bus and according to the police two people were hospitalised in serious condition.

A senior White House official told CBS that the planning for the 15 August summit in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin "is still fluid" and that it is still possible that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "may be involved in some way". The White House had stated earlier this week that Trump is willing to meet with both Putin and Zelensky, but yesterday the US president told reporters that he intends to 'start with Russia'. Trump also stated that he believes there is 'a chance' of holding a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian and Russian leaders.

The Russian air defences shot down another 21 Ukrainian drones this morning between 5:10 and 8:00 (4:10 and 7:00 in Italy), the Moscow Defence Ministry announced on Telegram. Seven unmanned drones were destroyed on the Sea of Azov, six in the Bryansk region, four in the Kaluga region, three on the Black Sea, and one on the territory of occupied Crimea, a press release said. During the night, the Russians had shot down 97 Ukrainian drones.

Russian forces attacked Ukraine last night with two Iskander-K cruise missiles and 47 drones of various types, including Shahed suicide bombers, the Kiev Air Force announced on Telegram. The attack drones hit the border areas of the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, while the missiles targeted the city of Dnipro, a press release said. The Ukrainian air defences shot down or neutralised with electronic warfare systems one Iskander-K missile and 16 kamikaze drones and drones in the north and east of the country.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine cannot violate its constitution on territorial issues, adding that 'Ukrainians will not surrender their land to occupiers'. Commenting on US President Donald Trump's decision to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on 15 August, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine is ready for concrete solutions that can lead to peace. However, he added that any solution that does not involve Kiev would be a solution against peace.

A drone attack in the communities of Nikopol and Synelnykove districts in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine left four people injured. This was reported by Ukrinform, reporting on social media by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, Serhii Lysak.

Air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 97 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight, including one over the Moscow region. This was reported, Tass reports, by the Russian Defence Ministry. "During the night between 22:41 [Moscow time] on 8 August and 05:05 (Moscow time) on 9 August, in-service air defence systems destroyed and intercepted 97 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones: 28 on the territory of the Kursk region, 13 on the territory of the Bryansk region, 13 on the territory of the Kaluga region, 10 on the territory of the Tula region, 8 on the territory of the Orël region, 8 on the territory of the Belgorod region, 7 on the waters of the Sea of Azov, 5 on the territory of the Krasnodar region, 2 on the territory of the Rostov region, 1 on the territory of the Crimean Republic, 1 on the territory of the Moscow region and 1 on the territory of the Lipetsk region," the Russian military department reported.

"The Kremlin expects that, after Alaska, the next meeting between Russian and US presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will take place on Russian territory." This was stated, Interfax news agency reports, by Russian leader's adviser Yuri Ushakov, commenting on the choice of Alaska as the venue for the summit of heads of state of Russia and the US on 15 August. "Looking to the future, we should aim for the next meeting between the presidents to be held on Russian territory. The corresponding invitation has already been extended to the US president,' the Kremlin spokesman said. As for the choice of Alaska as the venue for the first meeting, Ushakov said that 'Russia and the United States are neighbours, neighbours. And it seems entirely logical that our delegation would simply cross the Bering Strait and that such an important and long-awaited summit of the leaders of the two countries would be held in Alaska'.

Further reading

Russia, suicides and mysterious deaths around Putin: how the death of Starovoit reopens the mystery

08 July 2025

The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will take place on 15 August in Alaska. Trump announced this on his social Truth. 'The highly anticipated meeting between me and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place next Friday 15 August in Alaska. More details to follow,' Trump says.

With the visit to Alaska Putin returns to the US for the first time in almost ten years. In fact, the Kremlin leader's last visit to the US dates back to September 2015. Putin now returns to meet Donald Trump in Alaska. By contrast, the last time Putin met with an American president was in Geneva in 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine, when he met Joe Biden in Geneva. Putin met Trump six times during the US president's first term, while he saw Barack Obama on nine occasions. In contrast, Putin and George W. Bush saw each other 28 times during the former US president's two terms in office, with the Kremlin leader being the first to call him after the 9/11 attacks.