War in Europe

White House sources: Trump steps back from Russia-Ukraine mediation. President: 'To win Kiev had to attack Moscow'

Meanwhile, the war continues: since Trump met Putin in Anchorage on 15 August, at least 31 civilians have been killed and 145 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine

21 August 2025Aggiornato alle ore 8:25

6' min read

Key points

Nyt: Rubio talks with EU and Ukrainian colleagues today
Technicality: Podolyak: 'Article 5 NATO is not enough if it is not automatic'
Kiev: Russian missiles and drones on cities far from the front
Moscow: 49 Kiev drones shot down in Russian territory
Kiev's summary: 614 Russian drones and missiles, never so many in one month
Hungary: 'Still opposed to Kiev's EU membership'

6' min read

Donald Trump has decided to take a step back in mediating Russia and Ukraine and wants Moscow and Kiev to arrange a meeting between their leaders without intervening directly for now. This was reported by White House officials to the Guardian. In an interview with talk host Mark Levin on Tuesday, the US president also said he believed it would be better for Putin and Zelensky to meet without him at first. A senior US official described the tycoon's new position as a kind of "wait-and-see attitude", which is also evidenced by the fact that Trump has entrusted Rubio with the dossier. "Within two weeks we will know whether there will be peace in Ukraine one way or the other. After that, we may have to adopt a different strategy,' Trump later said in an interview on the Todd Starnes Show.

Not only that. On Truth Donald Trump writes: "It is very difficult, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking the invading country. It's like a great team that has a fantastic defence, but can't play offense. There is no chance of winning!". And again: 'And so it was with Ukraine and Russia.The corrupt and incompetent Joe Biden did not allow Ukraine to attack but only to defend itself and how did it go?",' the US president attacked, reiterating that 'this is a war that would never have happened if I were president' and announcing that 'interesting times lie ahead'.

Before Trump's about-face, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that a meeting with Vladimir Putin would only be possible after an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine. "We want to reach an agreement on the structure of security guarantees within seven to ten days. On the basis of that agreement, we aim to hold a trilateral meeting. That was my logic,' Zelensky told reporters after his trip to Washington together with European leaders.

"President Trump suggested a slightly different logic: a trilateral meeting through a bilateral one, he had explained, "but then we all agreed that, in any case, we will continue to work on security guarantees, establishing this rough framework, similar to Article 5. And what we have today is political support for that'. "We are ready for a configuration of bilateral and trilateral meetings and, if the Russians are not ready, we call for the introduction of tariffs.We call for more sanctions, tariff measures from the United States, because they will really work," the Ukrainian leader continued, recalling, however, that "there is still no signal from Moscow that it really intends to engage in substantive negotiations and end this war."

On the language issue, Zelensky was categorical: Ukraine has only one state language and that is Ukrainian, he told the press regarding the Kremlin's demands to protect the Russian language within the Kiev state. "We have one state language: Ukrainian. Russia can say whatever it wants.... I think these demands are purely aimed at imposing ultimatums and complicating the negotiation process."

Lavrov, for peace assess legitimacy of Zelensky's signature

The distinctions and clarifications coming from the Ukrainian president, pending the definition of the security guarantees clearly opposed by Moscow, are countered by the stakes continually advanced by Russia. "When and if, it is hoped," a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is signed, the problem of the legitimacy of the person who will sign these agreements will have to be "resolved" by Kiev, Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov stressed today, referring to the Ukrainian president, whose term of office expired in May 2024 without new elections being held due to the martial law in force in the country.

Vance: Russia wants Ukrainian territories not yet occupied

And just in the last few hours,the terms of the agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine are becoming clearer, at least from the US point of view. The Europeans will have to shoulder the lion's share of the burden of security guarantees for Ukraine, US Vice-President JD Vance emphasised, according to whom Europe will have to take the "lion's share". "I don't think we should shoulder the burden. I think we should help if necessary to stop the war,' Vance noted. 'I think we should expect, and the president certainly expects, Europe to play a leading role. Whatever form it takes, the Europeans will have to shoulder most of the burden'..

NnIn negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, Vance explained in an interview with Fox News, Russia wants "some portions of territory, most of which it has already occupied, but some of which it hasn't yet":"And that's where the crux of the negotiation lies." For its part, he added, 'Ukraine wants to be sure that it will not be invaded by Russia again. It wants to be sure of maintaining its territorial integrity in the long term'..

Nyt: Rubio talks today with EU and Ukrainian colleagues

The US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, will hold "delicate diplomatic talks" today with Ukrainian and European colleagues on the conflict in Ukraine. This was reported by the New York Times citing a US administration official, according to whom the talks are aimed at defining "what the security guarantees might be" for Kiev, ahead of a possible meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Technicality, Podolyak: 'Article 5 NATO is not enough if it is not automatic'

According to Mikhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the proposal to offer as a security guarantee to Kiev the possibility of recourse to NATO Article 5, without Ukraine's entry into NATO, is not sufficient, because 'it would not be automatic, binding'. Kiev must have 'an alliance, a network of relations. Not Nato, but still an alliance,' Podolyak said in an interview with Repubblica. "There are currently discussions about contingents from different countries, there is talk of 10 countries, and France is also under discussion. And Giorgia Meloni proposes to use Nato Article 5, extending it to Ukraine without it joining Nato,' he recalled, 'but Article 5 would not be automatic, binding. So it needs to be rethought. Because if it is only advisory the allies could get together and someone could say: 'We cannot participate directly in your confrontation with Russia''.

Kiev: Russian missiles and drones on cities far from the front

Russia has launched a wave of missiles and drones against cities across Ukraine, including regions in the far west of the country, hundreds of kilometres from the frontline. This was reported by theKyiv Independent.In the night of 21 August explosions were heard in the Rivne oblast, where Russia launched bombers and drones, causing the activation of the air alert throughout Ukraine. Three explosions were heard in Rivne oblast, where Russian MiG-31 fighter jets capable of launching Kinzhal ballistic missiles reportedly took off. The Rivne oblast in western Ukraine is far from the frontline and lies about 304 kilometres (390 miles) west of Kiev.

In the past 24 hours, according to what the Kiev General Staff shares on its social media, there has been 167 fights between Russian invasion forces and Ukrainian defence forces in Ukraine. Russian forces carried out two attacks using five missiles, 61 air strikes dropping 127 guided bombs and conducted 5,407 artillery attacks, including 123 multiple rocket launchers (MLRS). In addition, the note states, the Kremlin deployed 5,939 kamikaze drones to strike Ukrainian positions and settlements.

The latest attacks come just days after US President Donald Trump concluded talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House on 18 August, as part of intensified efforts to negotiate a peace deal. Since Trump met Putin in Anchorage on 15 August, at least 31 civilians have been killed and another 145 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine.

Moscow: 49 Kiev drones shot down in Russian territory

The Ukrainian Air Defence Forces - who have just successfully tested the 'Flamingo' long-range cruise missile with a range of 3,000 km, which will soon enter mass production - destroyed and intercepted 49 Ukrainian drones over the Russian and Black Sea regions overnight. This was reported by the Russian Defence Ministry, as reported by Tass. "During last night, 49 Ukrainian unmanned aircraft were intercepted and destroyed by in-service air defence systems," the ministry said.

Kiev's summary: 614 Russian drones and missiles, never so many in one month

The escalation of Russian attacks against Ukraine continues. The Kiev Air Force reported that in last night's raids, which cost the life of one person and injured 14 others, 574 drones and 40 missiles were launched, a record number in the last month. Air Defence reports shooting down 546 unmanned aircraft and 31 missiles.

German media: Ukrainian involved in Nord Stream sabotage arrested in Italy

Also worth noting is an 'Italian' development in the investigation into those responsible for the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in Danish waters in September 2022. The Italian police arrested in the province of Rimini a Ukrainian citizen, Serhii K., on suspicion of participating in the sabotage. This was reported by Bild, according to which the operation, which took place on the night of 21 August, was carried out by the Misano Adriatico Carabinieri in close cooperation with the Service for International Police Cooperation, on a European arrest warrant issued on 18 August by the German Federal Prosecutor's Office.

Hungary: 'Still opposed to Kiev's accession to the EU'

Meanwhile, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto strongly denied that Donald Trump had phoned Prime Minister Viktor Orban asking him not to obstruct Ukraine's EU membership. "It did not happen, and our position has not changed: we are against Kiev's entry" into the Union, the minister reiterated, however, speaking to journalists.