United 24:
πΉ Slovak Prime Minister Fico compared Ukraine to βgrassβ in a dispute between βelephants,β referring to the upcoming summit between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sharply criticized his remarks.
βIt is regrettable that the head of government of a European Union member state allows himself openly offensive rhetoric toward Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who heroically fight Russian aggression on their soil every day in the interests of the security of all of Europe.β
π₯ The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the destruction of the Saratov Oil Refinery in Russia.
βThe Saratov Oil Refinery is one of the key facilities in Russiaβs fuel infrastructure, supplying petroleum products to the occupation forces. Its annual processing capacity is up to 7 million tons of oil.
As a result of a UAV strike, explosions and a fire were recorded on the facilityβs grounds.β
πΈ It is extremely dangerous for any nation when an independent state is treated merely as a βterritoryβ and attempts are made to divide it. History has repeatedly shown that if such injustice is allowed against one state, it does not end there, President Zelenskyy said after a conversation with his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
βA good and meaningful conversation with the President of Kazakhstan. I am grateful for the support of the Ukrainian people, our independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. International law, the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, and common sense β namely respect for borders, territorial integrity, and the dignity of each people β must prevail. That is why it is important for all states to work toward a fair and lasting peace for Ukraine.
I informed President Tokayev about our diplomatic efforts and the coordinated position of Europe: the war must end as soon as possible with a reliable peace.
Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything to prolong the fighting, refuses to stop the killings despite announced deadlines, and is trying to bargain for better positions on the ground ahead of future strikes. Such destructiveness must stop.
Ukraine is ready to work as productively as possible with all partners for the sake of real peace. Issues regarding Ukraine must be resolved with the participation of Ukraine β and all partners understand this.β
πΉ Asked whether it would be appropriate for Putin to meet with Zelenskyy before meeting with Trump, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said he did not believe it would be productive. According to him, Trump should be the one to βbring togetherβ the leaders of Ukraine and Russia.
βWe will, of course, talk to the Ukrainians. We are keeping the dialogue open, but fundamentally, it is President Trump who should bring Putin and President Zelenskyy to the negotiating table to resolve their differences.
We certainly condemn the invasion that took place. We do not like the situation that has developed this way. But we need to establish peace β and the only way to do so is to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.β
πΈ If Russia continues to strike energy facilities in Ukraine linked to Azerbaijan, Baku will consider lifting its embargo on arms supplies to Kyiv β Haqqin.az.
On August 8, Russia targeted the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) oil depot in the Odesa region with Shahed missiles, injuring four employees and damaging a gas pipeline.
Earlier, Russia damaged the Orlivka gas compressor station, which supplied gas transit from Greece through Bulgaria and Romania to Ukraine and Moldova. This pipeline had also been planned for transporting Azerbaijani gas.
Today, President Zelenskyy said he had discussed energy cooperation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, as well as the possibility of expanding ties to other sectors.
βI informed him about Russian attacks on our energy facilities. Ukraine sees this as a deliberate attempt by Russia to block energy routes that ensure energy independence for us and other European countries,β Zelenskyy noted.
πΉ NATO Secretary General Rutte: Arms supplies to Ukraine will continue regardless of Trump-Putin talks
βWe already have the first two packages, for which the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries have taken on commitments,β Rutte said in an interview with CBS News.
He added that further statements on arms supplies are expected in the coming days and weeks.
πΈ HUR drones strike Russian refinery 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine
On August 10, Ukrainian HUR drones targeted the LUKOIL-Ukhtaneftepererabotka refinery in the Komi Republic, more than 2,000 km from the border. The facility supplies fuel to Russian occupation forces.
According to sources, a fuel tank and a gas processing plant were hit, causing a fuel spill. Locals reported explosions, a hole in the tank, as well as power and Internet outages.
πΉ The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine is the border between good and evil. It matters where it will be β on Ukrainian territory, on our borders, or in Europe. I am convinced the United States will act from a position of strength, and together we will find a way to stop Russian aggression, said Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova.
Commenting on the upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, she told CBS News that βall of Ukraine is praying for President Trump to act effectively and achieve good results.β
Markarova noted that Ukraine supports any form of ceasefire β full or partial.
βWe want Putin to stop military actions, and we hope that President Trumpβs initiatives, along with sanctions and additional restrictions on those who support Russia, will force him to end the aggression,β she stressed.
The diplomat added that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been committed to the idea of peace since the start of the war and is ready to take part in any measures aimed at achieving it.
βIf necessary, he will certainly be present at such meetings,β Markarova said.
She emphasized that Ukraine is ready to discuss ways to end the war, but the priority is achieving a ceasefire, which would stop the killings and open the door to diplomacy.
At the same time, she warned against ideas of creating βbuffer zonesβ or dividing Ukraine, calling them βarchaic concepts of the last century.β
πΈ Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected the criticism of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs against him and continued his verbal attacks on Kyiv.
The politician did not acknowledge the criticism of the Ukrainian ministry over his offensive statement regarding the upcoming talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in the United States and again made a provocative remark.
Fico noted that Slovakia is allegedly among the countries most intensively helping Ukraine but added that βneighborly relations cannot be just a one-way ticket.β
βI wish Ukraine an immediate just peace and an end to the senseless killing of Slavs. But I do not understand why Ukraine expects that everyone should always take its side,β DennΓk N quotes Fico as saying.
According to the head of government, Slovakia provides Ukraine with critical electricity supplies, and Kyiv uses European legislation that βobliges us to provide Slovak infrastructure for gas supplies to its territory.β
βHowever, the Ukrainian president has stopped gas supplies to Slovakia through Ukrainian territory, thereby causing significant damage to Slovakia,β Fico said.
According to the prime minister, the war in Ukraine has βdistorted freedom of speech in the EU.β He stated that any other point of view, apart from the βmandatoryβ one, is sharply criticized and condemned, βeven if it is based on objective information.β Fico claimed that βthe right to a different opinion, expressed in a normal way, is the foundation of democracy, and the restriction of this right is the beginning of the end of democracy.β
βAs the head of the government of a sovereign state, I will retain the right to freedom of speech and a different opinion, even if it causes nervousness among my colleagues in the EU and neighboring Ukraine. Even if my sovereign position on the military conflict in Ukraine almost cost me my life,β the head of the Slovak government concluded, alluding to last yearβs assassination attempt.
βοΈThe European Commission has urged the United States not to agree to a βunilateralβ exchange of territories during negotiations with Russia, Euractiv reports.
Brussels stressed that any agreement must provide for the βstrongest security guaranteesβ for Ukraine. These must include the absence of any restrictions on the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the continued support of international partners.
πΉ Azerbaijan allocates $2 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine
President Ilham Aliyev ordered that funds from the reserve be used to purchase and deliver electrical equipment produced in Azerbaijan to Ukraine.
πΈ Polish Prime Minister Tusk says he feels both fear and hope ahead of this weekβs US-Russia summit on the war in Ukraine
He noted that the US has promised to consult with its European partners before the meeting in Alaska.
βI will wait for the results of the meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin β I have a lot of fear and a lot of hope,β Tusk said.
πΉ Ahead of Trumpβs meeting with Putin, Russian propagandists will attempt to discredit the negotiation process and Ukraineβs participation in it β CPD
The Center for Countering Disinformation warns that manipulative narratives will be actively spread, alleging Ukraineβs unwillingness to negotiate, blocking or delaying talks, and making unrealistic demands.
Propaganda will also claim that Ukraine has βcompletely lost sovereigntyβ and is fully dependent on Washington or London, allegedly fighting βto the last Ukrainianβ for their interests.
Amid the pause in prisoner exchanges, false messages will target Ukraineβs βselective approachβ to returning military personnel.
πΈ German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall plans to double the capacity of its 155-mm artillery shell plant under construction in Ukraine as part of the German Aid to Ukraine (GAU) project.
CEO Armin Papperger said Ukraine had requested an increase in annual output from 150,000 to 300,000 shells to reduce reliance on foreign supplies and strengthen its defense industry.
Ammunition production is scheduled to start in 2026, with full capacity expected within one to two years. Papperger noted that bureaucratic hurdles in Ukraine and within the company are delaying the project.
πΉ Over the past week, Russia has used more than a thousand aerial bombs and nearly 1,400 strike drones against Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said.
He stressed that missile strikes also continue, and noted that another week has passed without any attempt by Russia to heed global demands to stop the killings.
πΈ India supports Ukraineβs peace efforts and shares the position that βeverything concerning Ukraine should be decided with Ukraineβs participation,β President Zelenskyy said after speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He noted that they discussed key issues of bilateral cooperation and the overall diplomatic situation. Zelenskyy informed Modi about Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, including the strike on the Zaporizhzhia bus station that injured dozens.
According to the President, instead of showing readiness for a ceasefire, Russia continues its occupation and killings. They also discussed sanctions against Russia, with Zelenskyy stressing the need to limit Russian energy exports, particularly oil, to reduce its ability to finance the war.
He added that every leader with real leverage over Russia should send strong signals to Moscow. A personal meeting between Zelenskyy and Modi is planned for September at the UN General Assembly, along with work on an exchange of visits.
πΉ All territorial claims renounced: The text of the agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been published.
The agreement includes 17 points. Armenia and Azerbaijan renounce any territorial claims now and in the future, as well as interference in each otherβs internal affairs. The countries recognize the borders they had during the Soviet era and agree to establish diplomatic relations.
πΈ Strike drones significantly increase the depth of the front, which greatly complicates the evacuation of the wounded from the battlefield, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
This was one of the problematic issues discussed at the monthly meeting on military medicine and medical support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The meeting addressed the state of medical units, the formation of separate medical battalions, and the supply of new army corps.
In addition, representatives of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade shared their positive experience in using ground robotic complexes (GRCs) for evacuation.
Tasks were also set to scale up the use of GRCs, improve armored vehicles, and enhance logistics.
βοΈGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz will convene virtual talks with Western leaders on August 13 regarding the Alaska meeting, German government spokesman Steffen Cornelius said.
Representatives of Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President AntΓ³nio Costa, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have confirmed their participation.
βThe talks will, among other things, consider further options for putting pressure on Russia. In addition, the preparation of possible peace talks and related issues of territorial claims and security will be discussed,β Cornelius said.
πΉ Lithuania to hold exercises on border with Belarus amid Russian troop deployment
From August 11 to 22, the ArΕ‘us Vilkas 2025 (βFurious Wolf 2025β) exercises will be held in the VarΔna District and at the GaiΕΎiΕ«nai training ground, organized by the GeleΕΎinis Vilkas (βIron Wolfβ) battalion of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanised Infantry Brigade.
About 350 military personnel and 50 pieces of equipment will take part in the maneuvers. The main goal is to practice defensive actions in populated areas. Vilkas combat vehicles, simulated ammunition, and pyrotechnics will be used.
Live firing at the company level is planned for the second week. Active movement of military equipment near the border with Belarus is expected.
πΈ On August 10, during the Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia, the External Crisis Center of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was damaged.
According to the Ministry of Energy, none of the employees were injured, but the office building was partially destroyed.
βThe External Crisis Center is an integral part of the plantβs security system. In conditions when the occupation leadership of the ZNPP blocks the automatic transmission of data on the nuclear and radiation status through the IAEA IRMIS system, it is the specialists of this center who conduct continuous monitoring of the radiation situation in the observation zone on the territory controlled by Ukraine,β the ministry noted.
πΉ The meeting between Trump and Putin will still be held in the United States β key points from Trumpβs press conference:
βͺοΈDonald Trump confirmed the talks with Vladimir Putin will take place on US soil. βI think it is a great respect that the Russian president is going to our country, and not us to his or even to a third country,β he said.
βͺοΈTrump stressed he will not sign any agreement with Russia on Ukraine. βIt is not my business β the Russian Federation and Ukraine should conclude an agreement.β
βͺοΈHe added he will probably know within the first two minutes of meeting Putin whether such an agreement is possible.
βͺοΈZelenskyy will not attend the August 15 talks in Alaska. βI would say he could go, but heβs already had a lot of meetings, heβs been there for three and a half years, and nothing has happened,β Trump said.
βͺοΈTrump also commented on the Russian army, claiming they could have been in Kyiv within four hours, βbut the Russian general decided to go through the fields.β
π£ Intelligence reports that Putin is definitely not preparing for a ceasefire. Instead, Russia is moving troops to launch new offensives, President Zelenskyy said.
βοΈRussian occupiers deported 15 children from the Mykolaiv region to Anapa β Ukraine gathered evidence for international courts.
Law enforcement completed the investigation into the forcible removal of children from the Novopetrivska special school during the occupation.
In 2022, Russian forces took 15 children β including orphans, children deprived of parental care, and one adopted by US citizens β first detaining them in the Kherson region before deporting them to Anapa. The investigation confirmed there were no medical grounds for the evacuation.
The occupiers banned the children from speaking Ukrainian and forced them to sing the Russian anthem. The evidence will be used in Ukrainian and international courts.
According to the Bring Kids Back initiative, 1,366 children have been returned to Ukraine, while over 19,000 were illegally taken.