United 24 Media:
🔹 NATO confirmed that Secretary General Mark Rutte will travel to Washington to join talks between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with several European leaders.
Among them are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
🔸 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Ukraine must become “a steel porcupine that no attacker can digest.”
🔹 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Putin has had no success in the Donetsk region and has been unable to capture it in 12 years.
“We need real negotiations. This means they can start where the front line is now,” Zelenskyy noted.
🔸 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the 19th package of sanctions against Russia will be adopted in early September.
🔹 US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States does not support the idea of transferring the entire territory of Donbas under Russian control.
When asked whether Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea could be handed over to Putin, Rubio replied:
“The Ukrainians are not ready to give it up, and no one is pressuring Ukraine to give it up… If there is a peace agreement, it will not look like this.”
🔸 Sanctions are getting in the way. The only way to end this war is to get the Russians to agree to a peace deal, said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“To end this war, you have to be able to engage with the Russians. As much as some people may like it or find it unpleasant, the only way is to get them to agree to peace. And once new sanctions are imposed, the ability to bring them to the negotiating table is diminished,” Rubio noted.
⚡️President Zelenskyy said that Russia is currently showing no signs of agreeing to a trilateral meeting.
“So far, Russia is not showing any signs that trilateral meetings will take place. And if Russia refuses, then new sanctions are needed,” Zelenskyy stated during a joint press briefing with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on August 17.
❗️The Constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to renounce territory or trade land, — President Zelenskyy after a meeting with EU leaders.
“We need real negotiations, and this means they can begin where the front line is now. The contact line is the best line for negotiations. And the Europeans support this,” the President said.
He stressed that Ukraine “needs security that will work in practice, like NATO’s Article 5.”
“We consider joining the EU part of security guarantees. And we heard from President Trump that America and Putin see it the same way,” Zelenskyy added.
🔹 Statements by world leaders after the virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing:
“If there is no ceasefire agreement, the EU and the US should increase pressure on Russia. Ukraine’s sovereign right to determine its own terms for peace must be respected, and Europe stands ready to contribute to security guarantees,” — President of the European Council António Costa.
“There is a strong consensus among the coalition countries on the need to continue supporting Ukraine. Europe and the US are strengthening their common position and will continue to do so tomorrow in Washington,” — President of Finland Alexander Stubb.
“We agreed that the immediate priority should be to stop the killings, and that clear security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States and Europe will be absolutely necessary for further negotiations,” — Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala.
🔸 “There is only one state that offers peace, which would be a capitulation — Russia,” French President Emmanuel Macron said following the meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing,” quoted by Le Monde.
“If we are weak with Moscow, we are preparing for the conflicts of tomorrow. I am convinced that we must enter a new diplomatic stage. We are going there [to Washington to meet with Donald Trump] not only to support Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but also to protect the interests of Europeans,” Macron added.
⚡️“Tomorrow will be the hour when Ukraine will decide its fate,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
She stressed that Ukraine must become a “steel porcupine” that no attacker can digest and emphasized the need for security guarantees to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to her, there can be no restrictions on the Ukrainian Armed Forces or on assistance from other countries.
Von der Leyen welcomed the US President’s intention to push for security guarantees similar to NATO’s Article 5 and noted that the EU, along with the “coalition of the willing,” is ready to contribute. She also confirmed that the 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia could be adopted as early as September.
🔹 “Coalition of the Willing” is ready to deploy deterrent forces in Ukraine after the end of hostilities and to protect its air and sea space.
After an online meeting with President Zelenskyy, the leaders of the participating countries declared the readiness of the “Coalition of the Willing” to play a key role in future security guarantees. In particular, this concerns a multinational force that can be deployed on the territory of Ukraine to safeguard its air and maritime domains.
The statement also notes that Trump’s commitment to provide security guarantees to Ukraine is considered the basis of a future agreement, and the coalition will serve as a “pillar” of this architecture.
🔸 The Ukrainian Armed Forces struck a Russian military column in the Kursk region last night. Among the personnel, Lieutenant General Abachev was likely present and reportedly sustained serious injuries.
❗️Russian Armed Forces struck a residential apartment building in Kharkiv with a ballistic missile, — Mayor Terekhov.
🤬 Russian terrorists killed a 15-year-old boy in Zaporizhzhia region, — Regional Military Administration.
The occupiers struck the village of Novoyakovlivka with FABs. Six people were wounded, including two children.
One house was destroyed, and nearby houses were damaged.
🔹 On the night of August 18, Russian drones attacked Odesa region, causing a large-scale fire at a fuel and energy infrastructure facility.
🔸 The Russians attacked Zaporizhzhia, leaving four people injured.
According to the head of the regional military administration Ivan Fedorov, the strike targeted the city’s critical infrastructure, with two confirmed hits. Damage has not yet been reported, but all victims are receiving medical care.
🔹 Today is a day of mourning in Kharkiv. Five people were killed, including a one-and-a-half-year-old girl. Twenty more were injured, the youngest just six years old, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
“These are the consequences of a terrorist attack on a residential building. My sincere condolences to the families and friends of all the victims. Kharkiv remembers every victim. And Kharkiv will definitely stand.”
‼️ The number of victims of the Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia has risen to 17.
❗️The Russians have struck the oil depot of the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR for the second time in a month — this time destroying it.
According to the Azerbaijani outlet MINVAL, several direct hits caused a large fire.
All tanks, the pumping station building, operator and weighing facilities, technical premises, and the fence were destroyed. The depot had a storage capacity of more than 16,000 cubic meters.
According to Serhiy Kuyun, director of the “A-95 Consulting Group,” the oil depot was completely destroyed.
🔸 In Budapest, Ukraine is once again being accused and threatened.
“Ukraine has once again attacked the oil pipeline leading to Hungary, cutting off supplies. This latest strike against our energy security is outrageous and unacceptable!
Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin informed me that experts are working to restore the transformer station essential for operating the pipeline, but for now they cannot say when deliveries will resume.
For 3.5 years Brussels and Kyiv have tried to drag Hungary into the war in Ukraine. These repeated Ukrainian attacks on our energy supply serve that same purpose.
Let me be clear: this is not our war. We have nothing to do with it, and as long as we are in charge, Hungary will stay out of it.
Finally, a reminder to Ukrainian decision-makers: electricity from Hungary plays a vital role in powering your country…,” wrote Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on X.