Monday, August 11th's live news on the Russia-Ukraine conflict."I will speak with Zelensky and the EU after meeting with Putin at the Alaska summit," the US president said.
19:25 | 11 August
Zelensky to Carney: Grateful for Canadian support
In a day filled with telephone meetings, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, thanking him for Ottawa's support for Kiev."We agreed that no decision regarding Ukraine's future and the security of our people can be made without Ukraine's participation," Zelensky also emphasized on his X profile.
5:58 PM | August 11
Trump: There will be a territorial swap, Zelensky disagrees.
There will be a territorial swap, I know it from Russia. Donald Trump said so, expressing his annoyance at Volodymyr Zelensky's statements about refusing to cede territory.
5:55 PM | August 11
Trump: I want a meeting between Putin and Zelensky
The next meeting will be between Zelensky and Putin, or Zelensky, Putin, and me. I'll be there if needed, but I want to arrange a meeting between the two leaders. They want to sit them down in a room. Donald Trump said so.
5:39 PM | August 11
Trump: I'll tell Putin to end the war
"I'll talk to Putin and tell him to end the war," Donald Trump said, emphasizing that he expects a constructive dialogue with Putin.
5:09 PM | August 11
Kiev: The EU must be an active participant in the process of ending the war.
Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk spoke by telephone today with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Both agreed on the need for European institutions to be an active participant in the"process of ending the war and achieving a just and lasting peace." "We share the view that any decision taken without Ukraine's involvement will be contrary to peace. Peace must be just," Stefanchuk added on his social media profiles.
5:07 PM | August 11
Ukrainian citizen charged with sending explosives package in Poland
A Ukrainian citizen, Kristina S., has been formally charged with planning sabotage in Poland. The Internal Security Agency announced this. According to reports, in July 2024, she sent a package containing explosives in the form of nitroglycerin, as well as military-grade fuses, a trigger, a metal thermos, and aluminum powder. The package was found and seized in the warehouse of a shipping company in the Lodz region. In addition to Kristina S., three other people have been identified in connection with the charge: a Ukrainian citizen and two Russians. She faces up to eight years in prison. Investigations into the other perpetrators of the crime are ongoing, and two of them have been remanded in custody.
5:05 PM | August 11
Von der Leyen also on a call with European leaders, Trump and Zelensky
The European Commission confirmed that President Ursula von de Leyen will also participate on Wednesday in the calls organized by Chancellor Friedrich Merz with other EU leaders, President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump. A spokesperson for the EU executive confirmed this.
4:43 PM | August 11
Downing Street: We support Trump's efforts but will not reward London's aggression
While supporting US President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer believes Kiev must be involved in any ceasefire agreement. His spokesman told reporters:"We will never trust President (Vladimir) Putin, but we will support Ukraine, President Trump, and European nations during negotiations," Starmer's spokesman said. He also emphasized that any peace must be built with Ukraine, not imposed, and that we will not reward aggression or compromise the country's sovereignty.
4:12 PM | August 11
Zelensky to bin Salman: There is a real possibility for peace, but let it be fair.
Now the time has come when there is a real chance for peace, but peace must be honest and lasting, and security must be guaranteed. Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, according to what the Ukrainian president himself announced on social media.
4:10 PM | August 11
Merz and European leaders will interview Trump and Zelensky on Wednesday.
According to German government sources, Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to discuss the war in Ukraine on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European heads of government. Trump then plans to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
3:59 PM | August 11
London: We support Trump but never trust Putin
The United Kingdom will obviously support President Donald Trump and the European nations as they enter negotiations on Ukraine, marked by the August 15 summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized today, adding, however, that London believes Putin should never be trusted. The spokesperson then reiterated that the United Kingdom will of course continue to support Ukraine and work with allies in the so-called coalition of the willing to try to force an immediate ceasefire on Moscow and provide security guarantees to Kiev.
3:57 PM | August 11
Polish President Nawrocki is expected in Washington on September 3. He is scheduled to meet with Donald Trump at the White House.
New Polish President Karol Nawrocki will meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on September 3, the Polish presidency's office announced, specifying that the agenda will include security issues—including the deployment of US troops on Polish soil—and relations with Ukraine. This is an extremely important visit because we are, on the one hand, NATO's eastern flank and, on the other, an important economic and political partner of Ukraine, explained presidential spokesman Rafal Leskiewicz.
3:53 PM | August 11
Ukraine from the EU 1.6 billion euros in extra profits from frozen Russian assets
On Friday, the European Union received €1.6 billion in so-called windfall profits accrued on interest on cash balances from the Russian Central Bank's immobilized assets held in central securities depositories. According to a European Commission statement, this is the third transfer, following those in July 2024 and last April, relating to proceeds accumulated in the first half of this year. The assets, frozen as part of EU sanctions over Russian aggression against Ukraine, remain frozen, but the interest can be allocated to Kiev. For the first two tranches, 90% of the funds were used through the European Peace Facility (EPF) and 10% through the Ukraine Facility. Starting with this third transfer, 95% will go to the new Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism (ULCM) and 5% to the EPF. The ULCM provides non-repayable support to help Ukraine repay EU macrofinancial loans and bilateral loans from Member States under the mechanism, totaling €45 billion, while the EPF helps cover Kiev's urgent military and defense needs. This measure, the Commission noted, is part of the EU's commitment to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
3:51 PM | August 11
Ukraine: Putin risks a cold reception in 'nearby' Alaska
Vladimir Putin risks a chilly reception in Alaska, where the Russian president is expected to meet Donald Trump next Friday. This is despite the fact that, since the end of the Cold War, when it served as a frontline for missile defense against the Soviet Union, the American Arctic state has become the focus of efforts to revitalize ties between the US and the new Russian Federation. These have been years in which Alaska has strengthened and even celebrated its historic ties with neighboring Russia, writes the New York Times, which notes that this process, however, slowed with Putin's rise and then came to a real halt with Ukraine's aggression in 2022. For example, the council of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, voted to suspend its decades-long twinning with the Siberian city of Magadan, stating that it cannot turn a blind eye to the Russian government's actions in Ukraine. The capital, Juneau, however, voted to maintain its twinning with Vladivostok. In the Arctic state, colonized by the Russian Empire in the 18th century and then sold to the USA in 1867, there are still several communities of Russian speakers.
3:37 PM | August 11
Poland-US, Nawrocki-Trump meeting in early September to discuss security and Ukraine
During his visit to the White House on September 3, Polish President Karol Nawrocki will discuss security and relations with Ukraine with his US counterpart Donald Trump. Presidential spokesman Rafal Leskiewicz told the Pap news agency. As president-elect, Nawrocki spoke to Trump by phone immediately after the official results of the presidential election were announced. It was a very good and valuable conversation, during which an invitation to visit the United States to meet with President Donald Trump also emerged, the spokesman said. Last Saturday, Nawrocki's chief of staff, Pawel Szefernaker, confirmed that the invitation to Washington was reiterated in the congratulatory letter for the Polish president's inauguration on August 6. Leskiewicz added that the meeting will also address another issue close to Warsaw's heart: the US military presence in Poland. The spokesman did not rule out the possibility that Nawrocki might stop at the Vatican on his way to Washington.
3:34 PM | August 11
CNN: Vance Sensitive to European Opinions on Negotiations During His Visit to Britain
US Vice President J.D. Vance expressed sensitivity to Europe's views on Ukraine peace talks during his visit to Britain, CNN reported, citing EU diplomatic sources.
2:13 PM | August 11
EU: Another €1.6 billion in frozen Russian assets for Kiev
The EU has received €1.6 billion in extraordinary profits generated by interest earned on frozen assets held by the Russian Central Bank, the European Commission announced. This is the third transfer to the EU, following the first €1.5 billion instalment in July 2024 and the second €2.1 billion in April 2025. Although the assets remain frozen, interest on cash balances can be used to support Kyiv, Brussels emphasizes. The proceeds, for the first half of 2025, will be allocated 95% to the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism, to help Kyiv repay EU and G7 loans of up to €45 billion, and 5% to the European Peace Facility for military needs.
1:55 PM | August 11
Starmer: No negotiations without Kiev. Ukraine will decide its future.
British Prime Minister Starmer confirmed, through his spokesperson, his support for US President Donald Trump's attempts to end the war in Ukraine, while emphasizing that Kiev must be involved in these negotiations. Any peace must be built together with Ukraine, he added. It should not be imposed on them, nor should any aggression be rewarded. Ukraine will decide its own future, and we will support it every step of the way.
1:48 PM | August 11
Kiev, the village of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region has been captured.
The Ukrainian army has captured the village of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. The Ukrainian Defense Forces have liberated and completely cleared the settlement of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region of Russian occupiers, the statement read.
1:30 PM | August 11
Berlin: Engage Ukraine in a solution
Berlin insists on the importance of Ukraine's involvement in a solution to the conflict triggered by the 2022 Russian invasion, just days after the announced face-to-face meeting in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. This could be a very, very important moment for the development of this terrible war, Steffen Meyer, deputy government spokesman, said in Berlin. For the spokesman, if the goal is to achieve a truly just and lasting peace, then ignoring the Ukrainians is absolutely out of the question. No details on the German position were forthcoming. A process is underway in which every sentence, every word, every public statement can change things, even for the worse.
1:25 PM | August 11
Russia-Ukraine conquers the city of Yablonovka in the Donetsk region.
Russian forces from the Center Group have captured the town of Yablonovka in the Donetsk Region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. Units from the Center Group of Forces decisively liberated the settlement of Yablonovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, the ministry reported.
1:06 PM | August 11
Trump-Putin summit could be held at Girdwood resort
US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin may meet at a resort in Girdwood, Alaska, according to the Alaska Landmine website, citing military sources. According to the website, the talks could be held at the Alyeska Resort Hotel, where reservations are no longer available. The summit is scheduled for August 15, and the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has not yet been ruled out, though this has not been confirmed.
12:37 PM | August 11
Zelensky: Concessions don't convince a murderer, while truly strong protection of life stops killers.
Another week has ended without Russia making any attempt to comply with the international community's numerous requests and stop the killings. In the last 24 hours alone, 137 armed clashes have occurred on the front lines, and this happens every day. The Russian military is not reducing its pressure and is not taking its losses into account. This is what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a message published on X, in which he emphasized that in the last week, the Russians have used more than a thousand aerial bombs and nearly 1,400 attack drones against Ukraine. Missile attacks also continue. We are protecting the lives of our people and strengthening our air defenses. This is the situation on the front lines, and diplomacy must adapt accordingly. Russia is dragging out the war and, for this, deserves even greater global pressure," Zelensky stated."It refuses to stop the killings and therefore should not receive any reward or benefit. This is not only a moral position, but also a rational one: concessions don't convince a murderer, while truly strong protection of life stops killers. I thank everyone around the world who helps us remain strong and bring about a genuine peace—a peace based on strength. It is the only possible peace with Russia.
12:27 PM | August 11
Tusk: Moscow cannot change borders by force
Poland and its European partners must be clear that borders cannot be changed by force. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said this today, speaking to the press in Warsaw after the weekend consultations between European leaders. He emphasized that Russia must not be able to benefit from its invasion of Ukraine and that the West, including European countries, will not accept Russian demands that simply amount to the seizure of Ukrainian territory. Tusk warned of the risk that Moscow might think it can challenge other countries' borders with impunity. Referring to Polish history, he reiterated the principle of no action on Ukraine without Ukraine:"We know from history—and Poland has often been a victim of this—that when great powers decided the fate of other countries without their participation in negotiations, the consequences were grave."
11:43 AM | August 11
Tusk: Russia must involve Kiev and not challenge borders with impunity
Kiev must be involved in the peace talks in Ukraine, and Russia must not be allowed to challenge its borders with impunity. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated this at a press conference still underway, convened to brief Polish media following this weekend's consultations between European leaders, who, he added, remain united in their approach. For Poland and our European partners, it must be clear that borders cannot be changed by force and that the West will not accept Russian demands that simply amount to the seizure of Ukrainian territory.
11:13 AM | August 11
EU: Urgent Foreign Affairs Council meeting scheduled for 4 p.m., with Ukraine among the topics under discussion.
At 4 p.m., a videoconference meeting of EU foreign ministers on Ukraine and the Middle East will take place, urgently convened by High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas. Minister Antonio Tajani will also be present. The European Commission will also be represented by Commissioner for Crisis Preparedness and Management Hadja Lahbib."Today I am attending the Foreign Affairs Council urgently convened by Kallas," writes X."On the agenda are Ukraine—no peace can be lasting without Kiev at the table—and Gaza, where the humanitarian situation is unsustainable. This is not the time for division. The EU must speak with one voice."
11:13 AM | August 11
Kiev, the village of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region has been captured.
The Ukrainian army has captured the village of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. The Ukrainian Defense Forces have liberated and completely cleared the settlement of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region of Russian occupiers, the statement read.
8:09 AM | August 11
The treasures Ukraine risks having to cede to Russia now: from rare earths to water
by Marta Serafini
Since 1991, Russia has torn pieces from its neighbors like a butcher: Transnistria from Moldova in 1992, Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia in 2008, Donbass and Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and then again in 2022. But this time it will be different. The speaker is a former Ukrainian officer, now become military analyst and author of an account on X, under the name of Tatarigami UA, among the most followed by those interested in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Like him, there are few military experts who believe an agreement that leads to the cession of Donetsk to Moscow and the freezing of the front line is plausible without a solid compensation for Kiev
.
As for Donbass, the reason, from Kiev's point of view, is, in order, political, military and economic. Moscow and Kiev have been fighting over this territory for 11 years. Thousands of young Ukrainians have died in the name of defending the East, and most of the military now in command was trained in the trenches of the belt that runs from Slovyansk to Kostyantynivka, passing through Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka. Even if Zelensky were to give the order to retreat, it remains to be seen whether the military would obey, Tatarigami comments further. Russophone, the cradle of Orthodoxy loyal to Moscow, for Kiev's nationalists, Donetsk represents the bastion of the Maidan revolution, the gateway to Europe, and NATO's true eastern flank, the one that attracted Washington's attention in 2014 when it decided to invest in the training of Ukrainian military and intelligence agencies.
7:58 AM | August 11
Working for Zelensky and pushing for a truce with Russia. This is how Meloni realigns herself with her European partners.
by Marco Galluzzo
There are two points of the European line that Giorgia Meloni and our diplomacy are espousing in the last few hours, more than others. First of all, Zelensky's participation in the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin, a presence that for us, as for Brussels, would change the framework of the meeting and would mitigate what everyone fears and openly says, both at the Farnesina and in Brussels: Trump has already given Putin an enormous gift by arranging a meeting, the collective fear is that there will be a rehabilitation devoid of substance. Despite the holiday atmosphere, both our Prime Minister and our Foreign Minister remain in contact with the other European leaders, even in this context. And the Ukrainian leader's participation in the meetings in Alaska is also being advocated by the military, both in NATO and in our Defense, given that a confrontation of that kind cannot see the commander-in-chief of one of the nations at war sitting at the table while the other commander is distant.
7:40 AM | August 11
Zelensky: We will not allow Russia to deceive the US
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that his country will not allow Russia to deceive the United States, just days before Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska on August 15. Not a day goes by without communication with the United States on how to ensure real peace."We understand Russia's intention to try to deceive America, and we will not allow it. I greatly appreciate President Trump's determination to end the killings in this war," the Ukrainian president said in a public speech. Trump announced on the Truth social media platform that a summit with Putin will be held on August 15 in Alaska to discuss ending the conflict. Zelensky reiterated that the sole cause of these killings is Putin's desire to wage war and manipulate everyone, and that, after more than three years of large-scale war, Ukraine will continue to defend its statehood and independence, thanking those who offer support to Kiev.
7:38 AM | August 11
Kremlin adviser: Here are Putin's conditions for the Russia-US deal. He's the one offering Trump a way out.
(by Paolo Valentino) I think Putin is offering Trump a convenient way out, says Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics and a trusted Kremlin foreign policy adviser.
What does Putin expect from the Alaska summit?
There are two possible options. The first is for the two presidents to adopt a bilateral Russian-American plan to achieve a truce in Ukraine. This is fundamental from the Kremlin's point of view: the agreement is between us and the United States, without Ukraine and Europe. This plan could include the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the areas of Donbas where they are still present, and Russia's withdrawal from the regions of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv, with the front line remaining unchanged in other areas. I recall that a year ago, Moscow had asked the Ukrainians to completely withdraw from all four annexed provinces, while now it is only asking for a withdrawal from Donbas. A crucial part of the agreement is Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO. So it's not just an exchange of territories. Obviously not. The commitment not to join the Atlantic Alliance is the essential precondition for any truce. Then the final agreements will naturally also have to include the demilitarization of Ukraine and constitutional reform along the federal lines. But this was known in your position. What's really new?
First, that Russia is now willing to talk about a ceasefire, not just the final agreement. Second, that Putin is demanding slightly less for the truce than he did a year ago. You mentioned two options. What is the second? That
Zelensky, supported by the Europeans, rejects this solution, at which point Trump would cut off all military assistance to Kiev and even stop selling weapons to the Europeans, so they can hand them over to Ukraine. But this would hasten their defeat and total collapse.
06:36|August 11
Drones over Nizhny Novgorod kill one, injure two
One person was killed and two others were injured last night in a Ukrainian drone strike in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Governor Gleb Nikitin announced the news, according to TASS:"Unfortunately," he wrote on Telegram,"it was not possible to avoid casualties and damage." The attack, in the municipality of Arzamas, was repelled, but one employee died instantly and two others were hospitalized. Emergency services are working on the scene, led by Arzamas Mayor Alexander Shchelokov.
4:36 AM | August 11
Ukraine: Another drone shot down while flying toward Moscow
Defense Ministry air defenses have shot down another drone flying toward Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported the incident on his Telegram channel. First responders are working at the site of the debris, Sobyanin added.
4:34 AM | August 11
Kiev, 112 clashes at the front on Sunday alone
On Sunday, August 10, 112 clashes occurred on the Ukrainian front. Most of the fighting took place in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlovsk directions. RBC-Ukraine reported this, citing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, specifying that the enemy carried out 38 air strikes, dropping 66 guided aerial bombs, as well as 1,691 kamikaze drone attacks and 4,127 bombings of Ukrainian troop positions.
4:33 AM | August 10
US Ambassador to NATO: Zelensky Could Be at the Summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may attend this week's US-Russia summit in Alaska, according to the US ambassador to NATO, who says there can't be an agreement that isn't accepted by all parties involved. When CNN asked Matthew Whitaker if Zelensky could join US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the ambassador's response was unhesitating:"Yes, I definitely think it's possible."
