Ukraine War News Today - Top Stories and Breaking Updates from Kyiv Post

Macron reiterated that France fully supports a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine in a recent call with Zelensky, as Paris continues to send aid to Kyiv and peace talks ramp up again.

French President Emmanuel Macron again pushed for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks to end Russia’s occupation of Ukraine after having a “long discussion” with President Volodymyr Zelensky and “several other European leaders” on Thursday.

“I reiterated to the Ukrainian President France’s full support for a ceasefire to be established,” Macron wrote on X. 

Russia is also one of India’s top arms suppliers and the warm ties between the two countries date back to the Soviet era.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met India’s national security advisor on Thursday, a day after Washington hiked tariffs on New Delhi over its purchases of Moscow’s oil. 

US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, coming into place in three weeks, as part of a campaign to pressure Russia into ending its offensive on Ukraine by affecting its trade partners.

A senior Trump administration official told Kyiv Post that the planned summit between the Russian and US leaders won’t happen without the Ukrainian leader’s participation.

A senior Trump administration official told Kyiv Post on Thursday that a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not move forward unless Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also at the table – but Trump later denied the statement.

“[The] United States expects that Putin should meet with Zelensky for the meeting in order for a meeting with Trump to occur,” the official told Kyiv Post’s chief Washington correspondent.

In some areas the only available water comes from puddles prompting Putin to meet with the Kremlin-appointed head of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” to discuss the shortages.

The centralized water supply in Russian-occupied south-eastern Ukraine has collapsed leaving thousands of households having to buy overpriced bottles for cooking and washing, wait for days for a water bowser to arrive, or to scavenge for water from lakes, ponds and puddles.

Prior to the war, Donetsk was, by many measures, one of Ukraine’s richest cities – but no more. These days, authorities turn on the taps to homes and apartments for two to four hours every three days.

Russia exports grain mixed with harvests from occupied Ukraine and attacks fields in liberated territories with drones, burning crops, and by attempting to kill farmers and farm workers.

Ukraine estimates that Russia has stolen 15 million tons of grain from the occupied territories since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, Ukraine’s Deputy Economy Minister Taras Vysotsky told reporters in a comment.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, wheat from Ukraine, stolen from the occupied Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhia regions and Crimea, is being mixed with Russian grain at Black Sea ports before being exported, Reuters wrote in a report Thursday.

Ukraine’s president hinted at potential “bilateral” or “trilateral” meetings soon and called for Europe’s participation in peace talks following Moscow’s delivery of its ceasefire proposal to the US.

President Volodmyr Zelensky has called for Europe’s inclusion in the upcoming peace talks as progress was ostensibly made during talks between Washington’s Russia Envoy Steve Witkoff’s and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.

While the content of Witkoff’s meeting with the Russian leader remains unclear, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff received a ceasefire proposal from Moscow outlining its conditions – about which US President Donald Trump said he had briefed Zelensky and European leaders.

Russia’s invasion of Georgia 17 years ago today should have served as a cautionary tale. Unfortunately, many still refuse to see Moscow’s revanchist ambitions – or simply choose complicity.

Seventeen years have passed since Russian troops invaded Georgia. On the night of Aug. 7, 2008, Russian regular army units crossed the internationally recognized border into Georgian territory. Although the Kremlin continues to promote the narrative that the war began on August 8, multiple independent investigations, including a ruling by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, confirm that Russia initiated the war – and committed war crimes on Georgian soil.

The conflict claimed the lives of 228 civilians, 170 soldiers, and 14 police officers in Georgia. Around 150,000 people were displaced. Many remain refugees to this day.

The previously unseen footage shows Russian paratroopers gunning down a 70-year-old resident of the Kyiv region city, leaving his body in the street as they loot a nearby supermarket.

The Ukrainian news service Radio Svoboda (Radio Liberty – RL) has released a recently uncovered CCTV recording from March 2022 that once again definitively shows a war crime being committed on the streets of Bucha, the small city 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of Kyiv.

The video shows the moment that 70-year-old Volodymyr Rubailo was shot while walking along on Yablunska Street by a passing Russian patrol, a member of which stops to finish the man off with a shot to the head before rifling through his pockets and removing objects, probably his wallet, from his jacket pocket.

69% of Ukrainians now favor ending the war through negotiations – a dramatic shift from 2022, when only 22% wanted to negotiate, while 73% supported fighting until victory, according to a Gallup poll.

More than two-thirds of Ukrainians (69%) support ending the war as soon as possible through negotiations, according to a poll conducted by the American research institute Gallup between July 1-14.

Only 24% of respondents said they support continuing the fight until victory. Gallup emphasizes that this marks a shift in public opinion compared to 2022 – when 73% of Ukrainians favored fighting until victory, and just 22% supported pursuing negotiations to end the war.

Similar to previous rhetoric, the Russian leader said he has “nothing against” meeting the Ukrainian president but said the conditions are not ready for such a meeting.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he is not opposed to meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in theory, but ruled out the possibility for now as “certain conditions” are not met.

Putin’s statement followed the Kremlin’s confirmation that a meeting with US President Donald Trump could take place as early as next week, after Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met with the Russian leader on Wednesday.

EU spokesperson tells Kyiv Post there are “no plans to freeze funding” to Ukraine after anti-corruption reforms – but warns continued aid depends on rule-of-law progress.

The European Union welcomes the restoration of independence to Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies and confirmed to Kyiv Post that “there are no such plans as freezing EU funding,” while maintaining close monitoring of Ukraine’s adherence to the rule of law. 

Nicolò Gasparini, spokesperson for the EU delegation to Ukraine, confirmed this to Kyiv Post by email, some time after Ekonomichna Pravda wrote that Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko received a letter from the EU warning that a separate decision might be made to halt European funding.

Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic of around 20 million, is a majority Muslim country but home to a sizeable Orthodox Christian minority – around three million people, most of them ethnic Russians.

A popular Kazakh cleric opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine said Thursday he was attempting to start a new church independent of Moscow, after the Russian Orthodox Church defrocked him over his criticism of the Kremlin.

The row has become another headache for Russia, which has already seen other former Soviet states cut ties with the Russian Orthodox church.

Former and current officials at Ukraine’s Justice Ministry have been named suspects in an embezzlement scheme related to the purchase of digital equipment to modernize the ministry.

Ukrainian authorities have accused current and former Justice Ministry officials of embezzling Hr.10 million ($241,000) during a project to upgrade the ministry’s IT systems.

The scheme was reportedly related to a procurement contract in 2021.

Kyiv insists on the “all for all” principle and dismisses Russia’s claims that Ukraine is delaying a prisoner exchange as part of a disinformation campaign.

Russia has intensified its disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the prisoner exchange process, using statements from its officials and propaganda narratives, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (CCD).

In particular, the head of the Russian negotiating delegation in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, claimed that the third prisoner exchange, agreed upon in Turkey, is allegedly being delayed due to “Ukraine’s refusal to take back a thousand of its prisoners of war.” He also accused Kyiv of a “selective approach” to the exchange process.

Trump’s tirade over India’s trade and Russian oil ties risks undoing decades of diplomatic progress and straining broader cooperation amid rising domestic political tensions, analysts warn.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s tirade against India over trade and Russian oil purchases threatens to undo two decades of diplomatic progress, analysts and officials say, and could derail other areas of cooperation as domestic political pressures drive both sides to harden their stances.

India’s opposition parties and the general public have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stand up to what they call bullying by Trump, who on Wednesday signed an executive order subjecting Indian imports to an additional 25% in duties on top of an existing 25% tariff, due to its big purchases of Russian oil.

The intercepted call espouses apocalyptic antisemitic conspiracy theories with talk of a “Globalist government, Trump the savior, and 400 Slavic slaves for every Jew.”

Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has released a new intercepted phone call made by an unidentified Russian woman in which she voices deeply rooted antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories culled from Kremlin propagandists who seem intent on further poisoning the minds of Russians.

In the conversation, a resident of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast – believed to be an ordinary civilian – confidently describes a “global conspiracy” involving the US, Israel, Trump, Azerbaijan, the Jews, the Temple Mount, and… the apocalypse. In it she claims that the war in the Middle East, the election of Benjamin Netanyahu, and the return of Donald Trump are all part of a global plot to build the “Third Temple in Jerusalem” and prepare for the coming of “the Antichrist.”

A man armed with a gun stormed a McDonald’s in downtown Cherkasy, triggering a tense standoff with police. He was later carried out with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A man armed with a gun seized a McDonald’s restaurant in Cherkasy on Thursday, August 7. 

Explosions and gunfire heard inside the premises.

Friday’s peace deal aims to put the Caucasus on an “irreversible path to peace” and end a decades-long war, officials told Kyiv Post – but there are key issues that remain unresolved.

WASHINGTON, DC – In a dramatic diplomatic push to end a decades-long conflict, US President Donald Trump is set to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House on Friday. 

The summit, a culmination of months of intense, behind-the-scenes negotiations, is poised to reshape the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus and anchor the US as a central player in a region long dominated by Russia and Iran.

Two significant global developments are about to impact India’s energy and other business sectors – the 25% US tariff on Indian exports and the EU’s sanctions against Russia.

The recent 25% tariff imposed by the United States – the largest market for Indian goods – has sent ripples through India’s export sectors, which include textiles, pharmaceuticals, auto components, engineering goods, and IT hardware.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of India’s export-driven economy, are especially vulnerable to these shocks. Economic analysts warn that India could risk losing upwards of $2.5 billion in export revenue, adding pressure to its existing account deficit and weaken the rupee.

Kremlin confirms preparations for a Trump-Putin meeting “in the coming days,” with no plans to include Ukraine’s President Zelensky, leading to a 4% boost to Moscow’s financial markets.

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place in the coming days, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday.

“The location of the meeting has been agreed upon and will be announced a little later,” the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Ushakov as saying.

Tactical maneuvering or a strategic realignment?

On Wednesday US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil.

At first glance, this may look like a major policy shift. India is one of the largest buyers of discounted Russian crude. It profits by refining and reselling this oil while Ukraine is being bombed, its civilians killed, and its cities destroyed. By targeting India, Trump is — for the first time — officially acknowledging that Russia’s war is not just a regional conflict but a threat to US national security.

As an executive order signed last week by Trump took effect, US duties rose from 10 percent to levels between 15 percent and 41 percent for a list of trading partners.

Higher US tariffs came into effect for dozens of economies Thursday, drastically raising the stakes in President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging efforts to reshape global trade.

As an executive order signed last week by Trump took effect, US duties rose from 10 percent to levels between 15 percent and 41 percent for a list of trading partners.

Ukraine reportedly launched 82 drones overnight, striking refineries, military sites, and rail hubs across southern Russia in a coordinated aerial assault.

Explosions and fires rocked Russia’s Krasnodar region early Thursday morning, Aug. 7, following a large-scale drone attack that reportedly hit an oil refinery and a military unit.

According to the Russian Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti, a powerful explosion occurred around 6 a.m. in the village of Afipsky. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a column of black smoke over the industrial part of the city.

Nawrocki’s presidency may escalate tensions with PM Tusk’s pro-EU government and raise concerns in Kyiv over potential strain in Poland-Ukraine relations.

Kyiv wants “constructive and productive” dialogue with the new Polish president, Karol Nawrocki, Ukraine’s ambassador to Warsaw has said after the conservative politician was sworn in on Wednesday.

The presidency of Nawrocki, a right-winger, is expected to deepen a political standoff with centrist Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-EU government. At the same time, Kyiv fears it could also strain ties between Poland and Ukraine. 

He gave no indication where the meeting with Putin might take place. It would be the first US-Russia leadership summit since former president Joe Biden met with his counterpart in Geneva in June 2021.

Donald Trump said Wednesday he could meet with Vladimir Putin “very soon,” following what the US president described as highly productive talks in Moscow between his special envoy and the Russian leader.

The potential summit was discussed in a call between Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky that, according to a senior source in Kyiv, included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Finland.

Ukraine is pioneering the large-scale use of necrodactyloscopy, a fingerprinting method that helps identify war casualties when DNA or visual recognition is no longer possible.

Ukraine has become one of the first countries to implement large-scale use of an advanced necrodactyloscopy method – a technique for extracting fingerprints from the bodies of the deceased in critical condition.

The uniqueness of this approach lies in its effectiveness, where traditional methods are either ineffective or too time-consuming.

A Finnish analyst offers his perceptions of Russia and what it represents.

1: Russia’s Empire of Chaos

1/5 — Russia’s Empire of Chaos Putinism isn’t about building a future. It’s about burning the present. Russia’s modern imperialism is fueled by hate, destruction, and fear. It doesn’t offer progress—only chaos.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff in Moscow on August 6, but concrete results from the meeting remain unclear.
• Trump may meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the coming weeks.
• Certain Russian commentators are attempting to stoke schisms within the Trump administration, likely as part of a wider effort to avoid US sanctions ahead of Trump’s stated August 8 deadline for peace efforts in Ukraine.
• Russian officials and media continue to project an image of a strong and resilient Russian economy in anticipation of further US sanctions.
• US President Donald Trump formally imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India’s exports to the United States due to India’s ongoing economic cooperation with Russia.
• Russian forces likely advanced to the western outskirts of Kupyansk and secured positions from which they can threaten Ukrainian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) into the town.
• The US State Department approved a $104 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Ukraine.
• A Russian servicemember recently executed a Ukrainian civilian in occupied Donetsk Oblast in clear violation of international law.
• Ukrainian forces advanced near Chasiv Yar. Russian forces advanced in northern Kharkiv and western Zaporizhia oblasts and near Kupyansk, Lyman, Siversk, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.