Volodymyr Zelensky has said US and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet later this week to discuss preparations for a possible meeting with Putin, after vowing “to push Russia to peace”.
Speaking during a joint briefing in Kyiv with Norway's prime minister, Zelensky said he plans to discuss the matter with US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, as well as discussing potential security guarantees.
The Ukrainian president added that Kyiv aims to secure at least $1bn on a monthly basis from allies to purchase US weapons for its war effort against Russia.
It comes after Kellogg attended a ceremony in Kyiv on Sunday to commemorate Ukraine’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
Zelensky insisted that a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin is “the most effective way forward” to end the war in Ukraine .
Meanwhile, the US has been blocking Ukraine from firing long-range missiles into Russian territory for several months, according to new reports.
Zelensky has responded to the reports saying Ukraine has recently been using its own weapons and not consulting Washington over its strikes.
Read More
Key Points
- Zelensky vows to push Russia to peace in Independence Day remarks
- Zelensky says US, Ukrainian officials to meet later this week to prep for possible Putin meeting
- Vance insists Trump will bring end to war
- Lavrov says Putin ready to talk but labels Zelensky 'illegitimate'
- Ukraine unveils devastating new ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile
Rubio discusses war in Ukraine with European counterparts
04:06
,
Arpan Rai
US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke with his European counterparts yesterday and discussed diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, the State Department said.
Rubio spoke to UK foreign secretary David Lammy, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, Finnish foreign minister Elina Valtonen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas among others, a spokesperson for the State Department said in a statement.
Germany will take part in security guarantees, says vice chancellor
03:00
,
Daniel Keane
Germany will provide security guarantees for Ukraine alongside European partners, the country’s vice chancellor has said.
"What's important is that, in the end, there are security guarantees that ensure Ukraine is no longer attacked and that Putin no longer dares to attack Ukraine," said Lars Klingbeil in his first visit to Ukraine on Monday.
Klingbeil said Germany would "assume responsibility" in providing security guarantees, but that decisions must not be taken "over the heads of Ukrainians" and any negotiation process must start with a ceasefire.
Trump says he has not discussed specific security guarantees for Ukraine
02:30
,
Daniel Keane
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has not discussed specific security guarantees for Ukraine amid a flagging effort to end the conflict.
The US president also said that during his August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the two leaders discussed limiting the size of their countries' massive nuclear arsenal.
"We would like to denuclearise. It's too much power, and we talked about that also. That's part of it, but we have to get the war over with," Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office.
Watch: Ukraine unveils devastating new 'Flamingo' cruise missile
01:30
,
Daniel Keane
Trump envoy says officials 'working hard' to end war in Ukraine
Tuesday 26 August 2025 00:30
,
Daniel Keane
US president Donald Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg said officials are "working very, very hard" on efforts to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine despite a lack of progress in talks.
Mr Kellogg said in Kyiv that officials are "hoping to get to a position where, in the near term, we have, with a lack of a better term, security guarantees" that address Ukraine's fears of another invasion by Russia in the future.
"That's a work in progress," he said of the potential security guarantees, after attending Ukraine's annual National Prayer Breakfast along with politicians, business leaders and diplomats.
Polish president's veto threatens Ukraine's Starlink access
Monday 25 August 2025 23:30
,
Daniel Keane
Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's satellite internet service Starlink could be cut due to the Polish president's veto of a refugee aid bill, Poland’s deputy prime minister has said.
Poland pays for Ukraine to use Starlink, which provides crucial internet connectivity to the country and its military as they try to push back invading Russian forces.
But Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Monday that the President’s veto of a bill extending state financial support to Ukrainian refugees would mean is no legal basis for paying for Starlink.
"This is the end of Starlink internet, which Poland provides to Ukraine as it wages war," he wrote on X.
ICYMI: Report claims US has blocked Ukraine from using long-range missiles in Russia
Monday 25 August 2025 22:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
The US has reportedly been blocking Ukraine from using long-range missiles in Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Both US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (Atacms) and British-produced Storm Shadows depend on US targeting data.
A new review process brought in by Washington in late spring has blocked Ukraine from using Atacms at least one, the report claimed.
In response, Zelensky said Kyiv had recently been using its own weapons and not consulting with Washington over strikes.
RECAP: British military experts will continue to train Ukrainian soldiers until at least the end of 2026
Monday 25 August 2025 21:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
A British operation to help train Ukrainian forces will continue until at least the end of 2026, the government has announced.
Operation Interflex has trained more than 50,000 Ukrainian recruits on British soil.
Speaking ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations, Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK was “ramping up” its support for Ukrainian forces.
In full: Zelensky thanks King Charles for ‘inspirational’ letter sent
Monday 25 August 2025 20:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed King Charles as a “true inspiration” after the monarch sent a letter of support on Ukraine’s Independence Day.
In a message posted on X, the King spoke of his “greatest and deepest admiration” for the Ukrainian people as they continue defending their country against Russian invasion, and called for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.
On Sunday, Ukraine marks 34 years since the country left the Soviet Union, with more than 2,000 Ukrainian recruits set to celebrate alongside British personnel at an Interflex training site this year.
Ukrainians in the UK fear war will never end after Trump-Zelensky meeting
Monday 25 August 2025 19:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Ukrainians living in Britain fear Vladimir Putin’s war on their country “will never end” after watching the summit between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky unfold at the White House earlier this week. Jessica Benjamin writes:
In pictures: aftermath of Russian military strike in the frontline town of Kostiantynivka
Monday 25 August 2025 18:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Zelensky thanks President of Israel for congratulations of Independence Day
Monday 25 August 2025 17:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
I sincerely thank President of Israel @Isaac_Herzog for his thoughtful congratulations on Ukraine’s Independence Day, as well as for the words of solidarity from you and the people of Israel.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 25, 2025
We value the bond between our nations and remain committed to strengthening our ties… pic.twitter.com/uYsT7cB9pY
Polish president's veto will stop Warsaw funding Ukraine's Starlink's, ministry says
Monday 25 August 2025 16:45
,
Steffie Banatvala
The Polish president's decision to veto a bill extending support for Ukraine in its current form means that as of October 1 Warsaw will not be able to continue paying for Ukraine's Starlink subscription, a digital affairs ministry spokesperson said.
"The bill, which President (Karol) Nawrocki vetoed, extended the period of assistance, meaning this funding from the Ukraine Aid Fund, until the end of March next year," Marek Gieorgica said. "Therefore, there is currently no legal basis for funding this from October 1.”
Polish president proposes restricting state benefits for Ukrainians
Monday 25 August 2025 16:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Poland's president has unveiled plans to limit Ukrainians' access to child benefits and healthcare, while also proposing a ban on the glorification of a 20th-century Ukrainian nationalist leader, in a sign of a hardening stance towards refugees.
Poland has been one of Ukraine's staunchest backers since Russia invaded in 2022, but some Poles have grown weary of large numbers of refugees, while tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv over World War Two Volhynia massacres have at times come to the surface.
Ukrainian refugees are currently eligible to receive the monthly family benefit of 800 zlotys ($219) per child if their children attend Polish schools. Other EU countries such as Germany have also proposed cutting benefits recently.
The government can block the president’s proposals.
On the front line in Kostiantynivka town, Donetsk: pictures
Monday 25 August 2025 15:15
,
Steffie Banatvala
Russian oil supplies to Slovakia may resume as soon as today : Slovak economy minister
Monday 25 August 2025 14:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Russian oil supplies to Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline, interrupted last Thursday after a Ukrainian attack in Russia, may resume as soon as today under the best-case scenario, Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova has said.
“According to the latest information, this is an outage for 4-5 days, while we can, in an optimum case, expect resumption of supplies to Slovakia already on Monday,” Sakova told Reuters.
Germany will take part in security guarantees for Ukraine: vice chancellor
Monday 25 August 2025 14:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Berlin will take part in providing security guarantees for Ukraine alongside European partners but the talks are at an early stage and must be shaped by Kyiv, German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said on Monday in Ukraine's capital.
Klingbeil said Germany would "assume responsibility" in providing security guarantees, but that decisions must not be taken "over the heads of Ukrainians" and any negotiation process must start with a ceasefire.
What's important is that, in the end, there are security guarantees that ensure Ukraine is no longer attacked and that Putin no longer dares to attack Ukraine.
Klingbeil
Pictures: anti-drone nets on the front line in Ukraine
Monday 25 August 2025 13:45
,
Steffie Banatvala
Zelensky says US, Ukrainian officials to meet later this week to prep for possible Putin meeting
Monday 25 August 2025 13:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Zelensky has said that he plans to discuss with US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg preparations for a possible meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky, during a joint briefing in Kyiv with Norway's prime minister, said US and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet on the matter, as well as on potential security guarantees, later this week.
Zelensky says Ukraine aims to secure at least $1 billion monthly for US weapons purchases
Monday 25 August 2025 12:59
,
Steffie Banatvala
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv aims to secure at least $1 billion on a monthly basis from allies to purchase US weapons for its war effort against Russia.
He made the remark during a joint briefing in Kyiv with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, where he also said Norway could contribute to security guarantees for Ukraine when it comes to air defence and maritime security.
In full: Vance boasts Trump’s ‘energetic diplomacy’ will end Ukraine war
Monday 25 August 2025 12:15
,
Steffie Banatvala
Watch: Ukraine unveils devastating new ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile that can strike deep inside Russia
Monday 25 August 2025 11:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Russia says its troops captured Zaporizke in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region
Monday 25 August 2025 10:55
,
Steffie Banatvala
Russia's defence ministry has said Russian forces have captured the settlement of Zaporizke in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region.
The battlefield reports could not be independently verified.
Ukraine thanks King Charles, Trump and Pope Leo for Independence Day letters
Monday 25 August 2025 10:45
,
Steffie Banatvala
Yesterday Volodymyr Zelensky thanked world leaders for their letters of support on Ukraine's Independence Day.
King Charles said in the letter he feels the “greatest and deepest admiration for the unbreakable courage and spirit of the Ukrainian people”.
Zelensky also shared letters from Pope Leo, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Pope Leo wrote that he hoped the “clamour of arms may fall silent and give way to dialogue, opening the path to peace”.
Trump said “now is the moment to bring an end to the senseless killing” and urged for a “negotiated settlement that leads to a durable, lasting peace that ends the bloodshed and safeguards Ukraine's sovereignty and dignity”.
The letter from Xi, a close ally of Putin, made no mention of the war in Ukraine. China has been publicly neutral since Russia invaded.
Kazakhstan oil exports continue after Ukrainian attacks on key Russian port: energy ministry says
Monday 25 August 2025 10:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Kazakhstan's oil exports via the Russian port of Ust-Luga were continuing and were not interrupted by Ukrainian drone attacks on the key terminal, the energy ministry has said.
Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia on Sunday, forcing a sharp fall in the capacity of a reactor at one of Russia's biggest nuclear power plants and sparking a huge blaze at the major Ust-Luga fuel export terminal.
Pictures: Freed Ukrainian POW return after a swap
Monday 25 August 2025 09:15
,
Steffie Banatvala
Russia-Europe relations dependent on peace in Ukraine: Finland
Monday 25 August 2025 08:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Finland's President Alexander Stubb has said that establishing relations between Russia and the rest of Europe in one way or another will only be possible after a just and lasting peace has been achieved in Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine stage new prisoner exchange after UAE mediation
Monday 25 August 2025 08:06
,
Arpan Rai
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 146 prisoners of war from each side yesterday after mediation by the United Arab Emirates, the Russian defence ministry and the Ukrainian president said.
The Russian ministry said all of the freed Russians were in Belarus receiving psychological and medical assistance.
Ukraine also returned to Moscow eight Russian citizens, residents of the Kursk region, the ministry said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, writing on the Telegram messaging app, announced that the exchange had taken place, but gave no figures.
The president posted pictures of smiling returnees, saying most of them had been in captivity since 2022, when Russia invaded its smaller neighbour. He said a journalist taken prisoner a month after the invasion was among them.
Today, our people are coming home. Warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and civilians. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2025
We are bringing home journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, who was abducted in the Kyiv region in March 2022.… pic.twitter.com/HMhmJwGMtR
German finance minister says Ukraine can count on Germany
Monday 25 August 2025 07:14
,
Arpan Rai
Russian president Vladimir Putin should be aware that Germany's support for Ukraine is not waning, German finance minister and vice chancellor Lars Klingbeil said today upon arriving in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on an unannounced visit.
"Putin should have no illusions that Germany's support for Ukraine could crumble," said Klingbeil, leader of the Social Democratic Party that is the junior partner in chancellor Friedrich Merz' conservative-led coalition government.
"On the contrary: We remain Ukraine's second-largest supporter worldwide and the largest in Europe," said Klingbeil. "Ukraine can continue to rely on Germany."
Klingbeil urged Putin to demonstrate an interest in a peace process in Europe's deadliest war in 80 years that broke out in February 2022.
US president Donald Trump has pressed for a quick end to the war, but Kyiv and its allies are concerned he could seek to force an agreement on Russia's terms.
Zelensky thanks King Charles for ‘inspirational’ letter sent to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day
Monday 25 August 2025 06:19
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed King Charles as a “true inspiration” after the monarch sent a letter of support on Ukraine’s Independence Day.
In a message posted on X, the King spoke of his “greatest and deepest admiration” for the Ukrainian people as they continue defending their country against Russian invasion, and called for a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.
“I keep feeling the greatest and deepest admiration for the unbreakable courage and spirit of the Ukrainian people,” King Charles wrote.
Vance boasts Trump’s ‘energetic diplomacy’ will end Ukraine war
Monday 25 August 2025 06:10
,
Arpan Rai
US vice president JD Vance has touted his boss’s “energetic diplomacy” with Russia, and insisted that the Trump administration would bring the three-year-long war between Ukraine and Russia to an end.
Vance told NBC’s Kristen Welker, in a pre-taped interview, that both sides had signaled their openness to accepting “significant concessions” in recent days, and said that the president was open to increasing pressure if one side was seen as an obstacle to peace.
“This is the energetic diplomacy that’s going to bring this war to a close,” Vance said. “We sometimes feel like we’ve made great progress with the Russians, and sometimes, as the president has said, he’s been very frustrated with the Russians. We’re going to keep on doing what we have to do to bring this thing to a close.”
But as his remarks aired on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Russia’s top diplomat was making that prospect look unlikely — while walking back progress made between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky and a host of European leaders in a whirlwind series of meetings over the past two weeks.
John Bowden reports from Washington DC:
Zelensky vows to push Russia to peace in Independence Day remarks
Monday 25 August 2025 05:53
,
Arpan Rai
Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to “to push Russia to peace” as Kyiv marked its Independence Day on Sunday.
The ceremony in Kyiv was attended by US envoy Keith Kellogg as Zelensky insisted that a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin is “the most effective way forward” to end the war in Ukraine.
The commemoration of Ukraine’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union came as Russia accused Kyiv of launching a massive drone attack that sparked fire at a nuclear power plant in the western Kursk region.
President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered remarks in a video address from Kyiv's Independence Square, emphasizing the nation's resolve.
"We are building a Ukraine that will have enough strength and power to live in security and peace," Zelenskyy said, calling for a "just peace."
"What our future will be is up to us alone," he said, in a nod to the US-Russia summit in Alaska earlier in August, which many feared would leave Ukrainian and European interests sidelined.
"And the world knows this. And the world respects this. It respects Ukraine. It perceives Ukraine as an equal," he said.
US special envoy Keith Kellogg was also awarded the Ukrainian Order of Merit of the 1st degree.
RECAP: Lavrov says next steps 'depend on US'
Monday 25 August 2025 05:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said the ‘next steps’ in repairing US-Russia relations depend on US leadership.
In a post on Telegram, he stated: “President #Putin: @realDonaldTrump & I had a very good, constructive & frank discussion in Alaska.
“I really hope the first steps made are just the beginning of a full-scale recovery of #RussiaUS relations.
“The next steps depend on the US leadership.”
Ukraine unveils devastating new ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile
Monday 25 August 2025 04:45
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukraine has revealed its plans to move ahead with a new cruise missile that would have the ability to strike deep into Russian territory.
The Flamingo FP-5 missile can carry a warhead weighing more than one tonne, and can fly more than 3,000 kilometres.
Manufactured by Ukraine’s Fire Point defence company, the missile is reportedly faster than any the country currently use and took just nine months to develop.
Vance insists Trump will bring end to war
Monday 25 August 2025 04:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
US vice president JD Vance has insisted Donald Trump will be the one to bring an end to war in Ukraine as he praised his “energetic diplomacy”.
In remarks made on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Vance told Kristen Welker both sides had shown openness to accepting “significant concessions” in recent days.
He added Trump would be willing to pile the pressure onto one side if necessary.
Earlier this week, the US president said he would “see whose fault it is” before taking further action towards peace talks.
Belarusian president says he is healthy after physical examination
Monday 25 August 2025 04:17
,
Arpan Rai
Veteran Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, said that he had undergone the first physical of his life and was found to be in good health.
Questions have periodically been raised about Lukashenko's health in the past few years
"Recently, for the first time in my life, I underwent a complete physical over two days," Lukashenko, 70, told journalists on Belarusian television in comments posted on his Pul Pervogo Telegram channel.
"Goodness knows what they didn't do to me. They even got into my brain. They x-rayed every bit of me... Touch wood, I am happy. Everything is normal."
Doubts about his health intensified during a visit to Moscow in 2023 on the anniversary of the 1945 Soviet victory over Nazi Germany during which he missed events, appeared unsteady and failed to make an address.
Lukashenko said even intelligence services from nations friendly to Belarus had inquired about his health.
"I am saying that I am ok with that," he said. "Hand over the test results, those examinations and let them be published."
In power since 1994, Lukashenko allowed Putin to use his country's territory to launch the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but has said he will play no direct role in the conflict.
RECAP: Putin says Trump is 'light at the end of the tunnel' for US-Russia relations
Monday 25 August 2025 04:15
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Russian leader Vladimir Putin praised US President Donald Trump as the “light at the end of the tunnel” after decades of strained relations between the two countries.
His remarks came after the two met in Alaska in a high-stakes summit that failed to see any significant progress made towards peace in Ukraine.
Ukrainians living in UK fear war will 'never end'
Monday 25 August 2025 04:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Ukrainians living in the UK have said they are scared the war will “never end” after peace talks between the US and Russia ended uneventfully.
Monika Popadiuk, who moved to the UK from Kyiv in July 2022, said she was “afraid of losing everything a second time” if the conflict is not brought to an end.
Russian air defence units destroy two drones flying towards Moscow
Monday 25 August 2025 03:59
,
Arpan Rai
Russia's air defence units destroyed two drones flying towards Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital said this morning.
"Emergency services are working at the site where the debris fell," Sobyanin said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Zelensky: 'The end of the war means a guarantee of peace in Ukraine'
Monday 25 August 2025 03:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Speaking in Kyiv on Ukraine’s Independence Day, Zelensky said the end of the war would mean a “guarantee of peace” for Ukraine.
"We are all working to ensure that the end of this war would mean the guarantee of peace for Ukraine, so that neither war nor the threat of war are left for our children to inherit," Zelensky told a crowd of dignitaries in Kyiv's Sophia Square.
Zelensky has previously said he wants future security guarantees as part of a potential peace deal to be as close as possible to NATO's Article 5, which considers an attack on one member state as an attack against all.
Zelensky shares more messages from world leaders
Monday 25 August 2025 02:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Support has poured in for Ukraine and President Zelensky on Ukraine’s Independence Day.
Posting on X, Zelensky shared dozens of letters and posts from foreign leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and Mark Carney.
Thank you for your sincere Independence Day wishes, dear @JakovMilatovic! We are grateful to Montenegro for its support for our shared cause: to defend freedom, security, and peace in Europe. We look forward to continued cooperation and developing our friendly ties. pic.twitter.com/rp0RLrQEdr
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2025
RECAP: Report claims US has blocked Ukraine from using long-range missiles in Russia
Monday 25 August 2025 01:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
The US has reportedly been blocking Ukraine from using long-range missiles in Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Both US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (Atacms) and British-produced Storm Shadows depend on US targeting data.
A new review process brought in by Washington in late spring has blocked Ukraine from using Atacms at least one, the report claimed.
In response, Zelensky said Kyiv had recently been using its own weapons and not consulting with Washington over strikes.
