Twenty-Six Countries Pledge Postwar Security Guarantees to Ukraine
These would include support on land, sea, and air, French President Emmanuel Macron said in Paris (Reuters)
France and the United Kingdom (UK) have suggested that they could deploy troops to Ukraine following a peace deal, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Italy would not do so (AFP)
European leaders also met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and held a call with President Donald Trump regarding efforts to end the war; the announcement came amid reports that the United States plans to reduce some financial backing for European armies along Russia’s border (AP)
The Financial Times reported that Pentagon officials told European diplomats the United States would phase out security assistance for armies on Russia’s border; previously approved funds are due to expire in 2026 (FT)
Europe will increase sanctions on Russia “if the Russian side continues to play for time,” a German government spokesperson said (DW)
Russia Launches 502 Drones and 24 Missiles Toward Ukraine Overnight
Ukraine reported shooting down or suppressing 430 drones and 21 missiles, while its neighbor Poland increased the readiness of its air force in response to the barrage; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the ongoing attacks showed Russia’s “open disregard” for global efforts to end the war (ABC)
Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap
Each country returned 146 prisoners in the latest prisoner swap—mediated by the United Arab Emirates—as both sides consider peace talks (France24)
While the United States and Ukraine have pushed for a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s foreign minister said in an interview that none is planned and the agenda for such a meeting “is not ready at all” (CNBC)
Ukraine Seeks Meeting With U.S. and Russia Once Guarantees Are Agreed Upon
Zelenskyy said he is open to meeting in Austria, Switzerland, or Turkey (AFP)
But in recent days, U.S. President Donald Trump told his team that Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin should meet before a trilateral summit, unnamed administration officials told The Guardian (Guardian)
Overnight, Russia launched its largest combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine in more than a month (FT)
Ukraine said it blocked 577 of 614 drones and missiles that were launched; one person was reported killed (BBC)
Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries have led to a spike in gasoline prices, prompting Moscow to temporarily suspend gasoline exports; wholesale prices for Russia’s most common grade of gasoline have risen by 55 percent since the start of the year (FT)
Zelenskyy: Kyiv Seeks Security Guarantees Consensus Within Seven to Ten Days
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow must be involved in decisions on Ukraine’s postwar security architecture, a demand that could thwart progress on a war settlement (FT)
In addition to demanding Moscow’s involvement in these talks, Lavrov said that China should be one of the guarantors of Ukraine’s security; Zelenskyy dismissed both prospects (France24)
Nevertheless, the United States, Ukraine, and European allies are moving forward with talks on security support (WSJ)
An Italian proposal under discussion would commit Ukraine’s allies to confer on a response within twenty-four hours if Ukraine is attacked, potentially triggering new military support and sanctions; the plan has been described as similar to NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause (Bloomberg)
In another proposal, France and the United Kingdom would station troops in postwar Ukraine (Bloomberg)
U.S. Open to Providing Air Support to Bolster Ukraine’s Postwar Security
The White House press secretary said that U.S. troops on the ground were ruled out (WaPo)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a commission to develop draft proposals for security guarantees with European countries, multiple news outlets reported (Axios)
Trump Pledges U.S. Will Play a Role in Ukraine’s Future Security
U.S. President Donald Trump pledged that Washington would play a role in assuring Ukraine’s security following a peace settlement (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the unusual meeting—in which heads of several European countries, NATO, and the European Union (EU) flew to visit the White House at the last minute—a “big step forward” (Bloomberg)
Leaders said they would work out the details of security guarantees for Ukraine in the coming days (Reuters)
Trump said Washington will provide “coordination” for security guarantees given directly by European countries (NPR)
Zelenskyy said he presented a proposal for Ukraine to buy about $90 billion in U.S. weapons and for the United States to buy Ukrainian drones (Guardian)
Trump also paused talks to call Russian President Vladimir Putin to push for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy; following that call, a Kremlin aide stated that Moscow and Washington would elevate the seniority of the negotiators appointed for peace talks (Reuters)
European leaders pushed back on Putin’s ambitions of controlling Ukraine’s Donbas region at the meeting (WSJ)
Publicly, Zelenskyy said that any decisions over territory would need to be made directly between him and Putin (Bloomberg)
While the meeting did not immediately produce a timeline for the next stage of peace talks, Trump and Zelenskyy both reported a far more positive dialogue than during a bilateral Oval Office talk that broke down in February; Zelenskyy said it was Ukraine’s “best meeting with President Trump” (BBC)
Major questions still hang over the nature of Western security guarantees for Ukraine; Russia’s foreign ministry issued a statement reiterating its opposition to NATO boots on the ground in Ukraine (NYT)
Meanwhile, Russian attacks across Ukraine killed fourteen people in the hours after Zelenskyy arrived in Washington, underscoring Russia’s capacity to harm Ukraine as long as there is no ceasefire in place (NYT)
Zelenskyy Consults With European Allies After Trump-Putin Summit
Trump told European leaders that Putin sought all of Ukraine’s territory in the Donbas region, including Ukraine-controlled areas; in exchange, Putin would reportedly freeze the frontline in other places, requiring Ukraine to cede territory that Russia currently occupies (FT)
Putin agreed that the United States and Europe could “effectively offer Article 5-like language to cover a security guarantee,” U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN on Sunday, referring to NATO’s mutual defense clause (CNN)
Trump had resisted extending such guarantees to Ukraine in recent months (BBC)
Speaking alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Zelenskyy called for a full ceasefire ahead of further discussions; he stated that the current line of fighting must serve as the starting point for negotiations (Politico)
Von der Leyen welcomed the possibility of Article 5-like security guarantees and said that Ukraine must be able to receive arms (AP)
She reiterated Europe’s position that international borders cannot be changed by force and that only Ukraine can make decisions about its territory (Kyiv Independent)
Leaders of the so-called Coalition of the Willing—a group of countries that have pledged to support Ukraine—said after a virtual summit chaired by France and the United Kingdom that they stood ready to deploy a “reassurance force” after the war ends (UKG)
Trump-Putin Summit Concludes Without Agreement
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin gave statements to the press after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting in Anchorage, Alaska (CNN)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not invited to attend (LA Times)
Trump claimed the pair “made great progress,” but he did not announce a ceasefire (CBC)
En route to Alaska, Trump had told journalists Russia would face “very severe consequences“ if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire (WSJ)
Putin endorsed Trump’s claim that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if he were in office in 2022; Putin said the “root causes” of the war needed to be addressed (WaPo)
Trump said he would call NATO allies and Zelenskyy to brief them on the meeting (Politico)
Zelenskyy Meets Starmer in Build-Up to Trump-Putin Summit
President Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Starmer met at 10 Downing Street, demonstrating British support for Ukraine ahead of the meeting between Trump and Putin (AP)
Putin’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, confirmed the meeting will take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska at 11:30 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. GMT, 3:30 p.m. EDT); Trump and Putin will first hold a one-on-one meeting with only translators present, followed by a broader discussion with their delegations (Politico)
Russia’s delegation will include Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev, and Yuri Ushakov (Politico)
Putin praised Trump for his “sincere efforts” to end the war in Ukraine today and is allegedly considering proposing a nuclear arms agreement with the United States (Reuters)
On a Fox News radio show, Trump said that he believes that Putin is “convinced that he’s going to make a deal” to end the war and added that he will call Zelenskyy after the meeting to “get him over to wherever [Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy] are going to meet” (Reuters)
Trump added that there is “a 25 percent chance that this meeting will not be a successful meeting” (CNN)
If the meeting is “negative,” Trump will hold a press conference to say that “the war is going to go on” (CNN)
Trump added that he does not know if the outcome of the meeting will be an immediate ceasefire (X)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump’s goal “is to achieve some stoppage of fighting” so that further conversations about security guarantees can take place (Reuters)
Separately, President Macron and European Council President Antonio Costa praised Trump after he reportedly agreed that the United States would offer military backup in post-war security guarantees for Ukraine; Trump did not publicly confirm his support for the security operation known as Multinational Force Ukraine (AP)
On the battlefield, Ukraine said small groups of Russian infantry approached Ukraine’s main defensive line near Dobropillia, but the Ukrainian Defense Forces stabilized the front line, and Russian forces made “minimal gains;” Ukraine also sent more forces to the area, including Azov Corps units (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drone strikes struck a Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd overnight, causing large fires that were extinguished on Thursday evening (Reuters)
Trump, Zelenskyy, European Leaders Have “Constructive” Conversation
At a virtual summit, the leaders of countries including France, Germany, and Ukraine outlined common positions ahead of Trump’s meeting tomorrow with Russian President Vladimir Putin (CNN)
Trump said afterward the call was “very good” and that Russia would face “very severe consequences” if it did not agree to end the war after Friday’s meeting (Al Jazeera;Reuters)
Trump told European leaders that he would not negotiate territorial matters, which needed to be decided between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (WSJ)
Trump’s goal for tomorrow’s meeting in Alaska is “to obtain a ceasefire,” French President Emmanuel Macron said; Kyiv has called for a truce before any further negotiations (Bloomberg)
Zelenskyy, additionally, reiterated that Ukraine will not surrender the Donbas region to Russia (CNN)
He also said that “Putin is bluffing” about wanting a ceasefire, and is instead “trying to push all over the front line” (BBC)
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that Moscow’s stance remains unchanged, referring to a speech in which Putin said Russia seeks the entirety of certain Ukrainian territories that it currently partially occupies, as well as for Ukraine to forgo its ambitions to join NATO (Reuters)
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement that partner countries would “deploy a reassurance force” after fighting stopped and that there should be “no limitation” on Ukraine’s military or its partnerships with other countries (Reuters)
Separately, a report by the Institute for the Study of War wrote that Russia may have coerced twenty thousand Central Asian migrants to fight in Ukraine by threatening to annul their citizenship and deport their families, and by fabricating criminal cases against the migrants (ISW)
Additionally, a report from two U.S. researchers and a Western security source claimed that Russia is preparing to test its new nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile, known by NATO as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall; Putin has previously stated that the weapon is “invincible” to missile defenses (Reuters)
Russia Intensifies Offensive in Donetsk
Russian troops have broken through part of the front line of fighting in eastern Ukraine near the logistics hub of Pokrovsk, according to a Ukrainian open-source intelligence group (Moscow Times)
Ukraine’s military said that “effective measures” were taken to stop Russian advances in Dobropillia and Pokrovsk, while Ukrainian drones allegedly hit the Orenburg Helium Plant, a Russian facility producing helium for rockets and a Shahed-type drone storage site in Tatarstan (Kyiv Independent)
A Russian missile attack on a military training facility killed one soldier and wounded eleven (AP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, furthermore, put Russia “on notice” that it could be listed among parties who are “responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence” (Reuters)
In a press briefing, Zelenskyy said that Putin wants the remaining 3,500 square miles, or 30 percent, of Donetsk under Ukrainian control as part of a ceasefire plan; Zelenskyy rejected that proposal and said that Ukraine will not leave the Donbas, as ceding the area would be a “springboard for a new offensive” (AP)
Zelenskyy also added that the United States proposed a bilateral meeting with Russia, followed by a trilateral meeting that would include Ukraine in the future (AP)
The White House called President Trump’s forthcoming meeting with Putin in Alaska a “listening exercise” (Reuters)
European Union leaders, with the exception of Hungary, said in a joint statement that “international borders must not be changed by force” (EU)
Trump Says Russia-Ukraine Agreement Will Include Land Swaps
At a press conference four days before he meets with Putin, Trump stated that both Kyiv and Moscow will need to give up territory if the war is to end; Trump also said that the talk with Putin is “really a feel-out meeting” and he would know “in the first two minutes” if progress with Putin is possible (Reuters)
After meeting with leaders from India and Saudi Arabia, Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian intelligence suggests that Putin “is certainly not getting ready for a ceasefire and war end” but rather is preparing a new offensive (Reuters)
Separately, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz organized meetings on Wednesday with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Zelenskyy, Mark Rutte, and other European leaders to discuss potential peace negotiations and possible measures that they can take to pressure Russia (AP)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that peace “must be built within Ukraine–not imposed upon it” (Reuters)
EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas also announced that the EU is working on a nineteenth package of sanctions against Russia and added that without a complete and unconditional ceasefire, there should be no talk of concessions (Reuters)
On the battlefield, a Ukrainian drone attack targeting Moscow killed two people and injured two others in the Tula region; a separate attack targeting a Russian plant producing missile components in Nizhny Novgorod killed one person and injured two others (Reuters)
European Leaders Demand Ukrainian Presence at Trump-Putin Summit
In emailed comments, EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas said that “any deal between the U.S. and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included” as the war is “a matter of Ukraine’s and the whole of Europe’s security” (Reuters)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed Kallas’s comments (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that a Russian guided aerial bomb attack in Zaporizhzhia hit residential areas, a bus station, and a clinic, and injured twelve people (Reuters)
A Ukrainian drone attack in Saratov damaged several apartments and an industrial facility and killed one person (Reuters). Russian air defense units reportedly destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones (Reuters)
Ukrainian and European Leaders Pitch Counterproposal to U.S. Officials
One day after President Trump announced that he would meet with Putin in Alaska on August 15, Ukrainian and European leaders reportedly proposed a counteroffer to Putin’s demands, which required the full implementation of a ceasefire before territorial negotiations and called for reciprocal territorial exchanges (ISW;WSJ)
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that Ukrainians are ready to work with Trump for “lasting peace” but “will not give their land to the occupier” (AP)
The leaders of Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union (EU) said in a joint statement that “meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities” (UKG)
Trump and Putin to Meet in Alaska for Peace Talks
Trump said that a peace settlement could include “some swapping of territories” (BBC)
It will be Putin’s first visit to the United States in ten years and his first meeting with a U.S. president in more than four (CNN)
Trump said that he will meet with Putin even if Putin does not meet with Zelenskyy (Euronews)
To reach a peace deal, Putin is reportedly demanding that Ukraine cede the entire eastern Donbas area, which would also require Ukrainian troops to withdraw from parts of Luhansk and Donetsk still held by Kyiv (Bloomberg)
Experts warn that surrendering the Donetsk Oblast would position Russian forces to renew their attacks when they have favorable terms and would force Ukraine to abandon its “fortress belt” (ISW)
According to sources familiar with the discussions, the White House is reportedly attempting to persuade European leaders to accept the potential agreement; however, it remains unclear whether European leaders will accept the proposed concessions (BBC)
Potential Trump-Putin Meeting
The Kremlin said that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin plan to meet “in the coming days,” but that Putin said he was “far away” from meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (NBC;NYT)
The comments came after Putin met in Moscow with Trump’s envoy earlier this week (BBC)
White House Envoy Witkoff Meets With Russian President Vladimir Putin
Witkoff did not immediately comment after his talks with Putin; it was his fifth meeting with Putin this year (FT)
Ahead of the visit, a Kremlin spokesperson stated that the Kremlin generally considers interactions with Witkoff to be important and substantive (AP)
Following Witkoff’s meeting, Trump and Zelenskyy reportedly spoke by phone, but the content of the discussion was not disclosed (Reuters)
Trump also said there is a “very good prospect” that he, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet together next week; however, European leaders will not be present at the meetings (NYT)
A U.S. and Russian president have not met in person for at least four years (TIME)
Separately, Trump issued an executive order imposing additional 25 percent tariffs on India as a penalty for directly or indirectly importing Russian oil, bringing the overall tariffs on India to 50 percent (NYT; Reuters)
On the battlefield, Russian forces launched 567 attacks across Ukraine; two people were killed, ten were wounded, and nine buildings were damaged in Zaporizhzhia (Reuters)
Zelenskyy, Trump Speak as Kremlin “No Longer Has Any Restrictions”
In a post on X, President Zelenskyy stated that he and President Trump had a “productive conversation” regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine, including discussions on the prospects of sanctions against Russia, cooperation with NATO countries to supply Ukraine with weapons, and a bilateral agreement on drone cooperation (X)
President Trump, meanwhile, claimed that if energy prices go down “another $10 a barrel,” then Putin will have to stop the war “because his economy stinks” (Reuters)
But sources close to the Kremlin claim that Putin is unlikely to succumb to Trump’s threat to impose 100 percent tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil if a ceasefire is not reached by August 8 (Reuters)
Following the Netherlands’ announcement yesterday, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway announced that they would contribute a combined $775 million worth of air defenses, anti-tank weapons, ammunition, and spare parts to Ukraine; this package is expected to arrive in September (AP)
Other aid packages will be sent based on Ukraine’s needs, and two deliveries of equipment bought in the U.S. are expected this month (AP)
Additionally, one day after lifting a moratorium on deploying intermediate-range missiles, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned that “Russia no longer considers itself limited by anything,” including its deployment of the Oreshnik, a new intermediate-range hypersonic missile which could be fired with conventional or nuclear warheads (Reuters)
Six Ukrainians Charged in Drone Procurement Scheme
Six Ukrainians, including a lawmaker, regional officials, a military official, and a drone maker, were charged with embezzling funds in the purchase of drones and “[misappropriating] funds allocated by local authorities for defense needs” (Reuters)
Separately, President Trump announced that U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff “may be going to Russia” on Wednesday or Thursday to work on a peace deal as Trump’s ten-day deadline for Russia ends on August 8; Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin is “always glad to see Mr. Witkoff in Moscow” and added that talks with Witkoff are “important, substantive, and very useful” (AP)
Peskov also downplayed Trump’s decision to move two nuclear submarines to “the appropriate regions,” saying that Russia “would not want to get involved in such a controversy” and that “everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric” (Reuters)
On the battlefield, an overnight Ukrainian drone attack in Volgograd struck railway tracks near the Archeda train station; Volgograd’s administration did not report any damage, and Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have destroyed sixty-one Ukrainian drones overnight, but the number launched was not reported (Reuters)
A separate overnight drone attack operated by Ukraine’s Security Service struck five Russian fighter jets in Saky in Crimea; the damage by Ukraine was considered “significant” according to the SBU, but the information was not independently verified (Kyiv Independent)
Since a Ukrainian drone attack on August 2, three industry sources claimed that the Ryazan oil refinery, operated by the Rosneft oil company, has allegedly halted half of its refining capacity (Reuters)
Ukraine’s General Staff also reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile system in Zaporizhzhia (Kyiv Independent)
Furthermore, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that, due to what it described as “the actual deployment of U.S.-made land-based medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region,” it no longer considers itself bound by a moratorium on deploying its own short- and medium-range missiles (Reuters)
Ukraine Hits Russian Fuel Depot
In Sochi, Ukrainian drone strikes caused a fire at an airport oil depot where Russian military planes were allegedly stationed; two oil tanks allegedly caught fire (Kyiv Independent; Reuters)
Meanwhile, an overnight Russian missile strike on Mykolaiv injured at least seven Ukrainians and caused damage to twenty-three private homes, twelve apartment buildings, and one post office (Reuters)
A separate Russian attack in Stepnohirsk, southeastern Zaporizhzhia, killed three people (Reuters). Ukraine’s air defenses destroyed sixty of the seventy-six attack drones and one of the seven missiles launched by Russia (Reuters)
Additionally, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller claimed that Trump said “very clearly” that “it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia”; the Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Miller’s allegation (Reuters). Trump also expressed some doubt when discussing potential sanctions on Russia, as he said that they are “wily characters” who are “pretty good at avoiding sanctions” (AP)
Furthermore, President Zelenskyy announced that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to exchange 1,200 prisoners as part of their negotiations on July 23 in Istanbul (Kyiv Independent)
Ukrainian Drones Strike Large Russian Oil Refinery
In Ryazan City, a Ukrainian drone struck the Rosneft Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of the four largest refineries in Russia (ISW; Kyiv Independent; Telegram). Other targets in Penza, Samara, and Voronezh Oblasts were also hit, including the Elektropribor plant, the Novokuibyshevsky oil refinery, and the Annanefteprodukt fuel and lubricants storage base, respectively (Kyiv Independent)
The attacks in Rostov, Penza, and Samara reportedly killed three people in total, and one woman was wounded in Voronezh (AP; Reuters)
Additionally, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported its team heard explosions and saw smoke near Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as one of the plant’s auxiliary facilities was attacked (Reuters)
Trump Moves Two Nuclear Submarines Closer to Russia
One day after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Trump should remember “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be,” Trump ordered that two nuclear submarines be positioned in “the appropriate regions,” saying that Medvedev made “a threat” (Reuters)
While meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said that the Russian military has selected deployment sites in Belarus for its newest hypersonic missiles (AP)
Moreover, through July, Russia launched 6,443 drones and missiles into Ukraine—the highest total number since the war started—and 13 percent higher than in June (ABC News)
Russian Missiles and Drones Strike Kyiv, Kill Nine
Overnight, Russia launched 309 Shahed and decoy drones and 8 Iskander-K cruise missiles across Ukraine, primarily in Kyiv, but also reaching the Dnipro, Poltava, Sumy, and Mykolaiv regions; in Kyiv, 9 people were killed and 124 wounded, and 100 buildings were damaged across 27 locations (AP)
Russia also claimed to have gained full control of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk after sixteen months of fighting; although a Ukrainian military spokesperson said the claim was “a fabrication,” a Russian military unit posted a video of a paratroop banner and national flag raised in the town’s ruins (AP; Reuters)
Separately, U.S. diplomat John Kelley told the UN Security Council that “President Trump has made clear” that he wants a deal to end the war in Ukraine by August 8, and that the United States will “implement additional measures to secure peace” (Reuters)
In Ukraine, President Zelenskyy restored the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) after country-wide protests and EU condemnation (Kyiv Independent)
Also, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Trump continued to trade barbs, as Medvedev told Trump that he should remember “how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be,” referring to Russia’s semi-automated command system that launches nuclear missiles (Reuters)
Russia Targets Ukrainian Army Training Ground
Overnight, two Russian Iskander missiles, one armed with submunitions and another with high explosives, struck Ukraine’s 169th training center near Honcharivske in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region (AP; Reuters)
Casualty figures out of Russia and Ukraine differed: Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that the strike resulted in two hundred Ukrainian casualties, while Ukrainian authorities claimed three soldiers were killed and eighteen were wounded (AP)
Russia also launched seventy-eight attack drones into Ukraine overnight, wounding five civilians; eight jet-powered drones were part of this barrage (AP)
Separately, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed that since the full-scale invasion, Russia has carried out ten thousand chemical weapons attacks using prohibited agents such as K-51, RGR, and RG-VO aerosol grenades loaded with CS (chlorobenzylidene malonitrile) and CN (chloroacetophenone), which are both banned under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention ratified by Russia (Kyiv Independent)
Ukraine’s SBU also stated that it had detained an air force officer after he allegedly spied for Russian forces to help them carry out airstrikes by providing coordinates of F-16, Mirage 2000, and Su-24 jets and suggested strike tactics (Reuters)
Additionally, Trump announced that he planned to impose a “penalty” on India for buying Russian weapons and oil, on top of the 25 percent tariff that he intends to impose on August 1; the substance of the penalty was not specified (Politico; Reuters)