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Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any ceasefire deal potentially brokered by Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said Mr Putin wanted the remaining 30 per cent, or 3,500 square miles of the region, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the three-and-a-half-year-old war.
But Mr Zelensky vowed Ukraine would “never leave” the Donbas and warned Mr Putin’s troops could use it as a spring board for a future invasion.
“We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Everyone forgets the first part – our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,” he said.
Mr Zelensky learned of Russia‘s position after holding a call with Mr Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff, after Mr Witkoff’s bilateral meeting with Mr Putin.
Mr Witkoff told Zelensky that Russia was ready to end the war and that there should be territorial concessions from both sides.
Mr Trump will meet the Russian leader in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, on Friday, for what he described as “feel out” meeting.
Kim Jong Un discusses Ukraine war efforts with Putin on phone call
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian president Vladimir Putin held a phone call to discuss their deepening ties and war efforts against Ukraine, the countries’ state media said.
Putin during the call on Tuesday praised the “bravery, heroism and self-sacrificing spirit” displayed by North Korean troops as they fought with Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
Putin also shared with Kim information about his upcoming talks with Trump scheduled to take place Friday in Alaska, according to Russia’s TASS news agency, citing the Kremlin. The North Korean reports did not mention the Trump meeting.
Kim told Putin that Pyongyang will fully support “all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future, too,” as they discussed advancing ties in “all fields” under a strategic partnership agreement they signed during a summit last year, KCNA said.
Kim Jong Un speaks to Russian president Vladimir Putin (AP)
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 06:02
White House defends decision not to invite Zelensky to Alaska summit
Taking questions from reporters, Karoline Leavitt was asked why Volodymyr Zelensky had not been invited to participate in the talks between the US and Russia.
“This meeting came about because the president of Russia asked the president of the United States to meet through his special envoy Steve Witkoff,” she says.
“The president is agreeing to this meeting at the request of president Putin.
“She added that the meeting was for Trump and Putin to walk away “with a better understanding” of how to end the war, and said that the US president had “deep respect for all parties”.
“This administration has really used every lever, has taken every measure to achieve peace through a diplomatic solution,” she added.
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 05:42
Trump’s Alaskan summit with Putin is high stakes – why is it not just a sideshow?
Donald Trump is set to meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska in what the US president has said may be little more than a “look see” but in truth may prove to be a meeting that defines Europe, and global security, for decades.
From Trump’s perspective, the summit may be part of his drive for a Nobel Peace Prize by ending Putin’s war against Ukraine using the “art of the deal”. Putin, however, is likely to prevail and his agenda is the art of the steal – specifically a massive grab of his neighbour’s land.
Missing from the meeting is the country most affected – Ukraine itself. Led by Volodymyr Zelensky, it has held out against the Kremlin for 11 years.
Trump, Putin, and many others (including parts of the media) seem to think that Ukraine’s future can be decided by the two nuclear powers and then presented to Kyiv as a done deal.
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 05:38
Starmer to co-chair Ukraine meeting following call with Trump and European leaders
Keir Starmer will co-chair a meeting with pro-Ukraine allies today.It comes after a call with US president Donald Trump and European leaders about ending Ukraine’s war against Russia.
They will then be joined by Trump and US vice president JD Vance.
Later, Sir Keir will co-chair a Coalition of the Willing meeting to update wider partners on the day’s discussions.
The Coalition of the Willing is an international effort to support Ukraine towards a lasting peace, led by the UK, France and Ukraine.
It is made up of 31 countries that have pledged strengthened support for Kyiv, including 27 European countries, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 05:18
Russia closes in on Pokrovsk as fighting grinds on
Russia appears to be making small but significant gains in its efforts to capture Pokrovsk, an important and strategically-located city in the Donetsk region.
Military analysts using open-source information to monitor the battlefield said the next 24-48 hours could be critical as Russia tries to advance near the city.
“Russian forces continued to infiltrate Ukrainian defences east and northeast of Dobropillya (northwest of Pokrovsk) using limited sabotage and reconnaissance groups on 12 August,” the Institute for the Study of War said.
It added: “Russian forces have yet to be able to deploy reinforcements to hold and exploit this tactical penetration and will likely face obstacles in trying to do so.”
Losing Pokrovsk would significantly complicate Ukrainian supply lines to the Donetsk region, where the Kremlin has focused the bulk of its military efforts.
“A lot will depend on availability, quantity and quality of Ukrainian reserves,” Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group, wrote on social media late Monday.
Ukraine’s military said its forces are fending off Russian infantry units trying to infiltrate their defensive positions in the Donetsk region.
The region’s Ukrainian military command on social media on Monday acknowledged that the situation remains “difficult, unpleasant and dynamic”.
A Ukrainian National Guard serviceman of 3rd brigade Spartan runs through a tree line during a training not far from the frontline on Pokrovsk direction (AP)
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 04:56
White House says talks with Putin will be a ‘listening exercise’ for Trump
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that the upcoming meeting between the two leaders will be a “listening exercise” for Trump.
She added that she is “very confident” the US president will remain optimistic after the summit in Anchorage in Alaska on Friday.
“Only one party that’s involved in this war is going to be present, so this is for the president to go and get a more firm understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end.”
The White House official also said there are plans in the works for Trump to visit Russia in the future.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House (AP)
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 04:37
Putin demands Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk, says Zelensky
Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any ceasefire deal potentially brokered by Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said Putin wanted the the remaining 30 per cent, or 3,500 square miles, of the eastern region which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the three-and-a-half-year-old war.
Losing the rest of Donetsk would give Russia control of almost the entirety of the Donbas, the collective name for Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland that also includes neighbouring Luhansk.
Zelensky vowed Ukraine would “never leave” the Donbas and warned Putin’s troops could use it as a spring board for a future invasion.
“We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Everyone forgets the first part – our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,” he said.
Zelensky said he learned of Russia’s position after holding a call with Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff, after Witkoff’s bilateral meeting with Putin.
Drone view shows destroyed buildings in the frontline town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk (via REUTERS)
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 04:32
Drone debris sparks fire at refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar
Debris from a destroyed drone sparked a small fire that was later extinguished at the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, the local administration said this morning.
“There are casualties reported,” officials said. “The fire was promptly extinguished. Emergency and special services are working at the scene,” they said.
The Slavyansk refinery is a private plant with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day. It supplies fuel for both domestic use and export.
Arpan Rai13 August 2025 04:23