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Jakub Krupa<\/p>\nMorning opening: More questions than answersJakub Krupa<\/p>\n
Three days on from the White House summit on Ukraine<\/a>, the signals are no longer as positive as US president Donald Trump would have wanted us to believe.<\/strong><\/p>\n Overnight, Politico reported that the US undersecretary of defence for policy, Elbridge Colby, <\/strong>told<\/a> European allies that the US would only offer minimal guarantees for Ukraine,<\/strong> with most burden left for Europe to pick up.<\/p>\n A Nato<\/a> diplomat briefered on the talks told Politico: \u201cThe US is not fully committed to anything.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Any prospects of making further diplomatic progress also appeared to have stalled,<\/strong> with numerous Russian officials and diplomats toning down the expectations for both ceasefire and a potential Zelenskyy-Putin meeting.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov <\/strong>said that any meeting would need to be prepared \u201cwith the utmost care\u201d, while the country\u2019s deputy representative to the UN, Dmitry Polansky, told the BBC that \u201cit shouldn\u2019t be a meeting for the sake of a meeting.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Or to translate to plain English: thanks but no, thanks.<\/strong><\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr<\/strong> Zelenskyy<\/strong> responded to these stalling tactics this morning, calling for a \u201cstrong reaction\u201d from the US if Putin refuses to meet him<\/strong>, as discussed with Trump.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian president also appeared to play down the prospect of the Hungarian capital, Budapest, hosting the potential summit with Putin, calling it \u201cchallenging.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Hungary has long been Russia\u2019s loudest advocate within the European Union<\/strong>, often looking to delay or block the sanctions, and criticising Kyiv and other capitals for their approach to the war. Budapest is also blocking Ukraine\u2019s accession process to the EU.<\/strong><\/p>\n Zelenskyy also pointed out another round of Russian attacks overnight<\/strong>, including against an American enterprise in Zakarpatia region, which injured 15 people.<\/p>\n He said the attacks were \u201cas if nothing had changed at all.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA response is needed to this.<\/strong> There is still no signal from Moscow that they are really going to go into meaningful negotiations<\/strong> and end this war. Pressure is needed.<\/strong> Strong sanctions, strong tariffs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I will bring you all the key updates here.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Thursday, 21 August 2025,<\/strong> it\u2019s Jakub Krupa<\/strong> here, and this is Europe Live.<\/strong><\/p>\n Good morning.<\/strong><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.57 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n European leaders scrambled to shield Ukraine in high-stakes Trump talks \u2013 but did they? European community affairs correspondent<\/p>\n Days after the unprecedented flurry of diplomacy, questions continue to swirl over what \u2013 if anything \u2013 might come out of it.<\/strong> On Monday, Trump<\/strong> and several European leaders, said Putin<\/strong> had agreed<\/a> to face-to-face talks with Zelenskyy<\/strong> in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n European leaders meeting with Ukraine\u2019s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington DC earlier this week. Photograph: Anadolu\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Moscow, however, has yet to confirm that any such meeting<\/strong> \u2013 which would be the first since Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine<\/a> more than three years ago \u2013 is being planned<\/strong>, with a Kremlin aide saying only that Putin and Trump discussed the idea of \u201craising the level of representatives\u201d in the Ukraine talks.<\/p>\n Trump had also indicated a willingness to be part of security guarantees<\/a> for Kyiv if there was a deal to end fighting. But the exact nature of those guarantees remains to be seen<\/strong>, with Trump later ruling out<\/a> the possibility of the US putting troops on the ground in Ukraine and instead floating that Washington could provide air support.<\/p>\n Concerns also continue to linger over what exactly Trump proposed in Alaska<\/strong> and what, if anything, Putin agreed to during the near three-hour meeting. As Pjotr Sauer, a Guardian Russian affairs reporter, noted<\/a>, some fear Trump may have overstated the outcome and misjudged Moscow\u2019s willingness to compromise.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘Let’s first hear what Russia is willing to do,’ Zelenskyy says on territorial concessions<\/p>\n In further comments from Zelenskyy<\/strong> this morning, reported by Reuters, he said it was unclear what concessions regarding territory Moscow was willing to make to end the war.<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump has previously said Kyiv<\/strong> and Moscow<\/strong> will both need to cede land.<\/p>\n \u201cTo discuss what Ukraine<\/a> is willing to do, let\u2019s first hear what Russia is willing to do,<\/strong>\u201d Zelenskiy said. \u201cWe do not know that.\u201c<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Morning opening: More questions than answers Three days on from the White House summit on Ukraine<\/a>, the signals are no longer as positive as US president Donald Trump would have wanted us to believe.<\/strong><\/p>\n A firefighter works at the site of the Russian missile strike, amid Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine, in the village of Sknyliv on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine. Photograph: Roman Baluk\/Reuters<\/p>\n Overnight, Politico reported that the US undersecretary of defence for policy, Elbridge Colby, <\/strong>told<\/a> European allies that the US would only offer minimal guarantees for Ukraine,<\/strong> with most burden left for Europe to pick up.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1755767413_28_3837.jpg\")
A firefighter works at the site of the Russian missile strike, amid Russia\u2019s attack on Ukraine, in the village of Sknyliv on the outskirts of Lviv, Ukraine. Photograph: Roman Baluk\/Reuters<\/p>\n\n
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Ashifa Kassam<\/p>\nJakub Krupa<\/p>\n