Here are the key events on day 1,267 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Here is how things stand on Thursday, August 14:
Fighting
- Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Russian forces had captured the settlements of Zatyshok and Zapovidne in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
- Ukraine’s military said its drones hit the Uniecha oil pumping station in Russia’s Bryansk region. “Damage and a large-scale fire were recorded in the area of the booster pumping station building,” the Ukrainian General Staff said on Telegram.
- A small fire ignited by debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone was promptly doused at the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, authorities said.
- Russia’s air defence units destroyed 46 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Defence Ministry said, including five over Krasnodar.
Alaska Summit
- United States President Donald Trump threatened “severe consequences” if Russia’s Vladimir Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine.
- Trump also said that his meeting with Putin could swiftly be followed by a second that would include the leader of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Trump did not specify what the consequences could be if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire, but he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting with Putin in Alaska on Friday proves fruitless.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European leaders had laid out terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would protect their security interests in a call with Trump on Wednesday.
- European leaders, including Zelenskyy, held the call with Trump in advance of his meeting with Putin.
- Britain, France and Germany – co-chairs of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” – set out their position on the pathway to a ceasefire in Ukraine, in a statement released after their virtual meeting.
- “Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” they said in the joint statement.
- “The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role, including through plans by those willing to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased,” they said.
- “No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia could not have a veto against Ukraine’s pathway to EU and NATO,” they added.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Trump there should be robust security guarantees as part of any peace deal with Russia.
- “The Prime Minister was clear that our support for Ukraine is unwavering – international borders must not be changed by force and Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to defend its territorial integrity as part of any deal,” Starmer’s office said.
- Zelenskyy said he warned Trump that the Russian leader is “bluffing” about his desire to end the war.
- Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ deputy spokesperson, Alexei Fadeev, said Moscow’s stance on ending the war in Ukraine has not changed since Putin set out his conditions last year, which include the full withdrawal of Kyiv’s forces from key Ukrainian regions and the abandonment of its NATO ambitions.
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Russia wants to include a reduction of NATO troop presence in any conversations about the future of Ukraine.
Regional affairs
- Russian hackers briefly took control of a dam in Norway earlier this year, the head of the Nordic country’s counter-intelligence agency said, the first time Oslo has officially attributed the cyberattack to its neighbour.
- While in command of the dam in Bremanger, western Norway, on April 7, hackers opened a flood gate and released 500 litres (132 gallons) of water per second for four hours before the attack was detected and stopped.
- Joint exercises to be held by Russian and Belarusian forces next month will include drills on the planned use of nuclear weapons and the Russian-made, intermediate-range hypersonic Oreshnik missile, Belarus’s defence minister said.
- Estonia is expelling a Russian diplomat over sanctions violations and other crimes against the state, the Baltic country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
- The first secretary of the Russian embassy in Tallinn has been declared ‘persona non grata’ and must leave Estonia, the ministry said. Moscow said Estonia’s expulsion was a hostile act that would prompt a response.
Military aid
- Germany plans to fund a $500m package of military equipment and munitions for Ukraine sourced from the US, NATO said in a statement.
- NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte commended Germany for the decision, adding: “This delivery will help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.”
- A Czech-led initiative for Ukraine has delivered one million large-calibre ammunition pieces so far this year, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
- The Czech government expects the number of ammunition shipments will rise this year after deliveries of 1.5 million pieces, including 500,000 155mm shells, in 2024.
- Poland has signed a contract worth $3.8bn to upgrade its fleet of F-16 fighter jets, the Polish defence minister said.
- Poland has been ramping up defence spending since the start of the war in Ukraine and plans to allocate 5 percent of gross domestic product to its armed forces in 2026.
- The European Commission has signed a guarantee agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development for a 500-million-euro ($586m) loan to help Ukraine’s energy sector.
