Ukraine's military has reportedly advanced about two kilometers in Sumy oblast, just a day after Putin and Trump discussed a deal that would give unoccupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.

In an Aug. 16 video, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico praised the recent Putin-Trump summit in Alaska and repeated Kremlin propaganda about the "root causes" of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Trump told Zelensky and European leaders that "NATO should not be part of these security guarantees" for postwar Ukraine, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.

U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin access to rare earth minerals in Ukraine and natural resources in Alaska in an effort to secure a ceasefire, The Telegraph reported on Aug. 13.

President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who offered to host future peace talks in Turkey. The call comes just days before the Aug. 15 Trump-Putin summit on ending the war in Ukraine—without Ukraine's participation.

Russian hackers are suspected of breaching a U.S. federal court filing system, just days before a meeting between Trump and Putin, the New York Times reported Aug. 12.

Drones attacked an oil refinery in Saratov on Aug. 10, sparking a large fire and explosions, according to local reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the ceasefire deadline he set for Russia — scheduled for Aug. 8 — now depends on Vladimir Putin. "We’re going to see what he has to say. It's going to be up to him," Trump told reporters on Aug. 7.

A drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from Belarus on July 28 was carrying explosives, Lithuania's Prosecutor General's Office confirmed Aug. 5.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi warned on Aug. 5 that Russia is accelerating mobilization efforts, with plans to form 10 new military divisions by the end of the year. In response, Ukraine has "no other choice" but to intensify its own mobilization.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, may travel to Russia on Aug. 6 or 7 — just days before a deadline for Moscow to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face secondary tariffs targeting its oil exports.

The Russian and Chinese navies are conducting joint military exercises in the Sea of Japan, the Kremlin said Aug. 3, just days after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of nuclear submarines in a show of force toward Moscow.

Markus Soder, Prime Minister of the German state of Bavaria, has called for an end to citizen's allowance payments for Ukrainian refugees, proposing that new arrivals instead receive reduced benefits under the country's Asylum Seekers Benefits Act.

In an Aug. 3 Fox News interview, senior Trump aide Stephen Miller accused India of helping fund Russia's war in Ukraine by continuing to import oil from Moscow.

Russia has been attacking a key bridge in Kherson Oblast since late on Aug. 2, local officials reported.