‘Concessions' will not make Russia end war, Zelenskyy says
Produced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to journalistic standards.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday warned against capitulating to the demands of President Vladimir Putin ahead of talks Friday between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump. The US-Russia summit – so far planned without Zelenskyy – will be the first between a sitting US and Russian president since 2021. Kyiv is concerned that Trump and Putin could strike a deal requiring Ukraine to cede territory to Russia.
"Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits. And this is not just a moral position – it is a rational one," Zelenskyy wrote in a statement published on social media.
"Concessions do not persuade a killer," he added.
EU foreign ministers are to hold talks on Monday to discuss Friday's summit, with many fearing any deal made without Ukraine could force unacceptable compromises.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine in early 2022, has been making costly but steady advances across the sprawling front line, and claimed to have captured the village of Fedorivka in the eastern Donetsk region.
Both sides have meanwhile stepped up aerial assaults, with Ukraine claiming to have hit a facility that produces missile components in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region. Local authorities said one person was killed in the attack and two were wounded.
(vib)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euractiv
3 hours ago
- Euractiv
Spain's olive oil traders doubt Trump tariffs will stop Americans guzzling their liquid gold
'The US is not going to promote American olive oil because it barely has any', said Rafael Pico Acevedo Euractiv is part of the Trust Project Maria Simon Arboleas Euractiv Aug 12, 2025 06:00 3 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Spanish olive oil traders don't like Donald Trump's tariffs, but they still take comfort knowing their biggest competitors have been hit just as hard, or even harder. As of last Thursday, EU agri-food exports to the US are subject to a 15% blanket tariff under the controversial 'biggest trade deal ever' agreed between Brussels and Washington. Among those products subject to fresh levies are EU olive oil exports, of which the US absorbs around a third. For Spain, which makes up 70% of the EU's production, what's at stake is their biggest export to America. As trade tensions simmer again, the country's traders in what's sometimes called liquid gold are looking on the bright side. 'There are other countries with worse luck than us,' said Rafael Pico Acevedo, deputy director at ASOLIVA, which represents Spanish olive oil producers and exporters. During a previous trade row between Brussels and Washington in 2019, Spanish producers were put at a disadvantage compared to their neighbours, with Italy temporarily re-gaining the top spot as the leading EU exporter to the US. This time around, Spain's other EU competitors in the market – mainly Italy and Greece – face the same 15% blanket tariff, while Tunisia, the bloc's main external rival in the olive oil market, is grappling with a 25% US tariff. Meanwhile, Turkey, another key producer, has also been hit with a 15%. Others have fared better, but have less market power. 'We just have a 5% difference [in tariffs of] the most favoured countries, which are not the leaders,' Pico told Euractiv, pointing to Morocco, Australia, Argentina and Chile. Still, Pico insisted that it is very difficult to make predictions and warns that the rules of the game when it comes to olive oil have changed. '[Countries] can now position themselves ahead of us due to political decisions,' he said. Pico slammed Trump's reasoning for the ramped up tariffs. For him, trade barriers will not support the US olive oil industry, as Trump promised, but mostly just raise prices at the checkout. 'The US is not going to promote American olive oil because it barely has any', he said, adding that the country only covers 2% of its demand. Pico warned that, confronted with higher prices, US consumers might switch from olive oil to cheaper alternatives, such as palm oil, to season their dishes. But he remains confident in olive oil's appeal across the Atlantic. 'When we've had price hikes almost twice as hard, the US market has resisted – even better than the Spanish,' he said, referring to last year's historic jumps in the price of olive oil. As Spanish consumers make headlines for swapping their beloved olive oil for the less glamorous sunflower oil, US consumption stayed steadier. 'The US consumer has shown a lot of olive oil culture,' said Pico. After the massive price highs in the two previous seasons, caused by historically low production, olive oil prices stabilised this year. Things also look promising for the harvest starting in October, perhaps even too bountiful. With forecasts pointing to a record season after heavy rainfalls in March and April, the Spanish government began preparing measures to tackle a potential surplus and prevent prices from plummeting. However, a recent drought and soaring temperatures has dampened expectations. 'It looked like the harvest of the century, we were expecting 2 million tonnes (...) but that is fading away,' said Pico. (jp)
Euractiv
15 hours ago
- Euractiv
European leaders to hold call with Trump, Zelenskyy ahead of Alaska talks
European leaders are urging Washington to reject any land-swap deal with Russia and ensure the EU is included in the talks Euractiv is part of the Trust Project Magnus Lund Nielsen Euractiv Aug 11, 2025 18:29 2 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will lead an online call with European leaders, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, two days before Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the United States. The leaders of France, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Finland, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, will take part in Wednesday's call, reported German news agency DPA . A European Commission spokesperson has confirmed that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also participate. Putin is due to meet Trump in the US state of Alaska on Friday. When announcing the meeting, Trump said: "There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" sides. But European leaders are urging Washington to reject any territorial deal favouring Moscow, and are warning against sidelining the EU in the talks. Over the weekend, some of them met US Vice President JD Vance in the UK and were joined by a high-level Commission official. On Sunday, the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Poland, the UK, Finland, and the European Commission issued a joint statement insisting that "the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine'. Zelenskyy has rejected the idea of territorial concessions as a path to lasting peace, writing on social media that "concessions do not persuade a killer" "Trump is right that Russia has to end its war against Ukraine. The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously," the EU's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said in a statement on Sunday. "Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security." Kallas convened an online meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday afternoon ahead of Friday's talks in Alaska. The ministers "expressed support for US steps that will lead to a just peace," Kallas wrote on social media late on Monday. (de)
Euractiv
16 hours ago
- Euractiv
Finland charges ship captain over Baltic cable sabotage
Energy, Environment & Transport The Eagle S is believed to belong to the Russian shadow fleet – old tankers used to skirt restrictions on Russian oil exports AFP Euractiv Aug 11, 2025 15:45 2 min. read News Service Produced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to journalistic standards. The captain and two officers of a ship believed to belong to Russia's so-called shadow fleet have been charged with sabotage for cutting five Baltic Sea cables in December, Finnish prosecutors said on Monday. The captain and first and second officers of the Cook Islands-registered oil tanker Eagle S are alleged to have dragged the ship's anchor on the seabed for around 90 kilometres, damaging five undersea cables in the Gulf of have been charged with "aggravated criminal mischief and aggravated interference with communications", the office of Finland's Deputy Prosecutor General said in a statement. The office did not disclose the nationalities of the suspects. The criminal investigation was launched after the EstLink 2 submarine power cable and four telecommunications cables connecting Finland to Estonia were damaged on December 25. "The owners of the cables have suffered a total of at least 60 million euros in immediate damage in the form of repair costs alone," the statement said. The Eagle S is believed to belong to the Russian shadow fleet – old tankers used to skirt restrictions on Russian oil exports. As a result of the disrupted electricity transmission and telecommunications, the event "is also suspected to have caused a serious risk to energy supply and telecommunications in Finland," the statement said. Denying the offences in a preliminary investigation, the defendants have argued that Finland has no jurisdiction in the case, because the cuts took place outside Finnish territorial waters. Several undersea Baltic cables were damaged last year, with many experts calling it part of a "hybrid war" carried out by Russia against Western countries. Sweden and Finland joined NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the military alliance has increased its surveillance in the Baltic Sea. (vib)
