Why Zelensky believes Russia is planning a major new offensive, not a peace proposal
Volodymyr Zelensky claims Ukraine has obtained intelligence and open-source data indicating that Putin does not intend to end the war and is preparing new offensives.
Analysts report increased Russian attacks in Ukraine 's eastern Donetsk region, with the fastest rate of advance this year.
Analysts say Russia aims for decisive operational success this summer to influence peace negotiations, focusing on capturing territory in the Donbas region.
Ukraine faces challenges, including disrupted supply lines, recruitment issues, and troop fatigue, while Russia recruits approximately 30,000 soldiers per month, according to Western intelligence estimates.
'Ample evidence' Russia preparing fresh offensive despite talk of ceasefire, claims Zelensky
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ITV News
24 minutes ago
- ITV News
As Europe's leaders head to Washington, Trump could shift to favouring Russia
They are travelling with a mood of collective concern — presidents, prime ministers, and a secretary general, descending on Washington today in a flotilla of flag-draped planes, uneasy that this is what it takes to help ensure their path towards a fair deal isn't thrown off course. As one European official told ITV News: "If we assume that Trump only hears the last person in the room, we should make sure that we are the last people in the room." For the United States, this is a moment of growing alignment — yes, alignment. But not with Britain, Germany, or France, as you might expect. Because, as European leaders travel to the White House with the transatlantic alliance on Ukraine sounding shaky - and their declarations of allegiance at times insincere - it's Washington and Moscow that emerged from Anchorage on Friday showing signs of agreement. Donald Trump is, in some ways, echoing Vladimir Putin's framing of the conflict at least as much as Volodymyr Zelenskyy's. And Putin has already set the trap: to portray Europeans and Ukrainians as the true obstacles to peace. On Friday, he warned Europe not to 'torpedo progress.' Yesterday, Kirill Dmitriev — a Kremlin negotiator and one of Putin's closest allies - went further, tweeting that 'European and British warmongers/saboteurs are in full panic mode. They should not stay in the way of Peace,' punctuating his message with a dove emoji. This was Russia draping itself in the robes of peacemaker, its critics cast as potential saboteurs. For European leaders, the danger isn't subtle - a narrative in which Putin gets to play statesman while they are painted as the wreckers. It's Donald Trump who Moscow hopes will buy that story. But what was agreed in Anchorage is still unclear, besides an agreement that Ukraine should be able to receive security guarantees like those it would receive if it was a member of Nato, the specifics are unclear. Trump himself was evasive on Friday: 'There's no deal until there's a deal.' What has since emerged is that Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donbas — the Donetsk and Luhansk regions — as the price of ending the war, while offering a freeze along the rest of the frontline. Trump signalled willingness to back a plan that would see Russia handed not just occupied areas, but unoccupied Ukrainian territory too, in return for what he could present as peace. Whether Ukraine freezes the conflict or cedes land outright is more than a technical distinction; in practice, it is the difference between a country catching its breath or being permanently diminished. Last week, Trump assured Europeans that Moscow had made concessions which, it turned out, were never on the table. That ambiguity is exactly why Europeans are wary of Trump negotiating with Putin alone — and equally unwilling to leave Trump and Zelenskyy alone, mindful of the Oval Office humiliation in February when Trump berated the Ukrainian president in front of cameras. No European leader is prepared to risk a repeat of that scene. Meanwhile, Washington's tone has softened. Where the administration once threatened severe consequences if no ceasefire was reached, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that fresh measures would take time to bite and would only drive Russia from the table. The result: no new punishment for Putin, no clear cost for saying no. He left Alaska without agreeing to a ceasefire, but with a photo op, a red carpet, and a round of applause — prestige without compromise. It was against that backdrop that Zelenskyy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared together yesterday. Their message was blunt: Donetsk will not be handed to Russia, because Putin has failed to take it in twelve years of fighting. Talks cannot take place while Russian missiles still fall — 'it's impossible to negotiate under the pressure of weapons,' Zelenskyy said. This was a clear attempt to fix the terms of debate before heading to Washington. Two kinds of unity now shape this moment. The anticlimax in Alaska revealed the American president drifting closer to the Russian one. Washington could now reveal another — Europe's leaders rallying behind Ukraine not as bystanders, but as counterweights.
The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Marco Rubio denies Zelensky is being ‘bullied' by Trump amid European leaders meeting
Marco Rubio dismissed the "stupid media narrative" that Donald Trump would bully Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into a disadvantageous deal with Russia. Rubio clarified that European leaders attending the meeting with Zelensky were invited by Trump and are not present as "backup" against bullying. Trump recently held a nearly three-hour meeting with Russian President Putin in Anchorage to discuss the war in Ukraine, but no ceasefire agreement was reached. The article references a past contentious meeting in Washington D.C. where Trump accused Zelensky of gambling with "World War Three" and Vice President JD Vance questioned Zelensky's gratitude. Rubio refused to disclose any potential concessions Trump might seek from Russia, stating that revealing such details could jeopardise the negotiations.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Letter from Melania Trump to Putin hand delivered at Alaska summit
"We must strive to paint a dignity-filled world for all--so that every soul may wake to peace, and so that the future itself is perfectly guarded," the first lady wrote. "A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generation's descendants begin their lives with a purity--an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology." President Donald Trump hand delivered the letter to Putin during their summit talks Aug. 15. The letter, which was shared with USA TODAY, does not specifically mention Ukraine. Trump and Putin's hours long meeting ended with a vague statement to the media in which Putin spoke of an "agreement" and Trump declared "no deal" had been reached to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. The letter does not mention the tens of thousands of Ukranian children taken from land Russia has claimed in the war to the country or Russian-occupied territory without the consent of family or guardians. "In today's world, some children are forced to carry a quiet laughter, untouched by the darkness around them-- a silent defiance against the forces that can potentially claim their future. Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter," the letter states. Moscow has said it moved the children to protect them from a war zone. Many have been put up for adoption. Ukraine has said the children were taken without consent of their parents or guardians and compared the move to a war crime that meets the United Nations treaty definition of genocide
