Listed here are the important thing occasions on day 1,276 of Russia’s conflict on Ukraine.
Right here is how issues stand on Saturday, August 23:
Combating
-
Russian troops have taken management of the settlements of Rusyn Yar, Volodymyrivka and Katerynivka within the Donetsk area in jap Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence mentioned.
- Russian oil provides to Hungary and Slovakia might be suspended for a minimum of 5 days after a Ukrainian drone strike on a facility in Russia, Hungarian and Slovak officers mentioned. The assault by Ukraine marked the second time this week that Russian oil provides have been lower to each nations.
-
An power facility at Unecha in Russia’s Bryansk area, by which the Europe-bound Druzhba oil pipeline runs, caught hearth because of Ukrainian missile and drone assaults, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz mentioned, including that the hearth had been extinguished.
Peace talks
- United States President Donald Trump renewed a risk on Friday to impose sanctions on Russia if there isn’t a progress in direction of a peaceable settlement in Ukraine in two weeks, exhibiting frustration at Moscow per week after his heat meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
-
Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned there isn’t a agenda for a possible summit between Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he accused of claiming “no to every thing”.
-
Lavrov mentioned a gathering with Zelenskyy and a deal have been doable, supplied there was a correct agenda for such a session.
- Zelenskyy has accused Russia of doing every thing it could possibly to be sure that a gathering between him and Putin doesn’t happen, and referred to as on Ukraine’s allies to use renewed sanctions on Moscow if it continues to indicate no need to finish its invasion of his nation.
Politics and diplomacy
- Putin has mentioned there was “gentle on the finish of the tunnel” in Russia-US relations, and that the 2 nations have been discussing joint initiatives within the Arctic and Alaska, signalling Russia’s optimism that it could possibly mend relations with Washington and strike enterprise offers with Trump, regardless of a scarcity of progress in direction of ending its conflict on Ukraine.
Regional safety
- Russian forces have carried out an train within the Baltic Sea, together with drills to repel an underwater assault, the Defence Ministry in Moscow mentioned. It was the second time this month that Russia held naval workout routines with an antisubmarine element, after President Trump ordered two US nuclear submarines to reposition nearer to Russia.
- Ukraine’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs has warned neighbouring Belarus towards staging “reckless provocations” throughout joint navy drills with Russian forces in September.
- Kyiv referred to as on its European companions to stay vigilant in the course of the joint Belarus-Russia “Zapad” navy workout routines, and urged Belarusian authorities “to stay prudent, to not method the borders and to not provoke” Ukraine’s armed forces.
- Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko dismissed as “full nonsense” the concept that Minsk would utilise the mobilisation of navy forces in the course of the workout routines to assault Ukraine.
Nord Stream
-
An Italian appeals courtroom has confirmed the arrest of a Ukrainian man suspected by Germany of coordinating assaults on three Nord Stream gasoline pipelines within the Baltic Sea in 2022. The suspect faces expenses of collusion to trigger an explosion, anticonstitutional sabotage and destruction of essential buildings.
- The AFP information company studies that the suspect within the assault on the Nord Stream underwater gasoline pipelines has refused to be extradited to Germany from Italy, the place he was arrested.
