The meeting between President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska has concluded without any resolution regarding a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Before the meeting, Russia made significant gains in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, fueling speculation that Moscow was attempting to strengthen its position amidst ceasefire talks. Russian forces focused on capturing Pokrovsk, a critical city and major railway hub in eastern Donetsk, before the summit. This offensive was preceded by multiple attempts to break through Russian defenses. Reports indicated that Pokrovsk was partially under siege as the meeting between Putin and Trump was being prepared. Recent reports also mentioned the capture of the villages of Yablunivka and Oleksandrivka.
Ukrainian President Zelensky rejected Putin’s demands for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the 30% of Donetsk still under Kyiv’s control. Zelensky downplayed the Russian advances, highlighting the resistance and pressure being exerted by Ukrainian forces.
Before the Alaska meeting, Zelensky highlighted the heavy losses the Russian military was incurring in its efforts to gain a more advantageous political position. He added that Ukraine was keeping its allies informed of the true state of affairs.
Russia illegally annexed Donetsk and Luhansk in 2022, alongside Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, thus forming the eastern Donbas region.
In other developments, a ballistic missile attack in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine resulted in fatalities and injuries. Dnipro, a key logistics center for the Ukrainian army, has frequently been targeted by Russian forces.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian military claimed responsibility for an overnight attack on the Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region of Russia. The refinery is a major part of Rosneft’s network. A drone attack caused a fire, which was quickly extinguished.
Ukraine also claimed it attacked the Caspian port of Olya in Russia’s Astrakhan region, targeting a vessel transporting drone components and ammunition from Iran to Russia.
The Ukrainian military has not confirmed the use of drones in its recent long-range attacks. The goal is to weaken Russia’s capacity to continue its full-scale war which started in February 2022. During the week of August 7-13, Ukraine faced approximately 535 Russian drone and missile attacks. While Ukraine intercepted about two-thirds of the attacks, eight missiles launched by Moscow penetrated Ukrainian defenses.