Volodymyr Zelensky has said US and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet later this week to discuss preparations for a possible meeting with Vladimir Putin, after vowing “to push Russia to peace”.
Speaking during a joint briefing in Kyiv with Norway’s prime minister, Zelensky said he plans to discuss the matter with US Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, as well as discussing potential security guarantees.
The Ukrainian president added that Kyiv aims to secure at least $1bn on a monthly basis from allies to purchase US weapons for its war effort against Russia.
It comes after Kellogg attended a ceremony in Kyiv on Sunday to commemorate Ukraine’s 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
Zelensky insisted that a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin is “the most effective way forward” to end the war in Ukraine .
Meanwhile, the US has been blocking Ukraine from firing long-range missiles into Russian territory for several months, according to new reports.
Zelensky has responded to the reports saying Ukraine has recently been using its own weapons and not consulting Washington over its strikes.
Zelensky says waiting for ‘India’s contribution’ to end Ukraine war
Volodymyr Zelensky has he is counting on India’s contribution to end the war in Ukraine as he thanked Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
“Thank you, Prime Minister @narendramodi, for the warm greetings on Ukraine’s Independence Day. We appreciate India’s dedication to peace and dialogue. Now, as the entire world strives to end this horrible war with dignity and lasting peace, we count on India’s contribution,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
He added: “Every decision that strengthens diplomacy leads to better security not only in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”
India has recently come under sharp criticism from the US for its continuing purchase of Russian oil.
According to trade data shared with Reuters, India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day from January to June this year, up 1 per cent from one year ago. In total, it imported Russian oil worth about £38bn in the financial year ending March 2025.
Ukraine condemns Woody Allen for speaking at a Russian film festival
The Ukrainian foreign ministry condemned Woody Allen for speaking virtually at a Russian film festival over the weekend, calling his participation in the event “a disgrace and an insult” to the victims of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to Russian media, Allen spoke on Sunday at the Moscow International Film Week via video conference.
Russian media reports quoted Allen as saying that he has always liked Russian cinema, recounting his past trips to Russia and the Soviet Union, and talking about what he would do if he were to receive a proposal to direct a movie in the country.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry in an online statement yesterday said that it “strongly condemns” Allen’s participation in the festival, which “brings together supporters and mouthpieces of Putin.”
The ministry called it “a disgrace and an insult to the victims among Ukrainian actors and filmmakers who have been killed or wounded by Russian war criminals,” adding that Allen “is deliberately turning a blind eye to the atrocities that Russia has been committing in Ukraine.”
In a statement to AP yesterday, Allen criticised Putin and denounced the invasion but called for cultural exchange to continue.
“When it comes to the conflict in Ukraine, I believe strongly that Vladimir Putin is totally in the wrong. The war he has caused is appalling,” Allen said.
“But, whatever politicians have done, I don’t feel cutting off artistic conversations is ever a good way to help.”
Rubio discusses war in Ukraine with European counterparts
US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke with his European counterparts yesterday and discussed diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, the State Department said.
Rubio spoke to UK foreign secretary David Lammy, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, Finnish foreign minister Elina Valtonen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas among others, a spokesperson for the State Department said in a statement.
Germany will take part in security guarantees, says vice chancellor
Germany will provide security guarantees for Ukraine alongside European partners, the country’s vice chancellor has said.
“What’s important is that, in the end, there are security guarantees that ensure Ukraine is no longer attacked and that Putin no longer dares to attack Ukraine,” said Lars Klingbeil in his first visit to Ukraine on Monday.
Klingbeil said Germany would “assume responsibility” in providing security guarantees, but that decisions must not be taken “over the heads of Ukrainians” and any negotiation process must start with a ceasefire.
Trump says he has not discussed specific security guarantees for Ukraine
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has not discussed specific security guarantees for Ukraine amid a flagging effort to end the conflict.
The US president also said that during his August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the two leaders discussed limiting the size of their countries’ massive nuclear arsenal.
“We would like to denuclearise. It’s too much power, and we talked about that also. That’s part of it, but we have to get the war over with,” Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office.
Watch: Ukraine unveils devastating new ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile
Trump envoy says officials ‘working hard’ to end war in Ukraine
US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg said officials are “working very, very hard” on efforts to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine despite a lack of progress in talks.
Mr Kellogg said in Kyiv that officials are “hoping to get to a position where, in the near term, we have, with a lack of a better term, security guarantees” that address Ukraine’s fears of another invasion by Russia in the future.
“That’s a work in progress,” he said of the potential security guarantees, after attending Ukraine’s annual National Prayer Breakfast along with politicians, business leaders and diplomats.
Polish president’s veto threatens Ukraine’s Starlink access
Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink could be cut due to the Polish president’s veto of a refugee aid bill, Poland’s deputy prime minister has said.
Poland pays for Ukraine to use Starlink, which provides crucial internet connectivity to the country and its military as they try to push back invading Russian forces.
But Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said on Monday that the President’s veto of a bill extending state financial support to Ukrainian refugees would mean is no legal basis for paying for Starlink.
“This is the end of Starlink internet, which Poland provides to Ukraine as it wages war,” he wrote on X.
ICYMI: Report claims US has blocked Ukraine from using long-range missiles in Russia
The US has reportedly been blocking Ukraine from using long-range missiles in Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Both US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (Atacms) and British-produced Storm Shadows depend on US targeting data.
A new review process brought in by Washington in late spring has blocked Ukraine from using Atacms at least one, the report claimed.
In response, Zelensky said Kyiv had recently been using its own weapons and not consulting with Washington over strikes.
RECAP: British military experts will continue to train Ukrainian soldiers until at least the end of 2026
A British operation to help train Ukrainian forces will continue until at least the end of 2026, the government has announced.
Operation Interflex has trained more than 50,000 Ukrainian recruits on British soil.
Speaking ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations, Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK was “ramping up” its support for Ukrainian forces.
