France sends Crotale air defense systems, MLRS to Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Aug. 8 that a potential peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv would likely include "some swapping of territories," as Trump prepares to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.

The EU Council approved a regular tranche payment of 3.2 billion euros ($3.7 billion) under the Ukraine Facility mechanism on Aug. 8, a smaller amount than initially planned due to Kyiv's failure to complete key reforms.

A summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is tentatively scheduled to occur late next week, NBC News reported on Aug. 8, citing a senior White House official.

According to the sources, the memorandum permits the Pentagon to reclaim weapons produced for Ukraine under the U.S. Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and return them to U.S. stockpiles.

"They (Russian troops) are now regrouping for further attempts, but remain positioned in Donetsk Oblast," said Victor Tregubov, spokesperson of the Dnipro group of forces.

"Parents of some of them were killed by occupation authorities, others were simply issued Russian identification documents to legitimize their abduction," said Mykola Kuleba, head of the Save Ukraine organization.

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, foreigners flocked to Ukraine to join its defense against Russian forces. More than three years later, the foreign fighters who remain are a different breed — driven by a deep commitment to Ukraine.

The proposed deal is aimed at freezing the conflict and laying the groundwork for a ceasefire and technical negotiations toward a final peace settlement, the news agency reported.

Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko are among Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest international allies.

According to the source, two explosions near the unit's checkpoint killed at least 12 Russian soldiers and injured dozens more. Russian military equipment was also destroyed, they added.

The deficit jumped by 1.2 trillion rubles ($15 billion) last month alone, "mainly due to a decline in the average price of oil," the Russian Finance Ministry said.

Journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna's death has become a stark symbol of Russia's systemic abuse of Ukrainian civilians and the brutal risks faced by journalists in occupied territories.