Russia, Belarus ambassadors barred from Nobel ceremony

Drones attacked Russia's Krasnodar Krai on Aug. 7, reportedly targeting the Afipskiy oil refinery, Russian Telegram media channels reported, citing resident accounts.

Ukraine's military launched a drone attack on Russia's Volgograd Oblast overnight on Aug. 7, striking a railway station in the town of Surovikino, regional Governor Andrei Bocharov reported.

Taylor Adam Lee, 22, of El Paso, Texas is alleged to have transmitted technical information about the M1A2 Abrams tank in June to a person he believed was a Russian intelligence officer in exchange for Russian citizenship.

President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced cautious optimism about progress in peace negotiations on Aug. 6, citing signs of a potential shift in Russia’s stance on its war in Ukraine following talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week and intends to hold a trilateral meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin shortly after, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Aug. 6.

U.S. President Donald Trump noted additional secondary sanctions will be imposed on Russia's trading partners, saying that "You are going to see a lot more... you are going to see so much secondary sanctions."

U.S. President Donald Trump will decide whether to impose secondary sanctions on Russia’s trading partners within the next 24 to 36 hours, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Aug. 6.

"Our joint position with our partners is absolutely clear – the war must end. And it must be done honestly," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow on Aug. 6 for high-level talks as Trump's deadline for a Ukraine deal draws near.

Despite the reversal of the controversial law that took away Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies' independence, the scandal appears to have damaged the president’s approval.

The order, which takes effect in 21 days, states that India's ongoing direct or indirect importation of Russian crude poses an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and foreign policy.

According to Deputy Culture Minister Andrii Nadzhos, the process will begin in the village of Yurechkova following a preparatory visit scheduled for mid-August.

As Trump’s deadline for additional sanctions on Russia looms, Robert Person, a professor of international relations specializing in Russian and post-Soviet politics, discusses why Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to end the war against Ukraine in response to the threat — and what might actually motivate him to stop the aggression.