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Morning Headlines
Sky News: Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street today, Number 10 has announced.
Reuters: WhatsApp said Russia was trying to block its services because the social media messaging app owned by Meta Platforms offered people's right to secure communication, and vowed to continue trying to make encrypted services available in Russia.
The Kyiv Independent: An overnight drone attack struck a refinery in the Russian city of Volgograd, causing an oil spill and fire on the premises, Volgograd Oblast Governor Andrey Bocharov claimed on Aug. 14.
ISW: Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups continue attempts to infiltrate Pokrovsk as Russian forces heavily strike the town.
The Kyiv Independent: The United States is prepared to provide Ukraine with security guarantees once peace is established, but NATO membership is not on the table as a possible guarantee, French President Emmanuel Macron said Aug. 13.
More News
The Times: Russia and the United States have discussed a model for ending the war in Ukraine that mirrors Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, The Times has been told. Under this scenario Russia would have military and economic control of occupied Ukraine under its own governing body (archive).
The Telegraph: Trump is preparing to offer Putin access to rare earth minerals to incentivise him to end the war in Ukraine. Proposals include: giving Putin access to the rare earth minerals in the Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia, and Alaska’s natural resources; and lifting some of the American sanctions on Russia’s aviation industry (archive).
Reuters: Trump threatened "severe consequences" if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine but also said on Wednesday that a meeting between them could swiftly be followed by a second that would include the leader of Ukraine.
The Guardian: Children in Lithuania are to be taught how to build and operate drones as part of the small Baltic country’s efforts to build capacity to deal with any future threat from Russia.
Reuters: Trump at the last minute requested MAGA-allied Polish President Karol Nawrocki join the Ukraine teleconference with European leaders on Wednesday, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Nawrocki's bitter political rival who had been expected to attend.
NATO: Germany will contribute $500 million to a NATO initiative supplying Ukraine with critically needed U.S.-made weapons, the alliance announced on Aug. 13.
Reuters: Britain, France and Germany, co-chairs of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing", set out their position on the pathway to a ceasefire in Ukraine in a statement released after a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
The Moscow Times: Russian authorities have deployed an unusually dense network of air defense systems around Putin’s secluded Valdai residence where his alleged girlfriend and their children live, according to a new investigation by RFE/RL affiliate Radio Svoboda.
Reuters: Russia appears to be preparing to test its new nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered cruise missile, according to two U.S. researchers and a Western security source, even as Putin readies for talks on Ukraine with Trump on Friday.
AP News: Russian hackers are likely behind suspected sabotage at a dam in Norway in April that affected water flows, police officials told Norwegian media on Wednesday.
Reuters: Russia wants to include the topic of a reduction of NATO troops presence in any conversations about the future of Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters on Wednesday.
UN: The number of civilian casualties in Ukraine reached another three-year high in July, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said today as it released its update on the protection of civilians.
United24 Media: Russia is producing and upgrading the missiles it uses to attack Ukrainian cities—but every missile built is quickly fired, leaving no room for stockpiles, said Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence in an interview with Ukrainian media Suspilne on August 13.
AFP: Belarus said Wednesday it will practice deployment of Russia's nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles during the joint Zapad-2025 ("West-2025") drills close to the EU and NATO's eastern flank border.
The Moscow Times: More than 1,600 Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine have been nominated as candidates in the 2025 regional and local elections, the Central Election Commission said on Wednesday.
ERR: Estonia on Wednesday expelled a Russian diplomat for activities connected to "undermining the constitutional order and legal system of Estonia" and "dividing Estonian society," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
EBRD: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is supporting Ukraine’s energy security by lending €500 million to gas company Naftogaz to finance emergency gas purchases.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian drones struck a major oil pumping station in Russia's Bryansk Oblast overnight on Aug. 13, according to the Ukrainian military.
worth mentioning
Poland signs $3.8 billion deal to upgrade F-16 fighter jets
Estonia detains Polish man for crossing border on inflatable mattress to allegedly join Russia's war
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