Ukraine August 2024-

Zelensky Expresses Hope for 2025, but Russia Presses On With Attacks
In his New Year’s address, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged continued U.S. support.
(NYT) Hoping to bolster the resolve of a nation whose heart “is covered in scars” after more than 1,000 days of unrelenting Russian assaults, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said in his New Year’s address on Wednesday that he believed the United States would continue to stand with Kyiv in “compelling Russia into a just peace.”
He also reiterated his vow that his country would never give up on the goal of making Ukraine whole again. … Despite his expression of confidence, Mr. Zelensky faces an uphill fight, not just on the battlefield, but also diplomatically.
5 things people get wrong about Trump and Ukraine
Marc Thiessen
I’ve spent hours talking with the president about the war. Here’s what you need to know.
-11 March 2025

15 March
Ukraine allies plan meeting of military chiefs next week
Britain’s Starmer announced the London meeting after a call with 29 allies — but not the U.S. Still he insisted any Ukraine peace plan needs an American security backstop.
(Politico Eu) Military chiefs from about 30 Kyiv allies will hold a fresh “operational planning meeting” in London on Thursday to game out how they would commit peacekeeping troops to a post-war Ukraine.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the British-French-led talks after he hosted a call Saturday morning with the leaders of Ukraine, 25 other allied nations, NATO, the EU and the European Council — but not the U.S.
Starmer, with French President Emmanuel Macron, is pulling together a “coalition of the willing” of allied nations to protect Ukraine after any peace deal. But major questions remain about what that will look like if a deal is signed without U.S. aerial intelligence and air cover, as the U.K. and French leaders are lobbying the White House to provide.

11-13 March
Putin heaps conditions and queries on Ukraine ceasefire talks
Russian leader says he agrees with proposals to halt military action — but notes there are several catches or “nuances.”
Vladimir Putin says he backs a ceasefire, but don’t hold your breath for an immediate breakthrough.
(Politico Eu) Russia’s president on Thursday laid out what looked like a raft of delaying questions and burdensome conditions on American proposals to end the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
Putin will huddle with United States President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in a closed-door meeting at the Kremlin on Thursday night. He is being careful to say he broadly supports the initiative, but is simultaneously setting out what he sees as impediments to an overnight breakthrough.
Ian Bremmer: Ukraine ceasefire deal now awaits Putin’s response
A Quick Take on the back of the Riyadh meeting between the Americans and the Ukrainians, a very different reaction to when President Zelensky was visiting the White House just a week and a bit ago. Here we have a Zelensky emissary, senior delegation meeting with Rubio, secretary of State and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and coming out with a significant improvement in Ukraine’s position
First, an end of the suspension of delivery of US military aid and intelligence provision, which is critical for the Ukrainians being able to continue to defend themselves. And in return, Ukraine and the United States both announcing acceptance of terms for a 30-day, no condition ceasefire, end of the fighting exactly where it is right now. No territory changes, hands, no promises of anything beyond that. No guarantees about NATO, no promises not to join NATO, nothing like that. And now it goes to the Russians. And that is clearly not what the Russians wanted to hear.
Now, Zelensky played the cards he doesn’t have much better since leaving the White House, saying he would indeed go ahead and sign a critical minerals deal, writing a letter apologizing to the American president for any misunderstandings when they had that meeting together in the Oval Office. But now, Zelensky is no longer an obstacle from Trump’s perspective on the path to peace, he’s accepted Trump’s terms. I expect the Europeans will come out and support that 30-day cease ceasefire in very short order, and the question is for Putin.
Dizzying turnaround in US-Ukraine relations leaves all eyes on Russia
Dan Sabbagh, Defence and security editor
Putin may well stick to previous demands over Ukrainian elections and a rejection of European peacekeeping forces
(The Guardian) … the diplomatic momentum is suddenly with Ukraine, though with the mercurial Donald Trump involved, it is unclear for how long. Around $1bn (£772m) of US military aid is now potentially unblocked, while key functions for totemic weapons such as F-16s are presumably being restored – and the Kremlin’s immediate hopes of grinding down Kyiv on the frontline are set back.
Text of US-Ukraine statement paving way for resumption of aid, intelligence sharing
(Reuters) Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation. The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.
Ukraine agrees to 30-day ceasefire as US prepares to lift military aid restrictions
Joint statement says ‘ball is now in Russia’s court’ as two countries also revive plans for minerals deal
Ukraine said it was ready to accept an immediate  in the war with Russia, as the US announced it would immediately lift its restrictions on military aid and intelligence sharing after high-stakes talks in Saudi Arabia.
Donald Trump said he now hoped Vladimir Putin would reciprocate. If the Russian president did, it would mark the first ceasefire in the more than three years since he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Hours after Ukraine’s declaration, Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv, with mayor Vitali Klitschko saying air defences were engaged in repelling the strikes.
US officials said they hoped the agreement would help lead to talks to end the war. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Moscow in the coming days to propose the ceasefire to Putin.
It is not clear if Putin is ready to accept the ceasefire in its current form. Trump said he is expecting to speak with Putin later this week. Russian media have reported that their conversation could take place on Friday.

3-4 March
Zelenskyy says he will work under Trump’s leadership as he proposes Ukraine peace plan
Ukrainian president signals willingness to sign US minerals deal as he attempts to rebuild ties after Oval Office clash
(The Guardian) Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a possible peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying he is willing to work “constructively” under Donald Trump’s “strong leadership” and to sign a deal giving the US access to his country’s mineral wealth.
In an attempt to mend fences with Washington after Trump abruptly suspended supplies of military aid, Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he was “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible”.
“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace,” he wrote on X.
In an extraordinary turnaround, late on Tuesday both sides appeared to be close to signing a critical minerals deal that the White House has indicated is a precursor to peace talks, Reuters reported, underlining the chaotic nature of the relationship between Kyiv and Washington under Donald Trump.
US military aid pause is a blow to Ukraine, but it can sustain war effort for now
U.S. military aid suspension another setback for Ukraine
However, Kyiv has become less reliant on U.S. weapons
Questions remain over other countries supplying U.S. arms
Fate of crucial U.S. intelligence sharing also unclear
Europe scrambling to back Ukraine as U.S. lurches towards Russia
(Reuters) – Washington’s suspension of military assistance will not lead to a sudden collapse of Ukraine’s defensive lines, but it could have a real impact on the war within months, undermining air defences and precision strike capabilities in particular.
U.S. deliveries of military aid via Ukraine’s western border halted at 3:30 a.m. (0130 GMT), a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, after U.S. President Donald Trump paused assistance late on Monday following an extraordinary clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week.
Trump Suspends Military Aid to Ukraine After Oval Office Blowup
The directive, which takes effect immediately, affects more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition in the pipelines and on order.

28 February
It Was an Ambush
Today marked one of the grimmest days in the history of American diplomacy.
By Tom Nichols
Leave aside, if only for a moment, the utter boorishness with which President Donald Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance treated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House today. Also leave aside the spectacle of American leaders publicly pummeling a friend as if he were an enemy. All of the ghastliness inflicted on Zelensky today should not obscure the geopolitical reality of what just happened: The president of the United States ambushed a loyal ally, presumably so that he can soon make a deal with the dictator of Russia to sell out a European nation fighting for its very existence.
…this meeting reeked of a planned attack, with Trump unloading Russian talking points on Zelensky (such as blaming Ukraine for risking global war), all of it designed to humiliate the Ukrainian leader on national television and give Trump the pretext to do what he has indicated repeatedly he wants to do: side with Russian President Vladimir Putin and bring the war to an end on Russia’s terms. Trump is now reportedly considering the immediate end of all military aid to Ukraine because of Zelensky’s supposed intransigence during the meeting.
Trump cuts short talks with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy after Oval Office blow up
(AP) White House says Zelenskyy was asked to leave
Zelenskyy and his delegation were told to leave the White House early after the testy meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Zelenskyy left the White House without signing a critical minerals deal Trump had demanded
No mineral deals signed, White House confirms
(The Guardian) Not that we were in any doubt, but the White House has just confirmed that Trump and Zelenskyy did not sign a mineral deals during their talks today.
Trump has not ruled out an agreement, but not until Ukraine is ready to have a constructive conversation, a senior US official told Reuters.
Tempers flare and voices are raised before Zelensky abruptly departs the White House.
(NYT) President Trump and Vice President JD Vance loudly berated President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Friday in an explosive televised shouting match unlike any seen in the Oval Office between an American president and foreign leader in modern times.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance castigated Mr. Zelensky for not being grateful enough for U.S. support in its war with Russia and sought to strong-arm him into making a peace deal on whatever terms the Americans dictate.

24 February
Putin’s Three Years of Humiliation
The Russian president can’t win his war against Ukraine unless he persuades its allies to betray it.
By Anne Applebaum
… Three years later, against all obstacles and all predictions, the civilians, journalists, soldiers, and waitresses are still working together. Ukraine’s million-man army, the largest in Europe, is still fighting. Ukraine’s civil society is still volunteering, still raising money for the troops. Ukraine’s defense industry has transformed itself. In 2022, I saw tiny workshops that made drones out of what looked like cardboard and glue. In 2024, Ukrainian factories produced 1.5 million drones, and this year they will make many more. Teams of people in underground control centers now use bespoke software to hit thousands of targets every month. Their work explains why Russia has taken territory only slowly, despite being on the offensive for most of the past year.
UN general assembly backs resolution condemning Russia for Ukraine war
US, Russia, Belarus and North Korea vote against resolution as 93 countries vote in favor, spurning rival US resolution
(WaPo) The United States voted with Russia, North Korea, Iran and 14 other Moscow-friendly countries Monday against a resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine and calling for the return of Ukrainian territory. The resolution passed overwhelmingly in the U.N. General Assembly.
The U.S. delegation also abstained from voting on its own competing resolution that simply called for an end to the war, after European-sponsored amendments inserting new anti-Russian language also passed the 193-member body by a wide margin. The amended U.S. resolution also passed.
The votes, taken on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were an astounding reflection of the deepening split between the Trump administration and its major allies over support for Ukraine and disapproval of President Donald Trump’s unilateral outreach to the Kremlin to settle the war on terms favorable to Russia.
UN rejects US resolution that urges an end to the Ukraine war without noting Russian aggression
(AP) It was a setback for the Trump administration in the 193-member world body, whose resolutions are not legally binding but are seen as a barometer of world opinion. But it also showed some diminished support for Ukraine, whose resolution passed 93-18, with 65 abstentions. That’s lower than previous votes, which saw more than 140 nations condemn Russia’s aggression and demand its immediate withdrawal.
The United States had tried to pressure the Ukrainians to withdraw their resolution in favor of its proposal, including a last-minute appeal by U.S. deputy ambassador Dorothy Shea. Ukraine refused, and the assembly approved three European-proposed amendments adding language to the U.S. proposal making clear that Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in violation of the U.N. Charter.
Zelenskyy hails ‘absolute heroism’ of Ukraine as world leaders visit Kyiv
Europe-led show of solidarity on third anniversary of war comes after Donald Trump hit out at Ukrainian president

23 February
Timothy Snyder: My favorite Europeans are nine years old
A view from a school in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
… The main thrust of the Scandinavian exploration than began c. 700 AD was actually not the west but the east. For almost half a milennium Vikings raided and traded across a huge swatch of eastern Europe and western Asia. Perhaps their greatest achievement was the establishment of a state in Kyiv. Its most ambitious ruler was the also the greatest Viking warlord, Sveinald or Sviatoslav. He made war across a huge range of territory, from the Balkans to the Volga. He seems to have been killed, returning from the Balkans, trying to cross the cataracts that can be seen from Khortytsia.
Sviatoslav was the father of Valdamar, remembered by Ukrainians as Volodymyr. The history of Kyiv is thus an integral part of the history of Scandinavia as well as that of Ukraine.
Once again, though, the history is stronger than the memory. How many Danes know that their great medieval king, Valdamar I, was a direct descendant of Valdemar/Volodymyr of Kyiv?
… In the occupied zones of Ukraine today, Russian policy is to suppress Ukrainian culture, and to claim as Russian artifacts that were found in Ukraine. In one of the saddest episodes, Russians looted all of the Scythian artifacts from a museum in Kherson. In September 2022, Russia even went so far as to claim the entire region of Zaporizhzhia as part of the Russian Federation. Such a claim is illegal, and in any event extends to lands that Russia does not even physically occupy.
It is meant, at least in part, to shield Europeans and others from the historical connections between their countries and the lands of Ukraine. Europeans are supposed to ask: is it Russia or not? And to forget the Scythians and Greece, and the Goths and Rome, and the Vikings and Kyiv.

22-23 February
Zelenskiy says he is willing to quit presidency if it means peace in Ukraine
Zelenskiy open to stepping down in return for peace, NATO membership for Ukraine
Zelenskiy says he will not be in power ‘for decades’
Ukraine rejects US demand for $500 billion payback but says minerals deal talks continue
(Reuters) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he was willing to give up his position if it meant peace in Ukraine, adding that he could exchange his departure for his country’s entry into the NATO military alliance.
Zelenskyy says progress made on reaching an agreement with the U.S. on rare minerals deal
(AP) — A contentious Trump administration proposal to give the U.S. $500 billion worth of profits from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as compensation for its wartime assistance to Kyiv has been taken off the table, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday, indicating a more equitable deal is in the works.
Zelenskyy had earlier declined a U.S. draft agreement on exploitation of his country’s valuable minerals such as lithium used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries because it did not contain security guarantees and came with the $500 billion price tag.
“The question of $500 billion is no longer there,” Zelenskyy told a news conference at a forum of government officials in Kyiv marking the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
US expects mineral deal with Ukraine to be signed this week
(Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday they expected that an agreement would be signed this week on U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical mineral deposits.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wavered “in his commitment towards that a week ago,” Witkoff said in a CNN ‘State of the Union’ interview, referring to the Ukrainian leader’s rejection of the original U.S. proposal. “The president (Trump) sent the message to him. He’s not wavering any more.”
‘It’s blackmail’: Ukrainians react to Trump demand for $500bn share of minerals
Ukraine’s lithium deposits are among biggest in Europe and the US is looking for ‘payback’ for previous military assistance
(The Guardian) Last week, the new US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, visited Kyiv. He presented Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a surprise claim to half of Ukraine’s mineral wealth, as well as to its oil, gas, and infrastructure such as ports. The $500bn bill was “payback” for previous US military assistance to Ukraine, the White House explained.
Zelenskyy refused to sign the agreement. He made it clear Washington had to give security guarantees before any deal could be reached on the country’s vast natural resources, about 5% of global mineral reserves. He also pointed out that the US had given $69.2bn in military aid – less than the sum Trump was now demanding – and added that other partners such as the EU, Canada and the UK might be interested in investing, too.

21 February
US envoy to Ukraine hails Zelenskyy as ‘embattled and courageous leader’
Keith Kellogg takes different tone from Trump, who contrasted ‘very good talks’ with Putin with cooler relationship with Ukraine’s leader
The US envoy to Ukraine, Gen Keith Kellogg, has praised Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war”, striking a dramatically different tone from Donald Trump, who has called Ukraine’s president a “dictator”.
Kellogg left Kyiv on Friday after a three-day visit. Posting on social media, he said he had engaged in “extensive and positive discussions” with Zelenskyy and his “talented national security team”. “A long and intense day with the senior leadership of Ukraine,” he said.
The general’s upbeat remarks are in glaring contrast to those of the US president and his entourage, who have heaped abuse on Zelenskyy during a tumultuous week. Trump claimed Ukraine was to blame for starting the war with Russia, and accused Zelenskyy of doing “a terrible job”.
On Friday, Trump returned to the theme, saying he did not consider it essential for the Ukrainian president to be present at negotiations. “I don’t think he’s very important to be in meetings,” Trump told Fox News. “He’s been there for three years. He makes it very hard to make deals.”
Three years after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine has to battle Trump
By Ishaan Tharoor with Benjamin Soloway
Monday marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war — which the Kremlin once characterized as a “special military operation” to discipline an insubordinate neighbor — has sprawled across hundreds of miles of front lines, devastated swaths of the country, displaced millions of people and killed hundreds of thousands. Against the odds, Ukraine doggedly held its own in an existential fight for survival, backed by a flow of Western military assistance. Nevertheless, the far larger Russian war machine is still grinding through Ukrainian territory and raining down missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities.
As the conflict enters its fourth year, it appears to be a reaching tipping point. Ukraine’s hopes of reclaiming land lost to Russia are dimming and European governments are grappling with the limits of their capabilities and unity as President Donald Trump accelerates his own approach to an endgame. Trump vowed to forge peace, but in recent days seems to have put his thumb on the scales for Russian interests, much to the chagrin of traditional U.S. allies.
… Trump officials held meetings with senior envoys of the Kremlin in Saudi Arabia, breaking a long policy of nonengagement with Russia. The talks — and subsequent Trump rhetoric — raised fears elsewhere of Ukrainian interests and European concerns being swept aside in a grand bargain between Washington and Moscow. Polish prime minister Donald Tusk warned Thursday that “a forced capitulation of Ukraine would mean a capitulation of the whole community of the West.”
Stop criticising Trump and sign $500bn mineral deal, US official advises Kyiv
National security adviser says Ukraine is wrong to push back against Trump’s approach to peace talks with Russia
US-Ukraine relations crumble as war anniversary approaches
Ahead of the third anniversary on Monday of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, met in Kyiv on Thursday to discuss bringing the fighting to an end. After the meeting, a scheduled joint press conference was canceled on the orders of the US envoy, a sign that the two had not seen eye to eye.
… Washington also opposed naming Russia as the aggressor in a G-7 statement set to be released on the war’s third anniversary, further fracturing the group’s once-united front against Russia.

7-9 February
Trump says he has spoken with Putin about ending Ukraine war
Trump tells the New York Post that he has a plan to end the war but declined to go into details
(Guardian) … National security adviser, Michael Waltz added “Everybody is ready to help President Trump end in this war,” Waltz said, and repeated Trump’s comments that he is prepared to tax, tariff and sanction Russia.
“The president is prepared to put all of those issues on the table this week, including the future of US aid to Ukraine. We need to recoup those costs, and that is going to be a partnership with the Ukrainians in terms of their rare earth (materials), their natural resources, their oil and gas, and also buying ours.”
Zelenskiy says ‘Let’s do a deal’, offering Trump mineral partnership, seeking security
By Tom Balmforth and Olena Harmash
Ukraine has rapidly retuned its foreign policy approach to align with the transactional world view set out by the new occupant of the White House
In interview, Ukraine’s Zelenskiy offers mineral partnership to US
Zelenskiy emphasizes need for security guarantees in any deal
Ukrainian president keen to speak to Trump before Putin does
Ukraine proposes using its gas storage for U.S. LNG supplies
(Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pored over a once-classified map of vast deposits of rare earths and other critical minerals during an interview with Reuters on Friday, part of a push to appeal to Donald Trump’s penchant for a deal.
The U.S. president, whose administration is pressing for a rapid end to Ukraine’s war with Russia, said on Monday he wanted Ukraine to supply the U.S. with rare earths and other minerals in return for financially supporting its war effort.
Ukraine floated the idea of opening its critical minerals to investment by allies last autumn, as it presented a “victory plan” that sought to put it in the strongest position for talks and force Moscow to the table.
Zelenskiy said less than 20% of Ukraine’s mineral resources, including about half its rare earth deposits, were under Russian occupation.

2 January
Ukraine halts flow of Russian gas to Europe
The planned move marks the end of an era in which many European countries kept warm using gas pumped by the Kremlin.
(NBC) In the hopes of causing a financial blow against Moscow, Ukraine halted the flow of natural gas between Russia and Europe, ending a six-decade relationship between the two parties that allowed many European nations to use Russian gas for heating. Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been accused of using this dependency to blackmail Western European nations backing Ukraine — a claim Russia denies. Russia is projected to lose about $5 billion a year due to this termination, but Ukraine will also lose about $1 billion a year as it previously was able to charge Russia transit fees for the pipeline’s presence in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged other countries like the US to supply more gas to Europe: “The more there is on the market from Europe’s real partners, the faster we will overcome the last negative consequences of European energy dependence on Russia,” he wrote on the messaging platform Telegram.

2024

19 December
EU leaders in Brussels reaffirm support for Ukraine ahead of second Trump term
The bloc’s leaders discussed Europe’s place in the world — and how to prepare for more limited U.S. support for Ukraine.

18 December
Ukraine’s Hardest Winter
Weary soldiers and citizens express fatalistic optimism while preparing for the loss of U.S. military support.
By Robert F. Worth
Some of the people I met in Ukraine told me that the country could be facing its toughest winter yet—despite a history that includes some of the worst famine and human carnage of the 20th century. The Russians are pressing forward relentlessly in the east, even though in October alone, more than 1,500 of their soldiers were killed or wounded every day. This fall, Russia fired more than three times as many missiles and explosive drones as it had during the summer months.
Ukraine’s troops are exhausted after nearly three years of warfare. They are heavily outnumbered by the Russians, who have been bolstered by about 10,000 North Korean troops and thousands of mercenaries from other countries, some of them trafficked to the front against their will. Ukrainian civilians are exhausted too, especially now that they face the prospect of more power cuts in a season of bitter cold and darkness.
Ukrainians are watching Trump nominate his Cabinet, scouring each official’s past utterances for hints about future American policies. They can’t do much to influence the encounter that is coming between the Russian and American presidents—both mercurial men, each in the grip of very different delusions about how Ukraine’s war will end. Instead, Ukraine’s soldiers and politicians are taking a hard look at what it would mean to lose American military support, and how they might make up the difference, in a war where victory is being slowly redefined as mere survival.

17 November
Biden allows Ukraine to use US arms to strike inside Russia
Decision comes after months of resistance from Washington
Shift may aid Ukraine’s negotiating position
It is unclear if Trump will reverse Biden’s decision once in office
Russia warns of escalation if limits on US weapons use are loosened
(Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s administration has allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, two U.S. officials and a source familiar with the decision said on Sunday, in a significant reversal of Washington’s policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

7 November
Zelensky says he had ‘productive’ conversation with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech in Budapest on Thursday that he had a productive conversation with President-elect Trump after Tuesday’s election win and expressed optimism in his leadership.
“It was a productive conversation, a good conversation,” Zelensky said of his phone call with Trump on Wednesday. “Of course, we cannot yet know what his actions will be. But we do hope that America will become stronger.

16-17 October
Zelenskyy presses EU for ‘immediate invitation’ to join Nato
Ukrainian membership would be part of five-point ‘victory plan’ to end war, president tells Brussels summit
(The Guardian) Addressing the EU’s 27 leaders at a Brussels summit, Ukraine’s president outlined his five-point plan, which urges allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons on military targets inside Ukraine’s occupied territories and Russia, as well as to help increase air defences.
Here’s what’s in Zelenskyy’s victory plan for beating Putin
Ukraine wants weapons and security guarantees to show Moscow it can’t win the war.
(Politico) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday presented his so-called victory plan to the Ukrainian parliament — aimed at seeking a just peace to the war with Russia thanks to aid and guarantees from its allies.
The plan consists of five main points and three secret annexes.
“Ukraine’s victory plan is a plan to strengthen our state and strengthen our positions. To be strong enough to end the war,” Zelenskyy said, adding: “If we start moving with this concrete plan of victory now, we may manage to end the war no later than next year.”
There is a race to get traction on a prospect for ending the war on favorable terms for Ukraine at a time when Russian forces are making slow but steady progress along the front lines, and future support for Ukraine is in doubt thanks to next month’s U.S. presidential election.
The idea is to ensure that Ukraine gets iron-clad security guarantees from its allies and is well armed to prevent Russia from using any pause in the fighting to rearm and then attack again.
Zelenskyy outlines his ‘victory plan’ to Ukraine’s lawmakers, including a call to join NATO
(AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told lawmakers Wednesday that Ukraine’s Western partners are increasing pressure to negotiate with Russia, but he hinted such talks would be unfavorable to Kyiv as he unveiled what he called his “victory plan” for the war.

3 October
New NATO chief Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in his first trip since taking office
The new head of NATO vowed when he took office on Tuesday to help shore up Western support for Ukraine, which has been fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion since February 2022 and has for most of this year been on the defensive due to a relentless Russian army push in the country’s eastern regions.
Rutte expressed confidence that he can work with whomever is elected president of the United States, the alliance’s most powerful member, in November. That could be a key moment for Ukraine’s effort to ensure continuing Western support.

2 October
The fall of Vuhledar is a microcosm of Ukraine’s wartime predicament
Vuhledar’s fall is a microcosm of Ukraine’s predicament in this chapter of the nearly three-year war. It reflects the U.S.’s refusal to grant Ukraine permission to strike targets deep inside Russian territory, preventing Kyiv from degrading Moscow’s capabilities. Meanwhile, Russia’s dominance of the skies allows it to develop and advance devastating aerial glide bombs for which Ukraine has no effective response, while a controversial mobilization drive has failed to produce a new class of Ukrainian fighters capable of holding the line.
‘Ukraine’s very existence is at stake’: Zelenskyy enters the US election
An aide to Zelenskyy says Ukraine will not play favourites after the president’s meetings with Trump and Harris.
An aide to Zelenskyy told Al Jazeera that his boss and administration could not openly endorse a candidate, despite their political preferences.
“We need to be pragmatic, we can’t play favourites. Our very statehood, Ukraine’s very existence is at stake,” the aide told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, a particularly diplomatic response.

1 October
‘Everything is dead’: Ukraine rushes to stem ecocide after river poisoning
Russia is suspected of deliberately leaking chemical waste into a river, with deadly consequences for wildlife
(The Guardian) Ukrainian officials say the Russians deliberately poisoned the Seym River, which flows into the Desna. The Desna connects with a reservoir in the Kyiv region and a water supply used by millions.
A toxic slick was detected on 17 August coming from the Russian border village of Tyotkino. According to Kyiv, chemical waste from a sugar factory had been dumped in vast quantities into the Seym. It included ammonia, magnesium and other poisonous nitrates. At the time, fierce fighting was going on in the surrounding area. Ukraine’s armed forces had launched a surprise incursion into Russia and had seized territory in Kursk oblast.
The pollution crossed the international border just over a mile away and made its way into Ukraine’s Sumy region. The Seym’s natural ecosystem crashed. Fish, molluscs and crayfish were asphyxiated as oxygen levels fell to near zero. Settlements along the river reported mass die-offs.

30 September
Has Russia’s military improved enough to take on NATO?
Al Jazeera’s defence editor on why Russia’s army is ill-prepared for a direct conflict with NATO, a scenario Putin has warned of.
The war in Ukraine has thrown into bold relief the possibility of a future conflict between Russia and NATO.
Not since the Cold War have tensions been so high. Russia is deeply involved in a war that shows no sign of slowing down or stopping.

27 September
What is Zelenskyy’s ‘Victory Plan’ against Russia?
Long-range missiles and NATO membership for Ukraine: Here’s more about Zelenskyy’s plan to end the war on Kyiv’s terms.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting the United States to lobby support for Ukraine.
On Thursday, he met US President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to detail what he has described in recent weeks as his “victory plan” for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
What is the big picture?
Zelenskyy’s blueprint for Ukraine’s victory is believed to be a five-point plan. In an interview with ABC News, the Ukrainian president described the plan as a “bridge” towards a strong enough negotiating position for Ukraine to force Russia to end the war on Kyiv’s terms.
Specifically, Zelenskyy mentioned Ukraine’s peace plan – which lays out what is acceptable to Kyiv in any future talks with Moscow. Under that plan, Ukraine demands that Russia withdraw from all Ukrainian territory that it currently holds, including parts of the provinces of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, and all of Crimea. Ukraine’s peace plan demands accountability for the alleged war crimes committed by Russian authorities, led by President Vladimir Putin.

25 September
Facing GOP attacks, Zelenskyy looks to sell White House on victory
Republicans are sharply criticizing his Sunday visit to a Pennsylvania munitions factory.
The Biden administration does not appear ready to lift restrictions on American-made missiles, allowing Kyiv to strike deeper into Russia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is racing to secure more U.S. military aid — and broader authorization to use Western-supplied weapons — as Russia makes slow-but-steady progress on the battlefield, his country’s energy grid nears the point of collapse, and Ukraine confronts the possibility of the reelection of a hostile Donald Trump.
Putin issues nuclear warning to the West over strikes on Russia from Ukraine
Putin warns West over nuclear powers supporting strikes
Russia is changing its nuclear doctrine, Putin says
Says conventional attack could lead to nuclear response
Ukraine says Russia has only nuclear blackmail left
(Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles, and that Moscow would consider any assault on it supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack.
Zelensky warns U.N. that Russia is preparing to attack nuclear plants
The Ukrainian president addressed world leaders ahead of a pivotal White House meeting, where is he expected to outline a “victory plan” for President Joe Biden.
(WaPo) Russia is making plans to attack Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned fellow world leaders at the United Nations on Wednesday, issuing a stark call for global leadership to help him attain peace as his country stares down a cold, dark winter with most of its energy infrastructure destroyed.
In his highest-platform address during a week of high-stakes diplomacy, Zelensky singled out his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, and said Ukraine has a right to its territorial integrity. He decried Moscow’s veto on the U.N. Security Council, which has stymied the strongest global repercussions for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine bets on India to help get peace deal with Putin
Why Narendra Modi is Kyiv’s best hope.
(Politico Eu) As part of a blossoming diplomatic relationship, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Modi on Monday evening in New York, during which the two leaders and their entourages discussed the pathway to a peace deal.
A high-ranking Ukrainian official, granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject, confirmed that India was Kyiv’s big hope to reach a peace pact it can live with.

24 September
To Be or Not to Be – Ukraine and the Biden Legacy
Since our unquestioned assumption was that Ukraine would lose, we had trouble, and still do have trouble, thinking that Ukraine could win. And until we get to that thought, we cannot get to peace.
Timothy Snyder
“To be or not to be.” President Zelens’kyi of Ukraine once told me that “everything is in Shakespeare.” Early in the war he quoted that famous line from Hamlet to the British parliament. It is certainly a propos right now. It applies, in different ways, to his administration and to that of Joe Biden. Will Ukraine win and survive? And will the Biden team assist and be remembered?
Ukrainians and Americans both want peace. Indeed, no one can possibly want peace more than the Ukrainians. For the past two weeks, Ukrainian leaders have tried to persuade American journalists and the Biden administration of how this can come about, tried to convey a simple strategic truth: Russia will make peace only when Putin believes that Russia is losing. They are now presenting what they call a victory plan to try to get into that position.
This is realism. Using the word “negotiations” in any other sense is misleading, since the Russians themselves have made clear, over and over, that their goal is the humiliation and the destruction of Ukraine as a first step towards a world order in which such actions are normal. There is a thought which one hears outside of Ukraine to the effect that one can simply choose negotiations at any point without appropriately altering the power position. This is not realism. It is wishful thinking.

21 September
Zelenskyy hopes for quick US action as another arms depot is hit in Russia
(AP) — A massive Ukrainian drone attack set a Russian arms depot ablaze deep inside the country, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of his visit to the White House that Kyiv’s multi-point “victory plan” demands quick action from the United States.
Ukraine launched over 100 drones at Russia and occupied Crimea overnight, Russian news reports and the Defense Ministry said Saturday. The depot appeared to be just kilometers (miles) from another that was struck by Ukrainian drones early Wednesday, injuring 13 people and also causing a huge fire.

20 September
Ukraine bans Telegram messenger app on state-issued devices because of Russian security threat
(AP) — Ukraine has banned government officials, military personnel and other defense and critical infrastructure workers from installing the popular Telegram messaging app on state-issued devices, describing the move as necessary for national security during the war with Russia.
Ukraine’s National Cybersecurity Coordination Center said it issued the ban for the official devices of government employees, military personnel, security and defense workers, and critical infrastructure employees.

18 September
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says ‘victory plan’ is ready
(Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that his “Victory Plan”, intended to bring peace to Ukraine while keeping the country strong an avoiding all “frozen conflicts”, was now complete after much consultation.
Zelenskiy pledged last month to present his plan to U.S. President Joe Biden, presumably next week when he attends sessions of the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly.
While providing daily updates on the plan’s preparation, Zelenskiy has given few clues of the contents, indicating only that it aims to create terms acceptable to Ukraine, now locked in conflict with Russia for more than 2 1/2 years.
Dispatch from Kyiv: The Kursk offensive is working, but Ukrainians are worried about US wobbling
John E. Herbst, Former US Ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan
(Atlantic Council) The mood here is largely upbeat, as I discovered after two days in Kyiv to attend the twentieth anniversary convening of the Yalta Economic Summit (YES). The conference, founded by Ukrainian businessman Victor Pinchuk (a member of the Atlantic Council’s International Advisory Board), brings together the country’s political elite with prominent European and US leaders, foreign policy thinkers, and journalists.
The YES conference convened thirty-eight days after the start of Ukraine’s daring thrust into Russia’s Kursk Oblast. On a previous trip to Kyiv in late August, all my Ukrainian interlocutors were encouraged by Ukraine’s rapid gains in Kursk but concerned that perhaps their troops would advance too far and fall into a Russian trap. Since then, Ukraine has made additional advances and fortified their gains south of the Seim River. According to Ukraine’s State Agency for Fisheries, this prompted Moscow to poison the river, which would be yet another war crime committed by the Kremlin in its aggression against Ukraine. (Environmental groups should be up in arms about this, along with Russian damage to the environment at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and elsewhere.)

Blast from attack on Russian arms depot picked up on earthquake monitors
Ukrainian drone attack causes large explosion at arsenal in Toropets, more than 300 miles north of Ukraine.
(The Guardian) Ukrainian drone attack causes large explosion at arsenal in Toropets, more than 300 miles north of Ukraine
A Ukrainian drone attack on a large Russian weapons depot caused a blast that was picked up by earthquake monitoring stations, in one of the biggest strikes on Moscow’s military arsenal since the war began.
Pro-Russian military bloggers said Ukraine struck an arsenal for the storage of missiles, ammunition and explosives in Toropets, a historic town more than 300 miles north of Ukraine and about 230 miles west of Moscow.
Videos and images on social media showed a huge ball of flame rising high into the night sky and detonations thundering across a lake, in a region not far from the border with Belarus.
The strike was part of a broader Ukrainian drone campaign targeting Russian oil refineries, power plants, airfields and military factories, and highlights Kyiv’s enhanced long-range drone capabilities.

4 September
Zelenskiy reshuffles Ukraine cabinet as Russian missile strike targets Lviv
President carries out biggest government shake-up since start of war as deadly attacks continue

Ukrainian foreign minister resigns ahead of expected reshuffling of government leaders
(AP) — Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, one of Ukraine’s most recognizable faces on the international stage, resigned Wednesday ahead of an expected reshuffling of government leaders. Russian strikes, meanwhile, killed seven people in a western city, a day after one of the deadliest missile attacks since the war began.
Kuleba, 43, gave no reason for stepping down. Four other Cabinet ministers tendered their resignations late Tuesday, likely making this reshuffle the biggest since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated last week that the reshuffling was imminent, with the war poised to enter a critical stage and to mark its 1,000th day in November.
He said Wednesday that Ukraine needs “new energy, and that includes in diplomacy.” He said during a Kyiv news conference with visiting Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris that he could not announce any replacements yet because he did not know whether the candidates would accept his invitation to join the government.

3 September
Russian attack in Ukrainian city of Poltava kills at least 50 people
Volodymyr Zelenskiy says more than 206 people injured as unconfirmed reports say strike targeted military ceremony
The strike has triggered anger on Ukrainian social media after unconfirmed reports said it had targeted an outdoor military ceremony, or roll call, with many blaming officials who allowed the event to take place despite the threat of Russian attacks.
Ukraine’s land forces confirmed that service personnel were killed in the strike and said an investigation was under way to establish whether enough was done to protect those in the facility. It said measures would be taken to prevent a recurrence.
Separately, it was announced on Tuesday evening that four Ukrainian cabinet ministers had resigned, ahead of an expected government reshuffle.

1 September
Ukrainian drone attacks hit power stations and refineries in Russia
Russia plays down overnight strikes as its forces make incremental gains in Donbas and launch missiles at Kharkiv

30 August
Zelenskiy fires head of air force after fatal crash of donated F-16 fighter jet
Mykola Oleshchuk’s dismissal thought to be linked to death of pilot and loss of plane newly delivered to Zelenskiy fires head of air force after fatal crash of donated F-16 fighter jet
“I have decided to replace the commander of the air forces … I am eternally grateful to all our military pilots,” Zelenskiy said in his evening video address on Friday, without giving a reason for the dismissal of Mykola Oleshchuk.
But Zelenskiy spoke of the need to “protect” the lives of those defending the country, suggesting the dismissal is probably related to the F-16 crash in which Lt Col Oleksiy Mes died.
The crash was more unwelcome news in a week when Russia has continued to make rapid advances in eastern Ukraine toward the key city of Pokrovsk, sparking public criticism of the Ukrainian military leadership and Zelenskiy even as the bold incursion into the Russian Kursk region continues.
For months, Russian forces have been attempting to seize Pokrovsk, a strategically important mining town with a prewar population of about 60,000, but their advance has gained considerable momentum in recent weeks.
Deep State, a Ukrainian group close to Ukraine’s defence ministry that tracks frontline activities, reported that Russian forces on Friday were less than 10km (6 miles) from the outskirts of Pokrovsk, where local officials have ordered a mass evacuation.
Russian pro-war military bloggers also reported on Friday that forces had entered the city of Selydove, south of Pokrovsk.