Here is how things stand on Friday, August 8:
Fighting
- The Ukrainian military said its drone units hit the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region. It was not immediately clear what the extent of the damage was at the refinery, which, together with the Krasnodar refinery, processed 7.2 million metric tonnes of crude oil in 2024.
- Local Russian emergency services said they had extinguished a fire at the Afipsky refinery, saying it was caused by fallen drone debris. The Russian Ministry of Defence said air defence systems had shot down nine Ukrainian drones in the region overnight.
- Russia’s Defence Ministry said air defence systems also shot down eight British-made Storm Shadow missiles launched by the Ukrainian army over the past 24 hours.
- Russia also hit a Ukrainian railway hub used for transferring weapons and military equipment to Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, the ministry added.
- Gas supplies continued on Thursday through the Orlovka interconnector in southern Ukraine, which was attacked by Russian drones on Wednesday, the Ukrainian gas transmission operator said.
Ceasefire
- Russia’s Deputy United Nations Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said that Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet with United States President Donald Trump next week, but said he was not aware of any planned meeting between Putin and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Trump said Putin does not have to agree to meet with Zelenskyy in order to have a meeting with him.
- Putin said that the United Arab Emirates is one of the suitable locations to hold a meeting with Trump.
- Putin added that he was not “on the whole” against meeting Zelenskyy, adding that “certain conditions should be created” for such a meeting. He stressed that the current situation was “far” from being ready for it.
- French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s full support for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the launch of talks aimed at reaching a lasting and solid peace, following a “long discussion” with Zelenskyy and other European leaders.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had spoken with Zelenskyy about the developments of the last days and next steps.
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the conflict in Ukraine during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Sanctions and tariffs
- Russia and India stressed their commitment to a “strategic partnership” in bilateral security talks in Moscow, a day after Trump announced higher tariffs on imports from India because of its purchases of Russian oil.
- Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval as saying that New Delhi was looking forward to a visit from Putin by the end of the year.
- Russia’s central bank has tweaked its rules for non-residents, allowing foreigners’ funds from special type-C accounts to pass to Russian investors when involved in the exchange of assets, a move that could free up blocked capital in Russia and abroad.
- As Russia sought to ratchet up military production for the war in Ukraine, a state-owned explosives manufacturer circumvented Western sanctions by purchasing equipment made by Germany’s Siemens from a middleman that imports technology from China, the Reuters news agency reported.
Regional developments
- Zelenskyy said he discussed a new financial assistance programme that will “strengthen Ukrainians now and in the post-war period” on a call with International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva.
- Russia said it had protested to Italy this week over what it called “odious” anti-Russian statements, in an ongoing row over the cancellation of a concert by Russian conductor Valery Gergiev in Italy.
