Cliff Notes – Ukraine war latest:
- The Kursk region remains a focal point in the Ukraine conflict, with Russian claims of encircled Ukrainian troops disputed by Ukraine, which asserts its forces have retreated to stronger positions.
- Donald Trump has narrowed the focus of his envoy to Ukraine, excluding retired General Keith Kellogg from high-level peace talks at the Kremlin’s request.
- Next week, military leaders from various nations will convene to discuss strategies for protecting Ukraine as part of a potential peacekeeping initiative.
Russia ‘preparing more actions’ on border, military chief warn
Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Before we get started, let’s recap the key events from yesterday.
Kursk still at the forefront
The Russian Kursk region, currently occupied by Ukraine, continues to dominate headlines.
Vladimir Putin claimed at the end of last week that Ukrainian troops were encircled – leading to Donald Trump asking the Russian leader to “spare” them.
But Ukraine pushed back hard on that suggestion, claiming its troops had simply retreated to regroup at more defendable positions.
Russia published images of its troops wandering through the streets of Sudzha – the biggest town seized by Ukrainian forces.
Trump limits remit of envoy
Trump limited the remit of the envoy who was supposed to spearhead his campaign for peace between Ukraine and Russia.
Retired general Keith Kellogg was originally US envoy to Russia and Ukraine, but now his remit covers only the Ukrainian side of things, Trump appeared to confirm in a social media post.
The retired general was excluded from high-level talks on ending the war after the Kremlin said it didn’t want him there.
European military chiefs to meet
Military chiefs from around the world will meet next week to discuss the “operational phase” of protecting Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, Sir Keir Starmer announced.
Sir Keir revealed military chiefs from the group of Western nations would meet on Thursday as they move “into an operational phase”.
He said they would draw up plans to help secure Ukraine “on the land, at sea and in the sky” if a peace deal can be agreed with Russia.