Donald Trump’s administration says it believes Ukraine’s hopes of forcing Russia out of occupied territory are ‘unrealistic’
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Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned remarks by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who compared Ukraine to “grass” that suffers when “elephants” fight, referring to the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry called Fico’s comments “openly offensive rhetoric” against Ukraine and its people.
“It is regrettable that the head of government of a European Union member state allows himself openly offensive rhetoric towards Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who heroically fight Russian aggression every day, restraining it on their land in the interests of the security of all Europe,” the ministry reported.
Fico made the remarks while commenting on the scheduled 15 August negotiations between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska regarding ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The Slovak leader invoked what he called an African proverb: “Remember the old African truth that I so love to repeat? Whether elephants are fighting or having sex, the grass always suffers. However the negotiations of the elephants end on 15 August, the grass will suffer – in this case, Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian foreign ministry warned the Slovak politician against using “unfriendly folkloric allegories” and accused him of attempting to “raise his party’s political ratings through such statements,” calling this “frivolity.”
“Against this backdrop, Robert Fico’s statements are dissonant with the spirit of good neighbourliness, solidarity and mutual respect that the Slovak people have demonstrated towards Ukraine throughout this time. Therefore, with his statements, Mr. Fico insults his own people as well,” the foreign ministry said.
The diplomatic exchange comes after the expiration of Trump’s 10-day deadline to the Kremlin on 8 August, after which the US could have imposed secondary sanctions against Russia. However, no such sanctions were implemented. Instead, Trump announced he would meet Putin on 15 August in Alaska, stating he was awaiting Putin’s response regarding progress in peace negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is prepared to work with the US leader and international partners for just peace, but ruled out any territorial concessions to Russia.
Ukrainian wakeboarder Sofia Sokolova secured a silver medal at the 2025 World Games taking place in Chengdu, China, according to ukrainska Pravda Champion.
The 17-year-old Ukrainian athlete finished second in the wakesurfing final with 50 points, trailing only Canada’s Bailey Rush who took gold. South Korea’s Juhi Moon claimed the bronze medal.
The wakesurfing competition marks the conclusion of Sokolova’s participation at the Games. Her silver medal represents Ukraine’s ninth medal at the China-hosted competition, contributing to the country’s fifth-place position in the overall medal standings.
Ukraine’s delegation has accumulated four gold medals, four silver medals, and one bronze medal at the Chengdu Games. Germany leads the medal table with nine gold medals and 21 total medals.
The day before Sokolova’s wakesurfing achievement, Ukrainian dragon boat rowers added four medals to the national tally, including two gold medals. Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor Bohdan Mochulsky advanced to the semi-finals of his competition.
The 2025 World Games are taking place from 7-17 August in Chengdu, marking the first time China has hosted the multi-sport event. This represents the first inclusion of wakesurfing in World Games competition, making it a historic debut for the discipline.
The wakeboarding and water skiing events are being held at Sancha Lake in Chengdu, with competition running from 8-10 August.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff has confirmed that Ukrainian drones struck the Saratov oil refinery in Russia during a nighttime operation, the military command announced.
“Tonight, the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces, struck the Saratov oil refinery (Saratov Oblast, Russia),” the General Staff reported.
According to military officials, the drone strikes resulted in explosions and fire at the facility. The Saratov refinery processes up to 7 million tons of oil annually and serves as a key fuel infrastructure facility supplying petroleum products to occupying forces.
The General Staff said that Ukrainian defense forces continue operations aimed at reducing Russia’s military-economic potential to force an end to its aggression against Ukraine.
“Every targeted facility on the territory of the Russian Federation involved in supporting its criminal war against Ukraine brings us closer to a just peace,” the military command stated.
The attack occurred on the night of 10 August, when drones targeted the refinery in the Russian city of Saratov, triggering a large-scale fire at the facility.
Ukraine’s defence forces have liberated the village of Bezsalivka in Sumy Oblast from Russian occupying forces, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on 10 August.
The operation involved units from the 33rd Assault Regiment and 24th Assault Battalion, according to the General Staff’s statement. Ukrainian forces eliminated 18 Russian soldiers during the fighting, though this claim could not be independently verified.
Bezsalivka, a village of 91 residents located on the Volfa River at the border with Russia, sits within the Bilopillia territorial community. The village’s position places it approximately 30 kilometers west of heavier fighting elsewhere in Sumy Oblast, where Russian troops have advanced to within 30 kilometers of the regional capital.
According to Yurii Zark, head of the Bilopillia community, several residents remained in Bezsalivka as of early July despite refusing evacuation offers.
The liberation represents part of Ukraine’s recent counteroffensive efforts in the border oblast. Ukrainian forces pushed Russian forces out of several small villages at the end of July, following a period when Ukraine’s defence of the area stabilized over June.
The fighting intensifies more than two months after Russia opened this northeastern front. Russian forces made significant gains on Ukraine’s side of Sumy Oblast over May and June, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to begin creating a “security buffer zone” along the border with Ukraine.
The current operations follow Ukraine’s earlier successes in the oblast. On 25 July, the 225th Assault Regiment completed clearing and securing the village of Kindrativka in Sumy Oblast. In June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that defence forces had succeeded in pushing Russian troops from Sumy Oblast’s border areas, including the liberation of Andriivka.
The border areas have experienced increased fighting after Ukrainian forces withdrew from territory held in Russia’s neighboring Kursk Oblast, which was taken during Ukraine’s cross-border incursion in summer 2024.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 10 August that ending the war against Ukraine must be honest and serve the security interests of European nations.
“The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to all those who are now with Ukraine, with our people for the sake of peace in Ukraine, which defends the vital security interests of our European peoples,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader emphasized his country’s support for a joint declaration by major European leaders regarding peace for Ukraine. The statement was issued by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
The European leaders’ declaration preceded Zelenskyy’s remarks, calling on US President Donald Trump to conduct negotiations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin only under specific conditions. The European officials demanded a ceasefire and guarantees protecting “vital security interests of Ukraine and Europe” as prerequisites for any peace talks.
The timing of Zelenskyy’s statement coincides with ongoing diplomatic efforts to establish parameters for potential negotiations. The Ukrainian president’s emphasis on fairness reflects his administration’s position that any settlement must address European security concerns beyond Ukraine’s borders.
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Seven European leaders published a joint statement on the early morning of 10 August addressed to the leaders of the United States and Russia.
The statement was released after midnight Central European Time by the press services of France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Britain, the European Commission, and Finland.
The emergency declaration responds to preparations for a Trump-Putin meeting preliminarily scheduled for 15 August and outlines peace negotiation terms considered crucial by the European signatories.
“We welcome President Trump’s work to stop the killing in Ukraine, end the Russian Federation’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace and security for Ukraine,” the statement reads. The leaders expressed conviction that success requires “an approach that combines active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on the Russian Federation.”
European officials warned Washington they remain prepared to continue “substantive military and financial support to Ukraine, including through the work of the Coalition of the Willing,” while maintaining existing sanctions and imposing new restrictions against Russia.
The leaders insisted Ukraine must retain “freedom of choice over its own destiny” and declared that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
The statement specifies that talks can occur only “in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities.” The European leaders positioned the current contact line as “the starting point of negotiations” while emphasizing that “international borders must not be changed by force.”
The document was signed by President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Ursula von der Leyen, and President Alexander Stubb.
Ukraine and several European states presented their negotiation plan to the United States on 15 August. The Trump-Putin meeting is scheduled for Alaska on 15 August amid media reports that Washington and Moscow seek an agreement to halt the war in Ukraine, potentially cementing Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories.
President Zelenskyy responded to these developments by stating that “the answer to the Ukrainian territorial question is already in Ukraine’s Constitution.”
Russian officials reported drone strikes on the Saratov Oblast overnight on 10 August, with a local oil refinery apparently sustaining damage, Governor Roman Busargin said.
The Saratov oil refinery processes up to 7 million tons of crude oil annually, producing vital motor fuels and other petroleum products that supply a significant part of Russia’s domestic market and military needs, having served as a crucial logistics hub since World War II.
The governor confirmed damage at an industrial facility following the drone assault. Busargin claimed debris from a downed drone fell in a residential courtyard, prompting evacuations to a temporary shelter organized at a nearby school. According to the governor’s account, there was one fatality and several injured.
Local residents told the Russian propaganda outlet ASTRA that the Saratov oil refinery came under attack.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting 121 drones over Russian Bryansk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Stavropol, Kaluga, Tula, Rostov and Ryazan oblasts and occupied Crimea during the night.
The Saratov Oblast has faced regular drone attacks. On 1 July, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that Defense Forces struck the Saratovgorsintez oil refinery in the Saratov region. Explosions occurred in Saratov and Engels on 5 July, where a Russian airbase is located from which aircraft launch strikes against Ukraine.
The White House is considering inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Alaska for the planned 15 August meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, NBC News reported on 10 August, citing senior US officials and people briefed on internal discussions.
“It’s being discussed,” one person briefed on the discussions told NBC News. A senior administration official described the possibility as “absolutely” viable, adding that “everyone is very hopeful that would happen.”
However, no official invitation has been extended to Zelenskyy, and it remains unclear whether he would ultimately attend any meetings in Alaska.
“The President remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders. Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin,” a senior White House official told NBC, when asked about an official invitation.
The potential trilateral summit represents a shift from the administration’s initial position. The White House had originally made a Putin meeting with Zelenskyy a precondition for the Trump-Putin encounter, but Trump later dropped this requirement.
According to sources briefed on the discussions, if Zelenskyy were to travel to Alaska, it remains uncertain whether he and Putin would meet face-to-face in the same room.
The diplomatic activity follows a visit by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow, where he met with Putin ahead of Friday’s deadline set by the president for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face additional sanctions. Putin has not agreed to a ceasefire but has presented the outlines of a potential agreement that would allow Russia to retain significant portions of Ukrainian territory.
Trump said on 8 August that any resolution between the two countries would likely involve territorial exchanges, stating there would be “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
Zelenskyy responded defiantly to such proposals on 9 August, declaring that Ukrainians “will not give their land to Russia.”
Bloomberg previously reported that Washington and Moscow are pursuing a deal to end the war in Ukraine that would cement Russian control over occupied territories. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Putin had presented the Trump administration with a ceasefire plan contingent on territorial concessions from Kyiv.
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet for a summit in Alaska next Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine
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