On Friday, Ukraine’s president announced that the death toll from Thursday’s Russian strikes on the capital, Kyiv, had risen to 31, including five children. Authorities also reported that 159 people were wounded, 16 of them children. Russia had launched waves of missiles and drones at Kyiv before dawn on Thursday. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed it had targeted and successfully hit Ukrainian military airfields, ammunition depots, and facilities linked to what it termed Kyiv’s “military-industrial complex.”
Russia has also asserted that it has taken complete control of the devastated town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine after nearly 16 months of fighting, a claim that Kyiv dismissed as “propaganda.” In a retaliatory move, Ukrainian drones, operated by the state security agency (SBU), struck an electronics plant in the western Russian city of Penza, which manufactures combat control systems for the Russian military.
Military Aid
A powerful US Senate committee has approved a military spending bill that includes approximately $1 billion to support Ukraine. This decision was made despite the Trump administration’s earlier request to Congress to eliminate such funding from its budget.
Ceasefire Negotiations
President Trump confirmed that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, would travel to Russia following his current trip to Israel. No itinerary was provided for Witkoff, who has a history of extensive ceasefire talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Trump has been highly critical of Russia’s “disgusting” behavior against Ukraine and stated his intention to impose sanctions on Moscow if a ceasefire agreement cannot be reached. The US president has given Putin until August 8 to secure a deal to end the fighting. The US reiterated this ceasefire deadline to the UN Security Council, with senior diplomat John Kelley telling the 15-member body that “both Russia and Ukraine must negotiate a ceasefire and durable peace.” Kelley added: “It is time to make a deal. President Trump has made clear this must be done by August 8. The United States is prepared to implement additional measures to secure peace.”
Trump also warned Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, to “watch his words” after Medvedev described Washington’s threats of punitive tariffs on Moscow and its oil buyers as “a game of ultimatums” and a step toward a US-Russia war. In response, the former Russian president reminded Trump that Moscow still possesses “Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities of last resort.”
Ukrainian Affairs
Ukraine’s parliament has voted to restore the independence of two key anticorruption agencies. Lawmakers passed the bill, submitted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a vote of 331 to 0. This move is aimed at de-escalating the country’s largest political crisis since the Russian invasion, which arose from Zelenskyy’s earlier actions and a subsequent public outcry.
Regional Developments
Chinese naval vessels have arrived at Russia’s far eastern port of Vladivostok for joint military drills scheduled to take place from August 1-5.
