Ukraine President Volydymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Brussels, Belgium, August 17, 2025 (Times News)

Sunday’s Coverage: Russia Breaks “Victory Day” Ceasefire

UPDATE 0946 GMT:

Visiting Kyiv, German Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius has said:

Germany and Ukraine are strategic partners who both benefit from cooperation. This results in numerous new projects.

The focus is on the joint development of state-of-the-art unmanned systems at all ranges, especially in the area of deep strikes. In this way, we strengthen the security of our countries.

UPDATE 0536 GMT:

At least three civilians have been killed and 16 injured in Russia’s further violations of a three-day ceasefire.

While there were no significant Russian airstrikes, Moscow’s forces attacked with drones and artillery as well as one Iskander-M ballistic missile.

In the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, two people were killed and two injured in attacks on 12 settlements.

In the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, one person was slain and two injured.

Casualties were also reported in the Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Just over two weeks after a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, the European Union’s foreign ministers are convening in Brussels to discuss further support of Kyiv against Russia’s invasion.

The loan, confirmed after the lifting of the blockade by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, will meet Ukraine’s military and financial needs through 2027.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha hailed “a new feeling of momentum” as he arrived:

We have a new reality on the battlefield. Ukraine became stronger after the most difficult winter….

We stabilized the front and we are also in the position that we closed the sky….[We can] shoot down up to 90% of aerial objects by which Russians attack us.

Amid Ukraine’s counter-attacks inside Russia on infrastructure such as refineries, terminals, and ports, he added, “We noticed new some very interesting developments in Russia, not only in the economy. So we are following them.”

Sweden’s Maria Malmer Stenergard added, “It’s difficult for [Russia] to recruit soldiers, and we saw the ‘big victory parade’ that was a very small victory parade. There was no military hardware display at all, because the Kremlin was afraid of Ukrainian drones.”

Foreign Ministers dismissed any possibility of a compromise by Vladimir Putin to end his 50 1/2-month full-scale invasion. EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas summarized:

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said:

We believe that when we see it in action. For now, even during the so-called ceasefire that he begged for, we have not really seen the cessation of hostilities. So, it’s premature to really suggest something like that.

Zelensky: We Expect US to Play Active Role

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of a US role in ending the invasion.

Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov met American officials in the US last week. Zelensky is hoping that Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have recurrently visited the Kremlin, will finally make their first trip to Kyiv.

Zelensky said a 1,000-for-1,000 exchange of prisoners of war, which he put forward as part of last weekend’s three-day ceasefire, is being prepared.