Have you missed the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes Get the point for you every night. Here is the essentials of this Friday, August 1, on the 1.255th day of the conflict.
The figure of the day
634. It is the number of square kilometers of Ukrainian territory that the Russian army grabbed in this month of July. In one month, the forces of Moscow took 713 km2 of Ukrainian territory, against 79 km2 recovered by kyiv, a net increase of 634 km2, according to data provided by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Not only are Russian forces progress for the fourth consecutive month, but they have been carrying out its widest advanced since November. Almost three -quarters of this progression have been concentrated in the Donetsk region, theater of the main clashes between Russians and Ukrainians for two years.
But the Russian army has also advanced in the Northeast, in the Kharkiv region, to the east, towards Zaporijjia and in the center-east, in the Dnipropetrovsk area. On the other hand, to the north, in the Soumy region, Moscow conceded a few tens of square kilometers.
The quote of the day
« We need lasting, stable peace, on good foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine
»
During a meeting with his counterpart, and ally, Belarusian Alexandre Loukachenko, Vladimir Putin assured wanting a “lasting peace” in Ukraine … but his conditions are “unchanged”. However, Moscow demands that kyiv gives him four regions, already partially controlled by his army, as well as Crimea. All by giving up Western weapons and any membership in NATO. Conditions impossible for Ukraine, which wants a withdrawal of the troops and guarantees of Western security.
Negotiations for a diplomatic outcome to war are wrong. But the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky repeated his desire to meet his Russian counterpart on Friday to try to advance the discussions. “We understand who makes decisions in Russia and who must finish this war,” he said on social networks.
The trend of the day
Does Russia play with fire? Moscow has intensified its bombings, despite Donald Trump’s ultimatum. In July, according to an AFP analysis, the Russian army pulled 6,297 long -range drones against Ukraine, an increase of 16 % compared to last month. It is more than any other month since the start of the invasion in 2022. Between January and June, Russia tripled the number of missiles sent to Ukraine, especially at night. Latest example, an attack on kyiv killed 31 civilians on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, according to a report released on Friday by the authorities. Among the victims, five children, including a 2 year old.
Find here all our articles on the war in Ukraine
For his part, Donald Trump announced on Friday on Truth Social having ordered the deployment of two American nuclear submarines “in the appropriate areas” in response to remarks deemed “provocateur” of Dmitri Medvedev. The former Russian-president had said on X that Donald Trump’s ultimatums to end the war in Ukraine represented “a threat and a step towards war” with the United States. Donald Trump warned that “the words matters and can have unforeseen consequences”, hoping to avoid climbing.
