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 Wednesday, August 13, on the 1.267th day of the conflict.
The fact of the day
At the initiative of the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the main European leaders and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky spoke this Wednesday in videoconference with Donald Trump and NATO officials. The meeting was an opportunity to recall the common position of the European Union and the United Kingdom before the summit on Friday, between Trump and Putin on Friday in Alaska. Appointment to which neither Europe nor Ukraine are invited. “The territorial questions that come under Ukraine cannot be negotiated, will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president,” said Emmanuel Macron.
“The American will” is to “get a cease-fire,” said the French president after his exchange with Donald Trump. Europeans and Donald Trump are “united” in their efforts to end the war in Ukraine, NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Wednesday after a telephone call which he described as “an excellent. […] The ball is now in Putin camp ”.
The quote of the day
« There will be very serious consequences if Russia does not end the war in Ukraine »
Donald Trump intends to put pressure on Vladimir Putin. In front of the journalists, the resident of the White House oscillated between confidence and firmness. He said he wanted to organize a meeting between Putin, Zelensky and himself “almost immediately” after his summit with Russian president on Friday in Alaska. “Some great things can be acquired during the first meeting – this will be a very important meeting – but it prepares the field for a second meeting.”
The trend of the day
The Russian army is progressing rapidly on the ground. It achieved its widest advanced on Tuesday in 24 hours in Ukrainian territory for more than a year, while its progression has been accelerating for several weeks.
Moscow troops have advanced or claimed more than 110 km2 additional on August 12 compared to the day before, which had not happened in late May 2024. In recent weeks, they usually needed six days to progress as much.
Our file on the war in Ukraine
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its units had conquered the localities of Nykanorivka and Souvorové, located in the southwest of the city garrison of Dobropillia, in the Donetsk region. The governor of this region announced the “compulsory evacuation of families with children” in a dozen localities, including the small town of Bilozerské, which is approaching the front.
