Zelensky demonstrates resilience following the disclosure of a Trump-Putin summit
In the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, both nations continue to engage in military operations, with Russia making slow territorial gains and Ukraine counterattacking in strategic locations.
Russia's offensive focus is on the eastern and northern regions of Ukraine, particularly in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts. The Kremlin aims to establish defensible buffer zones near Sumy and push Ukraine back towards key logistics hubs. Russian forces, buoyed by their military success, do not seem prepared to make significant concessions, with President Vladimir Putin believing that he is winning the war and anticipating a break in Western support for Ukraine.
On the Ukrainian side, forces continue to counterattack and have made limited local advances, repelling some Russian pushes near Sumy Oblast and launching operations into Russian territory, such as in Kursk Oblast. Ukraine and its Western allies maintain strong support for continued resistance, with no indication that Ukraine will accept territorial concessions.
Regarding proposed peace settlements involving territorial concessions, there is no recent credible evidence of agreed deals or Ukrainian willingness to cede territory. Russia's framing of seized oblasts as "inevitable" appears aimed at pressuring Kyiv, but it has not led to progress on a settlement. Moscow's war aims officially remain unchanged, while Ukraine insists on restoring full control over its sovereign territory.
As of August 2025, the conflict remains deadlocked, with ongoing combat, Russian incremental gains, and Ukraine continuing to resist.
| Aspect | Russia | Ukraine | Peace Settlement Status | |----------------------|---------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------| | Current military position | Slow territorial gains; offensive focus on east and north | Defensive with some counterattacks; operations into Russia | No active peace deal; Russia insists on territorial claims, Ukraine rejects concessions | | War aims | Control of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson; buffer zones | Recovery of all occupied territory; national sovereignty | Russia claims “inevitability” of annexations; Ukraine and West demand full restoration | | Negotiation/settlement stance | No significant concessions; believes Western support for Ukraine will break | No indication of readiness to concede territory | No breakthrough peace agreement in place |
In a recent development, President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of territorial exchanges as part of a war settlement. Trump last met his Russian counterpart in person in June 2019 in Japan. The upcoming summit between the two leaders will take place in Alaska, a state near Russia that the latter ceded to America at the end of the 19th century.
- The ongoing discussion about potential peace settlements between Russia and Ukraine includes the possibility of territorial exchanges, as suggested by President Donald Trump.
- Amidst talk of territorial concessions, Russia continues to prioritize territorial gains in eastern and northern Ukraine, particularly in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts, while Ukraine insists on restoring full control over its sovereign territory.
