Ukraine Russia War Live: Putin requires Kiev -Backring from the Donetsk -Region for Army -Agreement, Zelensky claims

Prior to Wednesday’s call, a spokesman for Downing Street said: “The prime minister remains absolutely focused on a solution to this conflict based on Ukraine’s national interests.

“He is determined to achieve a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine, supported by robust and credible security guarantees that will discourage Russia from threatening Ukraine in the future.”

This comes in front of the expected meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska Friday.

The two leaders are ready to meet to discuss the future of the Kremlin invasion without the presence of Mr Zelensky.

Sir Keir Stormmer will be co-chairman of a meeting with Pro-Ukraine-allied on Wednesday after a call with US President Donald Trump and European leaders to end the war.

Sir Keir joins a virtual call at noon with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

They then get together by Mr. Trump and American Vice President JD Vance. Later, the Prime Minister will co -form a “coalition of the willing” meeting to update wider partners about today’s discussions.

Tuesday has seen reports of an increase from Russian forces concentrated around land east of the mining town of Dobropillia.

The Deepstate war card showed that Russian forces had quickly moved north into two tips covering as much as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

Ukraine later said it had sent reserves to cover “difficult” near the cities of Pokrovsk and Dobropillia.

Later in the day, its SBU intelligence agency said its drones had hit a building containing long-range shahed attack drones in Russia’s Tatarstan region, 1,300 km (800 miles) from Ukraine.

SBU said this was the second such strike in four days and that videos filmed by local residents there confirmed that the plant had been hit.

NATO Secretary General will attend a meeting between President Zelensky, President Trump and European leaders on Wednesday, a spokesman said.

In a statement, they wrote: “On Wednesday, August 13, 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte participates in the virtual meetings of European leaders, the United States and Ukraine, the host of the federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz to discuss Ukraine.”

Europe’s leaders need to prepare their people for war with Moscow, says The independent‘s Editor of World Associations Sam Kiley.

“There should be no expectation that Trump will take the side of Democratic pro-Western Ukraine over dictator Putin Friday and Europeans know it,” he writes. “That’s why they work very hard to make sure Zelensky is also at the summit – and that he is reinforced with the full strength of European diplomacy if he is allowed to attend.

“But it is military force that Europe must be able to show – not only as US taxpayer’s subsidies for European security are cut off by Trump, but right now.”

You can read his full analysis here.

Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukrainian forces withdrew from Donetsk as part of any ceasefire agreement that is potentially broken by Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president said Mr. Putin wanted the remaining 30 percent or 3,500 square miles in the region, which has seen some of the toughest matches in the three and a half years old war.

But Mr. Zelensky promised that Ukraine “would never leave” Donbas and warned Mr. Putin’s troops could use it as a spring card for a future invasion.

“We won’t leave Donbas. We can’t do this. Everyone forgets the first part – our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,” he said.

Mr. Zelensky learned about Russia’s attitude after holding a call with Trump and the special envoy Steve Witkoff, after Mr Witkoff’s bilateral meeting with Putin.

Photos show Russian leader Vladimir Putin chairman of a meeting on financial questions at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday.

It comes as Putin is preparing to travel to Alaska to meet US President Donald Trump to discuss the war on Friday.

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that the upcoming meeting between the two leaders will be a “listening exercise” for Trump.

She added that she is “very confident” the US president will remain optimistic after the Anchorage summit in Alaska on Friday.

“Only a party involved in this war will be present, so this is for the president to go and gain a more firm understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end.”

She said there are plans in the works for Trump to visit Russia in the future.

With questions from journalists, Karoline Leavitt was asked why Volodymyr Zelensky has not been invited to participate in the US -Russia negotiations.

“This meeting happened because the president of Russia asked the president of the United States to meet through his special envoy Steve Witkoff,” she says.

“The President accepts this meeting at the request of President Putin.”

She added that the meeting was that Trump and Putin should go away “with a better understanding” of how to end the war, and said the US president had “deep respect for all parties.”

“This administration has really used any handle, has taken any measure to achieve peace through a diplomatic solution,” she adds.