Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow is prepared to discuss the political dimensions of a settlement with Ukraine, reiterating that the Kremlin does not rule out any negotiation format, whether bilateral or involving third parties. In a state-television interview aired late 19 Aug. and echoed in comments the next day, Lavrov stressed that any leader-level contact would require “meticulous preparation,” signalling a cautious but open stance toward reviving diplomacy after months of stalled talks. Lavrov’s remarks leave open the possibility of a summit between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an idea U.S. officials have recently said they are willing to facilitate. While offering no timeline, the minister underscored that preparatory work should begin at expert level before heads of state meet, and warned against what he called Western efforts to “drag the United States into their hostile campaign to strengthen Ukraine as a tool to deter Russia.” The comments mark the first public signal since early summer that Russia may re-engage in direct negotiations aimed at ending the 2024 invasion, which has entered its fourth year with front lines largely frozen. Kyiv has not yet responded publicly to Lavrov’s latest overture; Ukrainian officials have previously insisted that any talks must respect the country’s territorial integrity.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Ukraine "is going to get a lot of land" and described Russia as "a powerful military nation" during remarks on Tuesday. Trump did not elaborate on the context or timing of the territorial gains he envisaged for Kyiv, nor did he specify whether the comments reflected an emerging U.S. policy position or ongoing diplomatic discussions. The statement underscores the administration’s evolving posture toward the 18-month-old conflict, in which Moscow continues to occupy parts of eastern and southern Ukraine despite international sanctions and military support for Kyiv from the United States and its allies. White House officials did not immediately respond to requests for clarification on Trump’s remarks or any related negotiations.

Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said on Wednesday it has begun “partially” restricting voice calls on the WhatsApp and Telegram messaging apps, describing the move as necessary to fight fraud, extortion and what it called sabotage and terrorist activity. The curb, which leaves text messaging and voice notes intact, follows repeated but unanswered law-enforcement requests for the two foreign-owned platforms to share data, the regulator and the Digital Development and Communications Ministry said. Officials added that call functions could be restored once the companies “comply with Russian legislation.” WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, responded that the restriction targets its end-to-end-encrypted service and seeks to deny secure communication “to over 100 million” Russian users. Telegram said it already removes millions of malicious messages daily with the help of artificial-intelligence tools. WhatsApp reached 97.3 million users in Russia in July, ahead of Telegram’s 90.8 million and state-controlled VK Messenger’s 17.9 million, according to researcher Mediascope. Moscow is simultaneously promoting a new state-backed app, MAX, which it plans to integrate with government services and which critics say could expand official surveillance. The measure deepens the Kremlin’s years-long drive to tighten control over the internet. Since invading Ukraine in 2022, Russia has blocked Facebook and Instagram, throttled YouTube and passed legislation expanding online censorship and penalties for accessing content deemed extremist.

Russia is preparing to conduct a test of its nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed Burevestnik cruise missile at the Novaya Zemlya test site in the Arctic. Satellite imagery and reports from Western security sources and American researchers indicate increased activity, including the closure of 500 kilometers of airspace along the western coast of Novaya Zemlya from August 7 to 12. This development comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled for Friday, focusing on Ukraine. The missile test preparations have raised questions about whether this military activity could overshadow the upcoming Trump-Putin diplomatic discussions. The situation is being closely monitored, with coverage including Reuters World News podcasts and analysis of Russia's strategic interests in the Arctic region.

Russian authorities, including the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Russian military, have announced that they struck Ukrainian missile production facilities, effectively thwarting Ukraine's efforts to produce the "Sapsan" ballistic operational-tactical missile systems. These missiles were reportedly intended for deep strikes into Russian territory, with a range that could reach Moscow and Minsk. The FSB released a map illustrating the potential reach of the Sapsan missiles if launched from areas controlled by Kyiv. The development of these missile systems was reportedly supported by NATO representatives and Germany, according to Russian sources. This action marks an escalation in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, targeting Ukraine's missile manufacturing capabilities.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that American missile systems are increasingly being deployed in regions that directly affect Russia's security. In response, Russia has ended its moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missile systems, which it continued to develop during the moratorium period. Ryabkov confirmed that Russia now possesses a substantial arsenal of these weapons. He also revealed the existence of a new advanced weapon system that surpasses the Oreshnik missile, although he did not disclose further details. Russia's actions are framed as a response to the growing presence of U.S. military systems near Russian territory, with Ryabkov emphasizing that Russia had no alternative but to act. The developments have contributed to escalating tensions between Russia and the United States, as well as NATO.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense alleged that Ukraine is preparing a “false-flag” attack aimed at derailing an upcoming summit in Alaska between President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump. The ministry claimed Kyiv intends to strike a civilian target and blame Moscow in order to sour the talks, but provided no supporting evidence. The accusation coincided with a fresh wave of Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia. Regional authorities in Rostov-on-Don said an explosive-laden unmanned aircraft hit a residential building early Thursday, wounding at least 13 people—two of them critically—and damaging more than ten apartments on Telman and Lermontovskaya streets. Emergency crews were deployed and an investigation is under way. In the nearby Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported multiple drone incursions over the past 24 hours. One strike on a car outside a government building left three civilians injured, while local officials said more than 30 UAVs were intercepted or crashed, forcing shops and public events to close temporarily. Earlier in the week, a Ukrainian long-range drone struck the Alabuga Deng Xiaoping logistics complex in Tatarstan, a key hub for Russian-Chinese trade, underscoring Kyiv’s ability to reach targets hundreds of kilometres from the front line. Kyiv has not publicly responded to Moscow’s sabotage allegations. The claims and the escalating cross-border drone campaign have added to tensions ahead of the first face-to-face Putin-Trump meeting since 2024, expected in Alaska in mid-August.

Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said Moscow sees significant potential to begin exporting liquefied natural gas to India as the two countries look to deepen energy ties, according to comments carried by state-run RIA Novosti on Wednesday. Manturov added that Russia is also counting on expanding its long-standing cooperation with India in civilian nuclear power. The remarks come as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov prepares to meet his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Moscow, with energy collaboration listed on the agenda.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump described Russia as "a powerful military nation" during remarks on 19 Aug 2025, emphasizing that the country is "much bigger" than Ukraine. Trump said the war "shouldn't have been started," adding that "you don't take on a nation that's 10 times your size" and alleging that Ukraine "probably took a lot of money too." His comments framed the conflict as a mismatch between Russia's military strength and Ukraine's capacity.

Russia pumped about 9.13 million barrels of crude a day in July, according to people familiar with preliminary data, marginally exceeding the level implied by its OPEC+ commitments. Moscow’s formal quota for the month was 9.240 million barrels a day, but the government had also pledged an additional 137,000-barrel-a-day ‘compensation cut’ to make up for earlier overproduction, bringing the effective ceiling to roughly 9.10 million barrels. The slight over-run comes as the Kremlin faces conflicting pressures from the oil alliance to restrain supply and from the domestic budget to maximise revenues. Finance Ministry figures released Tuesday show federal income from oil and gas climbed to 787.3 billion rubles ($8.9 billion) in July, up sharply from 494.8 billion rubles in June. Nonetheless, oil-related tax receipts fell almost 33% from a year earlier to 710.4 billion rubles, reflecting lower global prices and a stronger ruble. Russia has pledged to submit detailed production data to the OPEC+ monitoring committee later this month. Any further deviation from its target could complicate the bloc’s efforts to keep global crude markets balanced after prices slipped below $80 a barrel in recent weeks.

Russia warned on 13 August that it will deliver a “painful response” if any country seizes or repurposes its frozen foreign assets. The statement came after European Union discussions about channeling Russian holdings to finance assistance for Ukraine. Moscow characterised the EU initiative as an act of economic escalation and said any move against Russian property abroad would provoke retaliatory measures. The Russian authorities did not specify what form their response might take.

Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project, which is under U.S. sanctions, has reached a new milestone by delivering its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China after a year-long delay. A tanker carrying LNG from the sanctioned facility, operated by Novatek, docked at a Chinese terminal, marking the first time fuel from this U.S.-blacklisted plant has arrived in China. This development suggests a potential shift in Beijing's stance on sanctions and raises questions about the enforcement of U.S. sanctions on Russian energy exports. Analysts indicate that the shipment is less about meeting demand and more about testing the resolve of U.S. sanctions policy. Tracking data and satellite imagery confirm the tanker’s berth in China, highlighting a notable moment in the global energy and geopolitical landscape.