Daily Flyer - August 22, 2025
Meeting betwenn Putin and Zelensky meeting is not ready according to Kremlin
Plans for a bilateral summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are “not ready at all,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told NBC News on Aug. 22.
The comments deal a setback to U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to broker a rapid peace settlement. Following his recent meetings with both Putin and Zelensky, Trump said he hoped to see the two leaders meet within two weeks.
Lavrov dismissed the prospect. “There is no meeting planned … Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all,” he said.
The Kremlin’s top diplomat claimed that the delay was due to Kyiv’s rejection of “several principles” demanded by Moscow, including a pledge that Ukraine will not join NATO and a willingness to negotiate over territorial issues. “Zelensky said no to everything,” Lavrov argued.
Zelensky, however, told reporters after his Aug. 18 meeting with Trump in Washington that he was prepared to discuss territory directly with Putin.
“How can we meet with a person who is pretending to be a leader?” Lavrov added, repeating Moscow’s longstanding attempts to undermine the legitimacy of Zelensky’s government—a core element of Russian propaganda used to justify its full-scale invasion.
Trump met with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15. While no concrete agreements were reached, Trump hailed the talks as a success and announced that bilateral and trilateral summits involving Zelensky would follow soon.
Zelensky reiterated on Aug. 20 that Kyiv is ready for direct negotiations. “We are ready for the bilateral meeting. If the Russians are not, then we would like to see a strong response from the United States,” he said, adding that he urged Trump to impose additional sanctions on Moscow if it refuses to engage.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to press maximalist demands—including the concession of Ukrainian territories not under current occupation—while intensifying aerial strikes against civilian targets and ramping up offensives along the front lines.
Russia launched a series of attacks on Kostiantynivka in Donetsk oblast
On August 22, 2025, Kostyantinivka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, faced a devastating series of Russian attacks, exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis in this frontline city. Russian forces conducted ten FAB-250 strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, damaging residential and administrative buildings, as well as a school, according to Serhiy Horbunov, head of the Kostyantynivka Military Administration. A separate assault destroyed a residential building, engulfing it in flames and trapping civilians inside, with rescue efforts underway to save those under the rubble. The exact number of casualties remains unclear, but Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin reported that approximately 6,800 people remained in the city, facing increasingly dire conditions as Russian forces close in from three sides, now within six kilometers of the city’s outskirts.
These attacks are part of an intensified Russian offensive in Donetsk Oblast, leveraging elite drone units like Rubicon to disrupt Ukrainian defenses and logistics. The strikes have compounded the challenges for Kostyantinivka, already described as on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe due to prior attacks that crippled electricity, gas, and water supplies. With ongoing shelling and drone attacks, including FPV drones and airstrikes, the city’s remaining residents face constant danger, prompting urgent calls from authorities for evacuation to safer regions. The relentless targeting of civilian areas underscores the escalating brutality of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, as Russian forces aim to seize control of the Donbas region.