The situation 1238 – August 6, 2025

• Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff in Moscow on August 6, but concrete results from the meeting remain unclear.
• Trump may meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the coming weeks.
• Certain Russian commentators are attempting to stoke schisms within the Trump administration, likely as part of a wider effort to avoid US sanctions ahead of Trump's stated August 8 deadline for peace efforts in Ukraine.
• Russian officials and media continue to project an image of a strong and resilient Russian economy in anticipation of further US sanctions.
• US President Donald Trump formally imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on India’s exports to the United States due to India’s ongoing economic cooperation with Russia.
• Russian forces likely advanced to the western outskirts of Kupyansk and secured positions from which they can threaten Ukrainian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) into the town.
• The US State Department approved a $104 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Ukraine.
• A Russian servicemember recently executed a Ukrainian civilian in occupied Donetsk Oblast in clear violation of international law.
• Ukrainian forces advanced near Chasiv Yar. Russian forces advanced in northern Kharkiv and western Zaporizhia oblasts and near Kupyansk, Lyman, Siversk, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk.

The full update of the Russian offensive 1238 is available on UNDERSTANDING WAR