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Russia pummels Ukraine as ceasefire talks appear to stall again

Aug 22, 2025, 6:47am EDT
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The aftermath of a Russian strike on Ukraine.
Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Zakarpattia region/Handout via Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there was “no signal” that Russia wanted to end the war after Moscow unleashed one of its biggest aerial bombardments of the war.

Among the sites hit by the almost 600 drones and 40 missiles was a US-owned factory, prompting a sharp rebuke from US President Donald Trump.

Despite a flurry of diplomatic activity, Russian President Vladimir Putin remains intransigent: In exchange for peace, Reuters reported that the Russian leader is demanding that Ukraine give up all of the Donbas region, renounce ambitions to join NATO, and keep Western troops out of the country, a series of conditions that are unacceptable to Kyiv.

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