Russia rejects the prospect of negotiations with Ukraine due to ongoing military actions.
Ukrainian troops unexpectedly initiated an operation in the Kursk region on August 6, gaining control of certain regions since then. This is the largest cross-border operation conducted by Ukraine since the onset of Russia's invasion in February 2022.
As per the Ukrainian president, the objective of this operation is to intensify pressure on Russia in peace negotiations and establish a safety zone. Previously, Zelensky had set the full withdrawal of the Russian army from Ukrainian soil, including the Crimean peninsula annexed in 2014, as a prerequisite for negotiations.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded the withdrawal of Ukraine from four occupied Ukrainian regions and relinquishment of NATO membership.
On Monday, Kremlin advisor Ushakov stated that the Ukrainian operation had pushed the probability of peace talks further back. The initiation of talks depends on the situation on the battlefield, including in the Kursk region, he added. Negotiations were unlikely before the Ukrainian incursion into Russia.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Ukraine on Friday for discussions with Zelensky. This is Modi's first state visit to Ukraine, with India being a close ally of Russia. Modi has expressed his desire to end the conflict.
Fighting continues in Ukraine, with the Russian defense ministry announcing the capture of another village in the disputed Donetsk region on Monday. Salisne is one of the region's major population centers, the ministry stated.
Ukrainian authorities ordered the evacuation of families with children from the strategically significant city of Pokrovsk on Monday. Ukrainian authorities reported four deaths from Russian attacks in frontline areas the same day.
Meanwhile, Zelensky asserted that soldiers in Kursk are achieving their objectives. Regarding the capture of Russian soldiers, the president said, "This morning, we have added to our country's exchange fund."
Recently, Ukraine has destroyed two significant bridges over the Russian river Sejm to obstruct Moscow's supply routes to the combat zone. A third bridge over the Sejm was targeted over the weekend, according to a Russian military investigator in a video published by Kremlin-friendly TV commentator Vladimir Solovyov.
The Russian defense ministry stated on Monday that Ukrainian attacks on three more villages in the Kursk region had been repelled. In Russia, there are allegations that inexperienced conscripts have been deployed to protect the Kursk region to keep experienced fighters from the frontlines in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian incursion has caused apprehension among Russians. For some in Kyiv, it revives hopes that public opinion in the country could shift against the Kremlin's more than two-year-long conflict. "The Russians, who are used to viewing the war as a television show, are now experiencing it firsthand," explained Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podoliak on the online service X.
In the Russian city of Proletarsk, located in southwestern Russia, authorities declared a state of emergency following a fire caused by a Ukrainian drone strike. Forty-one firefighters were injured while responding to the incident, with eighteen requiring hospitalization, according to Governor Vasily Golubyev's Telegram post on Monday.
Golubyev had previously reported that debris from the air defense's interception of a drone had ignited a fire at an industrial facility.
In the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, under Russian control, a pregnant woman was killed and ten people were injured when a bus stop was targeted by Ukrainian shelling, according to the Russian-appointed governor, Denis Pushilin. Among the injured were two children.
The Commission, as outlined in this Regulation, is expected to adopt implementing acts that will provide the specific rules for its application. In the context of the current situation in Ukraine, these acts could potentially shape the application of international laws relating to the ongoing conflict.
Upon successful completion of their operations in the Kursk region, Ukrainian troops could then make use of the implementing acts to ensure a smooth integration of the regained territories into Ukrainian governance.
