‘Words are very important,’ — Trump orders nuclear submarines deployed after Medvedev’s threatsZelensky urges direct leader-level peace talks as Putin blames ‘excessive expectations’As death toll reaches 31, Russia’s attack on Kyiv becomes most deadly on capital this year20,000 Russian troops killed in July alone, Trump saysIn ‘first step,’ Germany to send Ukraine 2 Patriot launchers ‘in coming days’
U.S. President Donald Trump said on August 1 he has ordered two nuclear submarines to be deployed to “appropriate regions” in response to what he called “foolish and inflammatory” nuclear threats from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Known for his aggressive rhetoric, Medvedev has repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation and echoed Kremlin propaganda portraying Russia as the victim of Western aggression.
“Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.”
“Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances,” he added.
The move comes amid escalating rhetoric between the two nuclear powers, triggered by Trump’s ultimatum to Russia to halt its full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Aug. 8 or face new “severe” tariffs.
Medvedev responded on July 28 by warning that Trump’s pressure campaign is a step towards war “not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.”
Trump earlier accused Medvedev of “entering very dangerous territory,” calling him a “failed former president” and warning him to “watch his words.”
“Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former president of Russia, who thinks he’s still president, to watch his words,” Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post on July 31.
Exclusive: After international pressure, Ukraine’s government likely to appoint economic watchdog head next week
Ukraine’s economic crimes watchdog nominees said he is likely to be appointed next week following international pressure on the government to accept his candidacy. Oleksandr Tsyvinsky, who was nominated by an independent selection committee on June 27, agreed to take a polygraph test to prove that he has no ties to Russia after a what he called a “constructive” phone call with Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko on Aug. 1, Tsyvinsky told the Kyiv Independent. The prime minister’s sudden about-fac
Zelensky urges direct leader-level peace talks as Putin blames ‘excessive expectations’
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Aug. 1 that frustration over stalled efforts to reach peace in Ukraine stems from “excessive expectations” by the parties involved.
The statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump warned on July 29 that tariffs on Russia would take effect within 10 days unless the Kremlin agreed to halt its full-scale invasion.
According to the timeline put forward by Trump, Moscow’s “deadline” to end its war will come on Aug. 8.
Trump originally issued a 50-day deadline to Putin on July 14, threatening “severe” tariffs of up to 100% on Russia and its close economic partners if Moscow failed to agree to a peace deal. Later, on July 28, Trump said he was no longer willing to wait.
“All disappointments arise from excessive expectations; that is a well-known general rule,” said Putin.
“But to reach a peaceful solution, detailed discussions are needed — not in public, but quietly, within the framework of the negotiation process.”
The Russian president, who has so far only sent low-level representatives to peace talks in Istanbul,said he views the negotiation process with Ukraine positively, further claiming that Kyiv has responded favorably to Moscow’s proposal to establish three separate working groups for online talks.
“It was agreed that we could hold these negotiations without cameras, without any political codswallop — in a calm manner and with a focus on finding compromises. So far, those (talks) have not begun,” Putin said.
Putin said Russia’s conditions for ending the war in Ukraine remain unchanged. In 2024, Putin demanded the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the illegally-claimed Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, along with guarantees that Ukraine would not join NATO and would remain a neutral, non-nuclear state.
In response to Putin’s comments, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 1 that Ukraine is ready to meet “at the level of leaders at any time,” provided Moscow is genuinely seeking to end the war “with dignity.”
‘Despised’ by the Kremlin — 5 things you might not know about Dmitry Medvedev
An international war of words erupted on July 30 when U.S. President Donald Trump squared up on social media to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. ”(…)Tell Medvedev, the failed former president of Russia, who thinks he’s still president, to watch his words,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He’s entering very dangerous territory.” This particular spat was sparked by Medvedev’s July 28 statement that Trump’s “ultimatum game” with Moscow amounts to a threat to Russia, further escalating te
As death toll reaches 31, Russia’s attack on Kyiv becomes most deadly on capital this year
Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Kyiv on July 31, killing at least 31 people and injuring 159 in one of the deadliest attacks on the capital since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, said that as of the morning of Aug. 1, the Russian attack had killed 31 people. At around 10:40 a.m. local time, rescuers recovered three more bodies.
“Search operations continued through the night and are still underway. Recovery of victims’ bodies is ongoing in the Sviatoshynskyi district,” Tkachenko said.
Among the victims was senior police lieutenant Liliia Stepanchuk, a patrol officer who had served in Kyiv’s police force since 2017. Her body was recovered from the rubble in Sviatoshynskyi district during rescue operations, the Interior Ministry said.
Three police officers and 12 children were among the injured. Thirty people, including five children, remain hospitalized as of 2:40 p.m. local time on July 31, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. First responders have been working at the scenes of the attacks.
Klitschko added that the number of children injured was the highest recorded in the city since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The deadliest attack on the capital occurred in December 2023 when 33 people were killed.
Russian forces launched over 300 drones and eight missiles against Ukraine overnight, targeting Kyiv and other regions, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In response to the attack, Aug. 1 has been declared a Day of Mourning in Kyiv. Flags will be flown at half-mast on all municipal buildings. All entertainment events are banned in the city for the day.
US, Russia discussed Ukraine war this week but made no progress, Rubio says
“What bothers the president the most is he has these great phone calls where everyone sort of claims, ‘we’d like to see this end…’ And then he turns on the news and another city’s been bombed,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
20,000 Russian troops killed in July alone, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump said nearly 20,000 Russian soldiers have died in July alone, calling the war in Ukraine “unnecessary” and reiterating his demand for a peace deal by Aug. 8.
“I have just been informed that almost 20,000 Russian soldiers died this month in the ridiculous War with Ukraine,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Aug. 1. “Russia has lost 112,500 soldiers since the beginning of the year. That is a lot of unnecessary DEATH!”
Accurate, independently verifiable data on each side’s total losses on the battlefield is not available.
According to the daily figures released by Ukraine’s General Staff, Russia lost a total of 33,220 troops over the month of July, bringing the total figure to 1,054,200 for the whole period of full-scale war. The General Staff’s figures do not distinguish between killed and wounded in action.
Trump added that Ukraine has suffered an estimated 8,000 military deaths since January, not including missing personnel.
Ukraine does not regularly publish figures of its own losses.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 16 this year that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died on the battlefield since February 2022.
Editorial: Democracy won the day in Ukraine — but it will be tested again
Today, Ukrainians have once again shown the world how to stand for democracy. The Ukrainian parliament voted on July 31 to restore the independence of anti-corruption investigative agencies — repairing the damage that same parliament had done one week ago. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the bill into law immediately after. This comes after a combined pushback from two directions: the streets of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, and high offices in Brussels. Last week’s attack on anti-cor
In ‘first step,’ Germany to send Ukraine 2 Patriot launchers ‘in coming days’
Germany will send two additional Patriot launchers to Ukraine “in the coming days,” with more components expected to arrive “within the next two to three months,” the German Defense Ministry announced on Aug. 1.
A U.S.-made Patriot air defense system — also called a battery — consists of radar units for target detection and tracking, a fire control center, missile launchers, and support equipment such as power supplies and communications systems.
Depending on its configuration, a typical battery includes between four and eight launchers, capable of firing a range of missiles designed to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as aircraft.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on July 24 that Ukraine had secured three new Patriot air defense batteries from Western allies including two from Germany.
That came after U.S. President Donald Trump’s July 14 announcement of a NATO- and EU-backed initiative under which alliance members will purchase U.S.-made weapons systems for Ukraine.
“The prerequisite was that the U.S. manufacturer would deliver new Patriot systems as quickly as possible in return so that we could continue to meet our NATO obligations. This commitment from the U.S. side has been made, ” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said.
Note from the author:
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