For now, this is all our war policy in Ukraine.
We’ll be back if there’s any major progress tonight. Otherwise, we will be back with the latest updates.
Before we go, a reminder of the day’s key events:
Lithuania today began construction of a military base that will house up to 4,000 German soldiers once completed by the end of 2027.
This will be the first permanent deployment of the German army since the end of World War II.
Lithuanian defense leader Raimundas Vaiksnoras estimated that the structure of the base would cost more than a billion euros over the next 3 years.
The base will be near the capital, Vilnius, about 240 kilometers from the Russian border and 20 kilometers from Belarus, a staunch supporter of the Kremlin.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius compared the deployment of 4,000 soldiers among Allied forces stationed in West Germany during the Cold War, a measure that was also intended to protect Europe in the event of a Soviet attack.
Russia announces the ban of 32 British think tank experts and workers.
Moscow accused them of an anti-Russian line in Western political circles, Reuters reports.
We told you earlier that Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, will visit Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine later this week.
Now we have some more important points about Modi’s trip to Kyiv, scheduled for August 23.
The president of Ukraine said on Telegram that the two leaders would talk about relations between the two countries and multilateral cooperation.
Ukraine claims to be making gains after launching a surprise invasion of Russia’s Kursk border region, a move that embarrassed the most sensible top brass in Vladimir Putin’s military.
Readers sent their questions to our senior correspondents and army experts to get their perspectives on the latest developments.
Today, Jane from Shropshire asks:
What is Ukraine’s good fortune in its invasion of Russia?
Our security and defense analyst, Michael Clarke, says:
This incursion is, by definition, a temporary military manoeuvre, to exert pressure on Russian strategy and gain some military influence.
It will end when the next Kursk war reaches a point where the Ukrainian forces feel that they can still get out of the pocket without being badly battered by the Russian forces, who will try to cut off their escape route to Ukraine.
But that point may only come in a few weeks.
Success or failure will necessarily be a political judgment: has the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk eased the strain on the Russian army elsewhere, namely in the Donbass around Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, Niu York and Pokrovsk, where Ukrainian forces are under genuine pressure?Has this affected the temper around Putin and confidence in the Kremlin in its ability to win this war faster or later?
These will be the criteria by which this ambitious initiative will finally be judged.
Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said there had been “no change” to the UK’s position on Ukraine’s Storm Shadow missiles within Russia’s borders.
Volodymyr Zelensky wants to use those missiles to strike targets inside Russia, which could hasten the end of the war.
But Britain, along with other Western governments, has rejected Kiev’s demands for fear of escalation.
Asked about the Storm Shadow missiles and whether Ukraine can use them on Kursk as part of its penetration into Russia, a spokesman for Number 10 said: “We are offering military aid to Ukraine’s clear right to self-defense. “
Asked about discussions between the UK and its foreign partners, the United States and France, the spokesperson added: “We also have an ongoing discussion with our allies about a coordinated effort between us all to do the same and be united in our support. Ukraine.
“So, more sometimes talking, yes, there are conversations between us. “
Civilians in Pokrosvk in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region have a week or two to flee their homes as Russian troops advance rapidly, a Ukrainian official said.
A key target city for Moscow, the fighting around Pokrovsk remains the most violent in eastern Ukraine.
Several clashes were reported in the region last week as Kyiv continued its surprise invasion of Russia’s Kursk border region.
Serhiy Dobriak, head of the Pokrovsk military administration, said citizens are leaving as temporarily as possible.
He said the government has the capacity to evacuate at least another 1,000 people a day, but only a portion of that number is leaving lately.
About 53,000 people, plus about 4,000 children, still live in the city.
More than 121,000 people have been evacuated from nine districts bordering Kursk, Russian media reports citing the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Ukrainian troops introduced a cross-border invasion of the region just two weeks ago, in a move that surprised Vladimir Putin and his more sensible military leaders and left them struggling to push back Kyiv’s forces.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that his most sensible military commander had informed him that Ukraine was achieving its objectives in Kursk.
Kiev expects Moscow to have around 200,000 more troops in Ukraine by the end of the year, according to a report.
Forbes Ukraine quoted Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk as saying that some 800,000 Russian troops are expected in the country by the end of 2024.
There are currently around 600,000 soldiers in the occupied spaces of Ukraine, he said.
Analysts at the Royal United Services Institute say Russian forces have longer endurance despite heavy losses, and that the Kremlin believes they can maintain the “current attrition rate” until 2025.