The Kremlin has again ruled out accepting NATO troops in Ukraine to end the war. On the frontline, Ukraine admits Russia has entered a key region but denies losing two villages. Watch our latest Michael Clarke Q&A in full below.
Wednesday 27 August 2025 16:40, UK
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Ukraine has launched a tender for the right to mine a lithium deposit site in its central Kirovohrad region, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
The tender for the “Dobra” site is expected to be the first project in the mineral deal signed by Kyiv with the US in April.
The deal, heavily promoted by Donald Trump, gives the US preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals deals and fund investment in Ukraine’s reconstruction.
“The site contains significant reserves of lithium, which is of strategic importance for energy and technology,” Svyrydenko wrote on Telegram.
“We are looking for an investor who will ensure not only extraction, but also the development of value-added production in Ukraine.”
She said an official announcement would be published in the next two months, followed by three months of accepting bids, and then a decision to determine the winner.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chaired a government meeting today focusing on matters away from the war in Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, key report topics included a report from the education minister on the upcoming school year, another on the performance of the energy grid during the summer months and an update on industrial production.
In his daily news briefing earlier this morning, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was taking a negative view on European proposals for security guarantees in Ukraine (see 11.02 post for more).
Lithuania is reportedly urging the European Union to find a way to bypass Hungary’s veto in Ukraine’s EU accession talks.
Citing a letter it had reviewed – sent to EU capitals last week – Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT said Vilnius was urging its neighbours to take “decisive steps” that will make Ukraine’s accession bid “tangible and irreversible”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose government is widely seen as the most Kremlin-friendly in the European bloc, has repeatedly obstructed Ukraine’s EU path.
Lithuania reportedly proposes launching technical-level accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova without Hungary, provided the other 26 member states agree.
Formal approval could follow later, should Budapest change its stance or leadership, the outlet wrote.
Earlier this month, Volodymyr Zelebskyy reportedly lobbied Donald Trump to confront Orban over his veto.
Formal EU accession negotiations can only begin with the unanimous consent of all 27 member states.
If you missed it earlier, you can now watch our Ukraine Q&A with military analyst Professor Michael Clarke in full.
He answered your questions on a number of subjects, including:
Watch the full Q&A below.
NATO chief Mark Rutte is joining Germany’s vice chancellor and defence minister to speak at a ceremony inaugurating a new artillery ammunition plant in northern Germany.
This year, Mark Rutte’s government announced plans to double military spend over the coming five years to €649bn (£59bn).
We’ve got a live feed of the plant’s unveiling, which you can watch at the top of this page.
Drones have become the most used and most important weapon in the war between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides developing new ways to deploy them and defend against them.
The images below show Russians in the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine putting up nets around a nursery to protect it from drones.
Ukraine says it only attacks military targets inside Russia and infrastructure supporting Moscow’s war effort and revenue streams.
Russia’s move towards withdrawing from a torture prevention treaty is effectively “an admission of guilt” and an attempt to evade accountability, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has said.
According to a Russian government website, the government announced plans on Monday to quit the Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which was signed by Moscow in 1996.
Moscow’s decision would need to be approved by Vladimir Putin and passed by a vote in parliament before it comes into force, the website said.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of war crimes and torturing civilians and prisoners of war since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Russia denies the allegations.
“This step is effectively an admission of guilt – of systematic torture and an attempt to evade responsibility for gross human rights violations,” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Our security and defence analyst Michael Clarke has been back answering your questions on the war in Ukraine this week.
He was asked about reports that Russia’s military has crossed into the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region and is trying to establish a foothold there.
Ukrainian battlefield analysts assessed yesterday that Russia now occupies two villages just inside the region, Zaporizke and Novohryhorivka, though Ukraine’s army denied this.
While two villages are “neither here, nor there” in territorial terms, Michael Clarke says it is vital Ukraine snuffs this threat out.
“There’s a military logic in that, because it will stretch the Ukrainians,” he says of Russia’s reported incursion there.
“Ukrainians can’t allow this to persist. So, they need to deploy forces to stop that getting any worse… they don’t want it to become a foothold, which can be a base, which can then be used for reinforcement.
“And politically, if the Russians do stay there and do build it up, then it will become a strategic advantage.”
Clarke says if he were leading Ukraine’s army, he would “sacrifice elsewhere to make sure this doesn’t happen”.
A powerful explosion near Russia’s western city of Ryazan has reportedly caused damage to an oil pipeline supplying Moscow.
Speaking to the Kyiv Independent, a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence said the pipeline supplies petrol to Moscow and helps supply fuel to Russia’s military.
As a result of the “powerful explosion… the transportation of petroleum products to Moscow (via the pipeline) has been suspended indefinitely,” the intelligence source claimed.
Local media reported a powerful fire near the village of Bozhatkovo on the outskirts of Ryazan last night, with emergency services and repair crews reportedly deployed to contain the blaze and repair damage.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian energy infrastructure through sabotage operations and drone strikes throughout the war, aiming to undermine Moscow’s gas and oil revenues.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Russia “is and will remain” the greatest threat to Europe’s security for a long time.
His comments come after Germany’s cabinet today passed a draft bill that would introduce a voluntary military service, which could lead to conscription if recruitment goals are missed.
The bill still needs to gain parliamentary approval.
Germany wants to increase the number of soldiers in service from 180,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s to meet new NATO force targets and strengthen its defences – part of a planned surge in military spending.
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