For today, links to nine reports: from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, Kyiv Post, the Kyiv Independent, Tass, Reuters, and the Cradle, to an interview from the Kyiv Independent, and to commentary from Indian Punchline; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE 8-5-25 is HERE, or scroll down. GAZA and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE, or scroll up or down.) — MCM
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Kremlin says Putin-Witcoff talks were ‘constructive.’ From AFP. Russian President Vladimir Putin held “quite useful and constructive” talks with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow over the Ukraine conflict, the Kremlin said today after the three-hour meeting. READ MORE . . .
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Trump envoy Witkoff meets Putin ahead of Russia-Ukraine peace deadline, the Kremlin says. From AP. Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met for about three hours in Moscow today, the Kremlin said, days before . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from the Moscow Times and Kyiv Post.
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Ukrainian drones reportedly strike Russian railway hub in Rostov Oblast for second night, by Tim Zadorozhnyy | The Kyiv Independent Ukrainian drones targeted the Tatsinskaya railway station in Russia’s Rostov Oblast overnight today, striking the hub for the second night in a row, Russian independent media outlet Astra reported. READ MORE . . .
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Ukraine’s army shells Zaporozhye nuke plant’s industrial zone, no injuries. From Tass. MELITOPOL — The Ukrainian military shelled the industrial zone of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, smashing windows in the printing house and the transport workshop, with no injuries reported, the nuclear power station said today. READ MORE . . .
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FROM AUG. 5 Putin doubts potency of Trump’s ultimatum to end the war, sources say. From Reuters. MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to bow to a sanctions ultimatum expiring this Friday from U.S. President Donald Trump, and retains the goal of capturing four regions of Ukraine in their entirety, sources close to the Kremlin said. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for July 15 report from Reuters.
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FROM AUG. 5 Trump threatens to slap India with higher tariffs over Russian oil imports. From the Cradle. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would raise tariffs on Indian imports beyond the current 25 percent rate within 24 hours, citing New Delhi’s “fueling the war machine” by continuing to purchase Russian oil. READ MORE . . .
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Trump’s threat won’t stop Putin, Russia expert says, by Oleksiy Sorokin, Nick Allard and Anna Yakutenko | The Kyiv Independent As U.S. President Donald Trump’s Friday deadline for additional sanctions on Russia approaches, Robert Person, professor of international relations at the United States Military Academy, talks about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s likely responses to U.S. pressure. Click HERE for intro and video.
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Trump is taunting India but is an emperor without clothes, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline The aspirant-Nobel American president Donald Trump tore up two sacred covenants during his first presidency in 2018 out of sheer petulance or plain arrogance . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Aug. 1 commentary from Indian Punchline.
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