Exclusive: Ukraine prepared to cede territory held by Russia & 'breach' sparks alarm on eastern front

Day 1,266.


Today, as Russian forces surge behind Ukrainian lines in the
Donbas, we ask if this is just leverage for the upcoming talks in
Alaska, or signs of a fundamental weakness in Ukraine’s defence.
We also hear how President Zelensky’s line on ceding territory
may be softening and look at how Russian propaganda is
interpreting Putin’s upcoming meeting with Trump.





Contributors:


Dominic Nicholls (Associate Editor of Defence). @DomNicholls
on X.


Francis Dearnley (Executive Editor for Audio). @FrancisDearnley
on X.


Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondant). @Barnes_Joe on X.


James Kilner (Former Russia Correspondant). @jkjourno on X.





Content Referenced:


Battle Lines:


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/08/battle-lines-podcast-inside-the-rise-of-chinas-military/


Ukraine prepared to cede territory held by Russia (Joe Barnes in
The Telegraph):


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/11/ukraine-prepared-freeze-war-current-frontline-summit/ 


Britain issues warning to Merz and Macron over Ukraine (The
Telegraph):


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/08/12/stop-commenting-trump-putin-ukraine-peace-talks-merz-macron/ 


Children First: Trump-Putin Summit ‘Disaster’ for Ukraine’s
Stolen Kids, Warns Expert (Kyiv Post):


https://www.kyivpost.com/post/57954


Putin silences Russia with sweeping internet blackouts (The
Telegraph):


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/08/07/putin-silences-russia-internet-blackouts/ 


North Koreans tell BBC they are being sent to work 'like slaves'
in Russia (BBC):


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2077gwjlvxo





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