Navalny's release was being negotiated when he died
European leaders argued that "only an approach that combines active diplomacy, support for Ukraine, and pressure on the Russian Federation" can successfully end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
"We welcome President Trump's work to stop the massacre in Ukraine and stand ready to support that work diplomatically, as well as maintain substantial military and financial support for Ukraine and maintain and enforce restrictive measures against the Russian Federation," the leaders said in a joint statement.
The document released today was signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, ahead of next Friday's meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected any territorial concessions to Russia to secure peace, ahead of a planned meeting between Putin and Trump.
Russia says it destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight, eight over the Saratov region, the Defense Ministry reports.
The Ukrainian Air Force says it neutralized 70 drones last night, out of a total of 100 launched against Ukrainian territory by Russia.
They were launched from the Russian regions of Shatalovo, Kursk, and Primorsko-Ajtarsk, as well as from the annexed Crimean peninsula. The targets were Dnipropetrovsk (center), Yarkov (northeast), Sumy, and Chernigov (north).
Volodymyr Zelensky, on his X network account, thanks European leaders who support Ukraine's participation in the meeting between Trump and Putin.
In his message this morning, the President of Ukraine stated that "the end of the war must be just. I am grateful to all who support Ukraine and our people."
And he supports the joint statement between Macron, Meloni, Merz, Tusk, Starmer, Stubb and Ursula von der Leyen released yesterday.
The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people today for the sake of peace in Ukraine, which is defending the vital security interests of our European nations.
Ukraine values and fully supports the statement by President…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 10, 2025
Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin's opponent, was reportedly on the verge of being released when he died in February 2024.
The story is told in the Wall Street Journal, which publishes an adaptation of the investigation that is in the book by Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson “Swap: A Secret History of the New Cold War”.
Alexei Navalny was to be exchanged for Krasikov, who ended up being the target of an exchange months later.
The Wall Street Journal has two adapted articles based on the book's content about the negotiations to free Navalny. The first was published on Friday and the second this Saturday .
The idea that Navalny was in negotiations for a swap had already been reported . Now the Wall Street Journal has revealed the behind-the-scenes details of these negotiations, which involved Roman Abramovich.
Good morning
We're launching this liveblog to follow developments in the Ukraine War as the Trump-Putin meeting, scheduled for August 15, approaches.
Yesterday, NBC reported that the White House is considering inviting Volodymyr Zelensky to this meeting, but there is no official confirmation of this information.
The President of Ukraine has opposed the meeting without Ukraine, and is supported by several European leaders. Yesterday, in a joint statement, the European Commission and several of these leaders reinforced this.
To see what happened on Saturday, check out the liveblog that we have now closed.
Trump reportedly considering inviting Zelensky to meet with Putin, NBC reports
Stay with us.
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