Victory Chronicles-DAY 1279

Germany has committed to provide Ukraine with 9 billion euros (about $9.7 billion) each year for the coming years, Germany’s Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.

Klingbeil, who also serves as Germany’s finance minister, emphasized that the pledge had been approved by the federal government. Earlier in the day, he met with Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko to discuss ways to extend and structure the aid. Upon arriving in Kyiv on Aug. 25, Klingbeil said Vladimir Putin must understand that Germany’s support for Ukraine will not weaken.

Norway allocates $8.5 billion in support for Ukraine in 2026. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said during his visit to Kyiv on Aug. 24 during Independence Day that his government intends is pledging about $8.5 billion in aid to Ukraine next year. He made the announcement at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to European Pravda.

Store stressed that Norway will continue to provide strong backing for Ukraine’s defense against Russia. The proposed funds, he said, will be submitted to parliament under the Nansen Support Program for Ukraine, which this year amounted to 85 billion Norwegian kroner (about $7.9 billion).

Most of the assistance will go toward military equipment for Ukraine’s defense forces. Støre noted that his government must present the budget proposal before Norway’s parliamentary elections next month. “When the new parliament convenes, we will invite parties to discuss the government’s proposal for the structure of support,” he said.

Russian drone strike kills civilian driver in northeastern Sumy region. A Russian drone hit a passenger vehicle car in the village of Nova Sloboda in Ukraine’s Sumy region early on Aug. 25, killing the 37-year-old driver and injuring his two passengers, local prosecutors said.

The attack happened around 5 a.m. local time as the vehicle traveled through the Konotop district near the Russian border. A 56-year-old woman and her 62-year-old husband were hospitalized with injuries.

Authorities have opened a war crimes investigation under Ukrainian law. The Sumy region has been a frequent target of Russian drone and artillery strikes on civilians and infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian forces liberate Novomykhailivka in easternmost Donetsk region. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, together with the 3rd Assault Brigade, has regained control of Novomykhailivka, a village in the Donetsk region’s Lyman sector.

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said the operation was carried out by its Active Measures Department, including the “Artan” unit, alongside the 2nd assault battalion of the 3rd Assault Brigade. According to intercepted communications, the strike caught Russian troops by surprise, forcing them to redeploy reserves from other parts of the front. Roughly a company of Russian soldiers was reported killed in the battle.

Key Takeaways:

• Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov used an English-language interview with a U.S. outlet to reiterate the Kremlin’s explicit rejection of U.S.-proposed initiatives for peace in Ukraine.
• Lavrov continued efforts to mischaracterize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the impediment to an enduring peace in Ukraine, in order to distract from the Kremlin’s own unwillingness to compromise or engage in negotiations on US President Donald Trump’s proposed timeline.
• Lavrov denied that Russia violated past international treaties prohibiting Russia from invading Ukraine and rejected Western-backed security guarantees for Ukraine in the future..rgy infrastructure in Leningrad and Samara oblasts on the night of Aug. 23 -24.
• Ukraine’s Western partners continue to provide military aid to Ukraine, including through the purchase of U.S .weapons.
• Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner exchange that included a limited number of Ukrainian journalists and government officials on Aug.t 24.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk, and Russian forces recently advanced in northern Kharkiv Oblast.

• German foreign minister: Ukraine must receive security guarantees very close to NATO membership
• Italian volunteer dies after going missing in Ukraine
• JD Vance hopes Russia’s war against Ukraine can be ended within six months
• Zelenskyy hints that Druzhba pipeline’s fate hinges on Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s EU accession
• Finnish president: Russia is using typical negotiating tactics by demanding the impossible
• Romania to deliver 23rd military aid package to Ukraine shortly
• Ukraine to produce long-range drones jointly with Lithuania