Residents queueing up with bottles at tanker trucks petition Putin for help; Polish president vetoes support for Ukrainian children. What we know on day 1,280
The illegally appointed head of the partly Russian-held Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine has said a water crisis that is forcing people to queue at tanker trucks can only be fixed if Russia takes full control of the region and a vital canal. Built in the 1950s, the 83-mile (135km) canal, which connects two rivers, starts about 12 miles north-east of Sloviansk, which is held by Ukrainian forces, and finishes near Donetsk city in an area controlled by Russian forces.
Denis Pushilin, the Russian official imposed by Vladimir Putin as head of the region, accused Ukraine of “a water blockade” but Ukrainian officials say parts of the canal have been damaged in the war and other parts are located in frontline areas. Residents have embarrassed Pushilin and put pressure on the Donetsk occupation regime by sending an open letter to Putin asking him to intervene in what they called “a humanitarian and ecological catastrophe”. Ukrainian commentators have pointed to the problem to criticise Russian governance.
In Donetsk, Reuters reported that people queued at a water truck to fill up five-litre plastic bottles and petrol canisters with water before carting them away on trolleys or in their car boots. “I am 78,” said one pensioner who gave her name as Lyubov and was visibly upset. “How am I supposed to come here, collect water, and bring it back home? I need to go to the toilet and wash.” Speaking to Reuters in the city of Donetsk, Pushilin – who has been grilled by Putin on TV about the shortages – said tap water was only available for several hours every three days and described the situation as “sensitive”.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and US envoy Keith Kellogg had held a good meeting and discussed exerting pressure on Russia to hold “real talks” on ending more than three years of war. “We are ready to talk in a format with leaders. This is needed to resolve key issues,” Zelenskyy said. Marco Rubio spoke with his European counterparts on Monday and discussed diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, the US state department said. Zelenskyy said there would be a further meeting between Ukrainian and US teams at the end of the week.
Germany is ready to help Ukraine obtain reliable security guarantees to ensure “lasting peace” once the conflict with Russia ends, Germany’s vice-chancellor said on Monday during a visit to Kyiv. Germany, Ukraine’s biggest military backer after the US, planned to spend €9bn supporting Kyiv this year and in 2026. While France and Britain have floated the idea of sending forces to uphold any peace agreement, Germany has sounded cool about the prospect.
Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv aims to secure at least $1bn on a monthly basis from allies to buy US weapons. He made the remark during a joint briefing in Kyiv with the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store. The Norwegian government aims to maintain its aid to Ukraine at 85bn kroner ($8.4bn) in 2026, the same level as this year, said the Norwegian PM’s office.
Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki, has vetoed legislation to prolong benefits received by Ukrainian refugees in Poland, writes Shaun Walker. Only Ukrainians in work should receive child benefit payments, he said. The prime minister, Donald Tusk, criticised the veto, and the labour minister, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, said: “We cannot punish people for losing their job – particularly not innocent children. This is the ABC of human decency.” Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, around a million refugees, mostly women and children, have settled in Poland.
Poland’s digital affairs minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, said that by vetoing legislation Nawrocki also put at risk Poland’s continued funding of Starlink satellite internet for Ukraine. “This is the end of Starlink internet, which Poland provides to Ukraine as it wages war.” A spokesperson for Nawrocki told Reuters that Starlink payments could continue if parliament adopted a proposed presidential bill by the end of September.
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