President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed potential peace terms for Ukraine, including a Ukrainian withdrawal from two eastern regions, according to sources briefed on the call. Separately, U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal are considering a bill to designate Russia and Belarus as state sponsors of terrorism over the alleged kidnapping of Ukrainian children. Sources familiar with the Trump-Putin discussion, reported yesterday, indicated that Putin proposed Ukraine withdraw entirely from two eastern regions as part of any peace agreement. Trump reportedly conveyed that guarantees for a peace deal could include U.S. military support for a European-led security force in Ukraine, though he did not commit to stationing American troops on the ground. Putin also reportedly accepted that Western troops could be present in Ukraine to ensure the durability of any peace agreement. In parallel, Senators Graham and Blumenthal are exploring legislative action following reports of widespread Ukrainian child abductions. A source familiar with the potential bill, as reported this morning, stated that the legislation could lead to Russia and Belarus being classified as state sponsors of terrorism if passed. Recent battlefield reports indicate Ukrainian forces are advancing 1 to 2.5 kilometers in some areas on the Sumy axis, aiming to destroy Russian troops and liberate settlements. Fire control zones have been established to disrupt Russian logistics, evacuations, and reinforcements, according to the General Staff. Elsewhere, fighting continues on the Pokrovsk front, with partial stabilization reported south of Vesele by the Ukrainian army following a Russian breakthrough, according to Nexus OSINT. Independent reports also documented a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 Fulcrum operating from an improvised highway airstrip near an unidentified homeowner's front gate, with rare footage circulating yesterday. In the Kursk region, a reconnaissance drone identified a stuck Ural-4320 truck towing an Msta-B howitzer, which was subsequently struck by a loitering munition, resulting in a significant ammunition detonation, as reported by WarArchive. Additionally, Russian propaganda is reportedly being used to create an illusion of success, with small groups allegedly staging videos of settlement "captures" for Kremlin reports and media dissemination, according to the Russian Volunteer Corps. In other developments, fires broke out at unidentified warehouses near the Shcherbinka railway station in the Moscow region on August 16th, suspending rail traffic, as reported by NOELreports. Satellite images from August 12th showed damage to two locations of a pipeline at the Lukoil-Volgogradnefterenefrobotrobette in Volgograd, according to Exilenova+. Multiple regions in Russia, including Saratov/Engels, Rossosh, Voronezh region, Novokuybyshevsk, Syzran, Samara, and Chapaevsk, have reported heightened awareness of drone activity, according to 袪邪写邪褉 袙袪袙 and 袣校袩袨袥 袪袨小小袠袠. Meanwhile, a fire train was dispatched to extinguish a fire near Shcherbinka station on August 16th at 23:10, according to the Moscow Railway press service. Reports also indicated that artillery pieces and logistics were being hit with digital fiber optic FPVs and bombers by the 25th airborne in Pokrovsk. Separately, a family reportedly encountered an unexploded ordnance from Putin's forces in Eastern Ukraine.
