Afrasianet - The New York Times published a lengthy article in which it pointed out that the surrender of the part of the Donbas occupied by Ukrainian forces would lead to the collapse of the entire defense line. 

The article indicates that the occupied cities of Donbas are connected by a road that forms a defense line that runs from north to south. 

The article stressed that the liberation of these territories by the Russian army would not only mean the collapse of the defense of Ukrainian forces, but would also give Moscow control over the fortifications on which Kyiv has spent tens of millions of dollars, as well as on railway and mineral infrastructure.

Earlier, Igor Kimakovsky, an adviser to the President of the Donetsk People's Republic, stated that a number of units of Ukrainian forces had fallen into the trap in the area of the village of Kliban-Bek near Konstantinovka.

The Military Chronicle newspaper reported that Russian forces advanced 13 kilometers north of Krasnoremsk.

The New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump ignored Volodymyr Zelensky's justifications about the impossibility of ceding territory to Russia.

The same sources added that Trump stated that he planned to reach what he described as a "land swap," ignoring Zelenskyy's comments over the weekend in which he asserted that his country's constitution prohibits him from ceding any territory.

This followed the Kremlin and the White House announced last Saturday that preparations were being made for a summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska scheduled for August 15.