US: Russia Losing 5,000 Troops a Week in Ukraine

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is losing a staggering number of troops in his war against Ukraine, with estimates suggesting upwards of 5,000 to 6,000 troops are being lost each week. Rubio described the conflict as one of the only wars in history where the number of troops killed in combat is exceeding the number of troops injured.

Rubio reiterated President Donald Trump’s central objective, stating that the US wants to see an end to the senseless war and for people to stop dying. He emphasized the need for diplomacy and expressed the US’s readiness to play a constructive role in bringing about an end to the conflict.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, ousted Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has refused to accept an alternative post offered by President Volodymyr Zelensky after massive protests. Fedorov’s dismissal triggered days of public protest, which quickly shifted toward the country’s commander-in-chief and highlighted the growing rift over the future of Ukraine’s military.

In other developments, shipowners have halted vessel arrivals at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports due to intensified Russian strikes. President Zelensky warned that Moscow might escalate attacks in order to block the country’s main corridor for grain exports. Russia has pummelled logistics and port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region with missiles and drones, resulting in the deaths of 21 people from 20 June to 20 July.

Laura Loomer, an ardent ally of President Trump, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after a dramatic turnaround on the war. Loomer had previously minimized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and amplified Russian propaganda, but has since expressed a change of heart and called for moral clarity.

The US has also offered to help end the senseless war in Ukraine, with Rubio stating that the Trump administration is poised to play a constructive role in bringing about an end to the conflict. However, Rubio acknowledged that there is no quick path to a deal and that diplomacy will require sustained effort and new ideas.