In the midst of the continuing war in Ukraine, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue, as does the exchange of accusations between Russia and the West, with progress remaining in demand.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of seeking new pretexts to announce sanctions in his country, stressing that unprecedented sanctions had been prepared in advance and would be imposed “in any case”.
Insisting that Russia is never willing to sacrifice “its national interests and traditional values”, Putin said that although it would not become a “closed country”, it would not seek further cooperation with Western companies in the near future.
The Kremlin has also denied allegations in Washington and London that the Russian head of state was either misled or kept in the dark by his advisers.
The head of Britain’s intelligence service, Jeremy Fleming, said this week that President Putin’s advisers were afraid to tell him the “truth”, while US President Joe Biden spoke yesterday of “indications” that the Russian president had fired some of his advisers. in house arrest “, saying that he looks” isolated “.
“They just do not understand what is happening in the Kremlin. They do not understand President Putin and they do not understand our decision-making mechanism,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov told Russia’s Interfax news agency on Thursday.
Moscow: They are retaliating against the sanctions
At the same time, the Russian government is going to reciprocate the sanctions of the European Union and calls on its 27 member states to realize that the confrontation with Moscow is not in its interest.
“The EU’s actions will not go unanswered (…). The irresponsible sanctions imposed by Brussels are already negatively affecting the daily lives of ordinary Europeans,” Nikolai Kombrinets, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, told AFP.
Russia now focuses on eastern and southern Ukraine
Meanwhile, according to the Ukrainian General Staff in a news release earlier today, the Russian military intends to continue its activity and consolidate its presence in eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.
He spoke in support of the US Alliance, but said that maintaining some independence was important for Russia. Fighting is expected to continue in these areas, he continued.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns that Moscow wants to organize what it called a pseudo-referendum in the Kherson region to form a “people’s democracy” like those established in separatist territories.
The Ukrainian staff has assured that Russian forces have not been able to gain territory anywhere. Kharkov continues to be bombed, while an attempt by the Russians to penetrate the Ukrainian defenses near Izium failed. The attempt to advance on Nikolayev was also unsuccessful, the same source said.
To the north, some units withdrew. Moscow has said Russian forces will escalate the attack in Kyiv and focus on Donbas.
“I’m sure it’s very enjoyable for all of you to read the news and see the Ukrainian cities gradually being liberated from the occupiers,” President Zelensky said in a recorded statement, warning that it was not a time for complacency. “We all want the victory”, but “there will be more battles. We have a very difficult road ahead of us to achieve everything we want”.
Ukrainian blow to a fuel depot in the Russian city of Belgorod
Two Ukrainian military helicopters hit a fuel storage facility in the Russian city of Belgorod today after crossing the border of the two warring countries on a low-flying flight, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Two people were injured in the blaze, Gladkov added.
Residents of the city area near the facility are rushing away from the area.
The incident in Belgorod, not far from the border with Ukraine, is recorded two days after the explosions in a weapons depot.
The American Pentagon sees a “lasting” war
The focus of the Russian military effort in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces are facing experienced Ukrainian military units, suggests that the conflict will be “prolonged”, that it can last many more months, the US judged on Thursday.
“If they really give priority to the Donbass region (…), where they have not fought for eight years, where there are a lot of Ukrainian soldiers who are very active, it can take a while,” he told a news conference. Department of Defense John Kerby.
“It will not be a matter of days or weeks, it can take much longer, although it is still difficult to know,” he added.
A senior Pentagon staffer who assisted in compiling the report said that “the Ukrainians know the area very well”, noting that the conflict between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army in the area has lasted for eight years.
“So even though (the Russians) are prioritizing there, strengthening their forces and devoting more energy, it will not be easy for them,” “it could be a longer, more protracted conflict,” he insisted.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has decided to extend for a “longer period” the stay of 7,000 troops of the 82nd Brigade on the east wing of NATO and the Harry Truman aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean, according to Kerby.
The United States has deployed an additional 20,000 troops in Europe as the Russian-led invasion of Ukraine approaches. The aim is to reassure Ukraine’s neighbors, who fear the war will spread to their own territories.
In the long run, always according to the representative of the US Department of Defense, the US will consult with its allies for the appropriate “defense order” in Europe, as due to the war the security situation “will change” and “we must respond” to it. .
In addition to withdrawing from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Russian forces “abandoned” the Khostomel military airport, northwest of Kiev, according to a Pentagon official.
But “we continue to believe that this is a redeployment” of forces, he added. “We have absolutely no indication that these soldiers are returning home, or that they will stop being involved,” he added. “We continue to believe that these forces will be rearmed and sent back to Ukraine (…) to continue fighting for what we consider to be their target,” that is, “eastern Ukraine”, the Luhansk separatist regions and Danieck, he added.
Russian bombings continue, mainly in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Izium, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Donbas, according to a US Defense Department official.
Russian forces appear to be trying to plunder Ukrainian army units deployed since 2014 along the front line near Danieck in the south and Lugansk in the east to Izium, northwest of Danieck.
Source: Capital
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