Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An earthquake occurred in Tajikistan on the morning of April 13. This was reported by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center ( EMSC ).
The tremors were recorded at 7:24 Moscow time. The epicenter of the earthquake was located more than 170 km southeast of the city of Khujand, the source was at a depth of 16 km.
Seismologists initially estimated the earthquake's magnitude at 6.4, but later revised it down to 5.9.
The Uzbek Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that residents of the republic also felt the earthquake that occurred in Tajikistan. In Uzbekistan, the strength of the tremors ranged from two to three points. There were no reports of casualties or damage in Uzbekistan.
As reported by Regnum news agency, the Crisis Management Center of the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense under the Government of Tajikistan reported that 17 residential buildings were partially destroyed in the Rasht region of the country as a result of the earthquake. According to preliminary data, there are no casualties.
On March 28, an earthquake was recorded in Myanmar, the magnitude of which, according to various estimates, was between 7.7 and 7.9. Its epicenter was near the city of Mandalay, the second largest in the country. The first earthquake was followed by a second one with a magnitude of 6.4. As of April 11, 3,689 people were killed, 5,020 were injured, and another 139 were missing.
By order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, specialists from the Ministry of Emergency Situations were sent to Myanmar, who are conducting rescue operations around the clock. By April 8, Russian rescuers had surveyed more than 126 thousand square meters, checking the rubble of 82 buildings.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The eruption of the Bezymyanny volcano in Kamchatka has intensified, lava flows are observed on the slopes. This was reported by the Kamchatka branch of the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Telegram channel.
The descent of hot debris avalanches on the southeastern slope was recorded by a camera installed at the Kamchatka branch seismic station "Bezymyanny-Griva" between 21:00 and 22:00 local time (12:00 and 13:00 Moscow time) on April 13.
Earlier, the Kamchatka branch reported that the height of the ash plume over Bezymyanny increased from 5 to 6 km. An orange code is in effect in the area of the volcano, indicating a danger to local air travel.
Bezymyanny volcano, located approximately 40 km from the village of Klyuchi in the Ust-Kamchatsky district and 350 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, increased its activity on the morning of April 12. Experts are recording a continuous descent of debris and ash avalanches.
"The thermal cloud extended north-northeast from the volcano. Ash deposits covered the Kamen and Klyuchevskoy volcanoes," the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported on its Telegram channel.
Bezymyanny volcano, 2882 m above sea level, is part of the Klyuchevskaya group along with three other active volcanoes: Klyuchevskoy, Dalniy Plosky and Plosky Tolbachik. The group also includes nine extinct volcanoes.
Earlier, experts predicted a powerful eruption of Bezymyanny. Presumably, at the culmination stage, the volcano could throw ash to a height of 15 km.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on July 25, 2024, Bezymyanny ejected a column of ash to a height of 12 km. The plume stretched for 300 km. Due to the explosive eruption of the volcano, the tourist route "Around Tolbachik" in the Klyuchevsky Nature Park was closed.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 21.45 The United States expressed condolences to the victims of the Russian attack on Sumy. Washington emphasized that peace remains the main goal.
"The United States extends our deepest condolences to the victims of today's horrific Russian missile attack in Sumy," wrote US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
21.05 As a result of a missile attack on the center of Sumy, which occurred on Palm Sunday, April 13, 34 people were killed. Among the victims were Maksym Martynenko and his mother and father. Maksym was a 6th-grader at the Staroselsky Lyceum.
20.30 Konotop Mayor Artem Semenikhin stated that the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration Vladimir Artyukh organized an event in Sumy on April 13 to award the soldiers of the 117th Brigade. Semenikhin claims that the soldiers were not injured because they were in a shelter. And the victims were only civilians. The mayor accused the head of the OVA Vladimir Artyukh of short-sightedness for organizing the event.
19.35 "Only a completely crazy bastard can do something like this," - Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the attack on Sumy on Palm Sunday.
"This Friday marked a month since the Russian Federation rejected the American ceasefire proposal. They are not afraid," the president said.
19.20 During Russia's missile attack on Sumy, the Ukrainian flag miraculously survived among the ruins. The symbol of Ukraine's invincibility was shown by rescuers.
19.05 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine responded harshly to the attack on Sumy: "We will destroy the occupiers, their military facilities, weapons and equipment - wherever they may be. Russian war crimes have no statute of limitations. The criminals must be punished as they deserve."
18.34 As a result of a missile strike on Sumy, a student from the Staroselsky Lyceum and his parents were killed.
18.05 Sumy: as of 18:00, 34 people died, including 2 children. 117 people were injured, including 15 children.
17.47 In Kherson, as a result of enemy attacks on April 13, a woman and a man were killed, and there are also wounded citizens. The Russians used FPV drones and artillery.
17:30 US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink responded to Russia's strike on Sumy and recalled Kryvyi Rih: "As in Kryvyi Rih, cluster munition missiles were reportedly used, which only increased the scale of destruction and harm to civilians. Our prayers are with the people of Sumy."
17.00 The world’s reaction to the shelling of Sumy:
Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg , said the attack "crossed every line of reasonableness."
French President Macron called for "decisive action" against Russia to achieve a ceasefire.
The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, condemned the Russian strike on Sumy and called it a clear example of "how Russia is stepping up attacks while Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional ceasefire."
16:25 In Sumy, a teacher and pianist of the Shchepkin Theater Elena Kogut was killed by a missile strike. This was reported by the Sumy Professional College of Arts and Culture, where she taught.
16.00 Due to the Russian missile strike on April 13 in the center of Sumy, 32 people are known to have died, of which 2 children were injured, including 11 children. All are receiving the necessary assistance.
15:40 Ukraine and Russia will hold talks in Turkey, CNN Turk reports, citing sources in the Turkish Ministry of National Defense. The meeting will take place in the country's capital Ankari on April 15-16. The talks will focus on Black Sea security.
15.00 Sumy: as of 14:10, 32 people died, including 2 children. 84 people were injured, including 10 children. Emergency rescue operations continue.
14.35 Russian drone Molniya attacked a kindergarten in Kievsky district of Kharkov. Windows were knocked out, the facade of the building was damaged. Windows in nearby apartment buildings were also knocked out. There were no casualties or injuries.
14.22 Russian strikes deserve only condemnation. Pressure is needed on the Russian Federation to end the war and ensure safety for people. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"It is very important for everyone in the world not to remain silent, not to remain indifferent... Without truly strong pressure, without the proper support of Ukraine, Russia will continue to drag out this war," the head of state emphasized.
The president noted that the second month has passed since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ignored the US proposal for a complete and unconditional ceasefire. "Unfortunately, they there in Moscow are sure that they can afford to continue killing. We need to act to change the situation," the Ukrainian leader said.
14.05 In Sumy, 31 people died, including two children. 84 people were injured, including 10 children. Work continues.
13.58 The death toll in Sumy has risen to 24, including a child. 84 people were injured, including seven children.
13.35 Russian troops used a missile with cluster munitions in the attack on Sumy. This was reported by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.
"A missile with cluster munitions is something the Russians do to kill as many civilians as possible. The strike on the city of Sumy is a deliberate shelling of civilians," he wrote on Telegram.
13.20 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing to transfer detailed information about the Russian missile strike on Sumy to all of Ukraine's partners and is calling for a decisive response. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha.
"We call on all capitals and headquarters to respond decisively. For the second month in a row, Russia has refused to accept the US proposal for a complete ceasefire, which Ukraine unconditionally accepted on March 11. Russia is intensifying terror," he said.
Ukraine calls on its partners to provide additional air defense capabilities and increase pressure on Moscow. "Force is the only language they understand and the only way to end this terrible terror," Sybiga stressed.
12.56 Russian troops attacked Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region - two women were killed. This was reported by the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov on Telegram.
"Russian military personnel fired a MLRS at Kupyansk. As a result of the shelling, structural elements of a garage caught fire over an area of 10 square meters," he wrote.
According to the chairman of the OVA, two women died in the courtyard of a five-story building.
12.35 As a result of the Russian missile attack on Sumy, 21 people were killed and 83 were injured, including seven children. This was reported by the Minister of Internal Affairs Igor Klimenko.
People were injured right in the middle of the street, in cars, public transport, in houses.
12.13 It is known that Russian troops have struck the center of Sumy with two ballistic missiles. The occupiers have attacked civilian infrastructure. Residential and non-residential buildings have been damaged. A headquarters for the elimination of the consequences of the emergency situation is being deployed.
11.55 President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Russia's ballistic strike on Sumy on Palm Sunday. A tough response from the world is needed, the head of state said on Telegram.
"A terrible strike by Russian ballistics on Sumy. Enemy missiles hit an ordinary city street, ordinary life: houses, educational institutions, cars on the street... And this is on the day when people go to church: Palm Sunday, the Feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem," the president wrote.
According to preliminary data, we are talking about dozens of dead and wounded civilians. "Only a bastard can act like that. Taking the lives of ordinary people. My condolences to the families and friends. A rescue operation is currently underway. All necessary services are working," Zelensky said.
The head of state stressed that a tough response from the world is required.
11:40 As a result of a Russian missile strike on April 13 in the center of Sumy, more than 20 civilians were killed.
11.22 In Sumy, as a result of a missile strike, many people died. This was stated by the acting mayor Artem Kobzar on Telegram.
"Today, as a result of a missile strike, many people died... The enemy has again struck the civilian population," he wrote.
10.54 Russian troops have struck Sumy. The shelling occurred amid a ballistic threat declared in a number of regions. This was reported by the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, on Telegram.
"The Russians have hit Sumy again," he wrote.
Local media had previously reported two explosions in the city, after which a huge column of smoke rose over Sumy.
10.16 Over the past 24 hours, 120 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. In particular, in the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian defenders stopped 31 assault and offensive actions by the Russians.
08.30 On the night of April 13, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 55 attack drones. Air defense forces shot down 43 drones.
As of 08.30, 43 Shahed-type attack UAVs (and other types of drones) have been confirmed downed in the north, south and center of the country. Another 12 enemy drone imitators have been lost without any negative consequences.
08.15 As of April 13, 2025, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 932,670 people (+1,220 per day). This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
07.36 Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are going well, but "there is a point where you just have to either put up with it or shut up," US President Donald Trump said.
"I think the relationship between Ukraine and Russia can be good, and you'll see that soon enough. There comes a point where you either put up with it or shut up, and we'll see what happens, but I think it's going well," the American leader said.
05.25 Russian troops advanced in Kurshchyna, as well as near Yampolovka and Valentynivka in Donetsk Oblast, the DeepState project reported.
01.31 On Saturday, as a result of a Russian attack in Kherson, Oleh Salnyk, a volunteer for the Real Foundation, was killed. He helped evacuate people and participated in the aftermath of the shelling. He was only 27.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
The Sever Group of Forces in Belgorod direction engaged units of two mechanised brigades, a coastal defence brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and four territorial defence brigades close to Turya, Miropolskoye, Novodmitrovka, Prokhody, and Petrushevka (Sumy region).
In Kharkov direction, the Russian Armed Forces inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of a mechanised brigade of the AFU and a territorial defence brigade close to Karasevka and Shuby (Kharkov region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 90 troops, an infantry fighting vehicle, an armoured personnel carrier, a motor vehicle, three field artillery guns, a UK-made 128mm RAK-SA-12 multiple rocket launcher, a counter-fire station, and an electronic warfare station. Three enemy ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Zapad Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian units hit five mechanised brigades, an assault brigade, a jaeger brigade of the AFU, and two territorial defence brigades close to Kupyansk, Radkovka, Petropavlovka, Borovaya, Novaya Kruglyakovka, Novoyegorovka (Kharkov region), Redkodub, Yampol, Kirovsk (Donetsk People's Republic) and the Serebryansky forestry.
The AFU losses amounted to up to 260 troops, seven pickup trucks, and seven artillery guns. Three Zakhist and Kvertus electronic warfare stations and an ammunition depot were eliminated.
The Yug Group of Forces' units improved the tactical situation. Russian troops damaged manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, an airmobile brigade, a regiment of unmanned aerial systems of the AFU, a territorial defence brigade, a national guard brigade, and the Azov special forces brigade near Dronovka, Novaya Poltavka, Zarya, Kalinovo, Chasov Yar, Kleban-Byk, and Katerinovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 295 troops, 17 motor vehicles, and three field artillery guns. One ammunition depot and one fuel depot were neutralised.
The Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Yelizavetovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
Russian troops engaged four mechanised brigades, an assault brigade, a Jaeger brigade, an unmanned aerial vehicles brigade, an assault regiment of the AFU, a naval infantry brigade, and three national guard brigades close to Novoekonomicheskoye, Zverevo, Kotlino, Udachnoye, Alekseyevka, Novopavlovka, Krasnoarmeysk, Novosergeyevka, Mirolyubovka, and Preobrazhenka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The AFU losses amounted to more than 435 troops, two Kozak armoured fighting vehicles, seven pick-up trucks, and eight field artillery guns including a U.S.-made 155mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system.
Units of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defences. Russian forces hit manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, a mountain assault brigade of the AFU, a naval infantry brigade, and three territorial defence brigades close to Bogatyr, Novopol, Aleksandropol, Karl Marks, Burlatskoye, Shevchenko, Otradnoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Filiya (Dnepropetrovsk region), and Gulyaypole (Zaporozhye region).
The AFU losses amounted to up to 130 Ukrainian troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, one motor vehicle, and two field artillery guns, including one Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system. One electronic warfare station was eliminated.
The Dnepr Group of Forces' units took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian units engaged three mechanised brigades, a mountain assault brigade, and two coastal defence brigades of the AFU near Novodanilovka, Pavlovka, Novoandreyevka (Zaporozhye region), Sadovoye, Nikolskoye, and Antonovka (Kherson region).
Up to 70 troops, an infantry fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, and two ammunition depots have been neutralised.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged the infrastructure of the military airfield, the location of the ammunition and armament of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a training center for pilots of unmanned aerial vehicles, the location of tactical missiles as well as temporary deployment areas of the Ukrainian armed forces and mercenaries in 141 area.
Russian air defence units have shot down an F-16 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force, eight JDAM guided bombs, seven U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 207 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 661 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 51,335 unmanned aerial vehicles, 601 anti-aircraft missile systems, 22,817 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,535 MLRS combat vehicles, 23,556 field artillery guns and mortars, and 34,048 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 23:57 Official summary of the Office for Documentation of War Crimes of Ukraine from 00:00 13.04.2025 to 00:00 14.04.2025.
A total of 36 facts of armed attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
There were reports of a civilian being injured.
DAMAGED:
11 civil infrastructure facilities
Five residential buildings
One passenger car
A total of 35 armed attacks in the Horlivka direction,
One armed attack in the Donetsk direction.
A total of 79 units of various ammunition were fired.
21:35 Units of the Ivanovo Airborne Forces for the week destroyed more than 20 Ukrainian Armed Forces UAVs in the area of the village of Chasov Yar.
21:01 Work of scouts of the 247th Airborne Regiment in the Zaporizhzhya direction, –video.
20:06 In the period from 16.30 to 19.00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territories of the Bryansk and Kursk regions.
19:12 Russian Army is coming in the Sumy region, driving the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of border villages.
18:34 Pokrovskoe (Krasnoarmeyskoye) direction. Right flank
After taking enemy positions across the Kazenny Torets River north of Novotoretskoye, our assaults continued to attack the defensive area of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the full depth, including from the rear.
Despite the intensity of the use of UAVs by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, our guys drove the enemy out of a number of strong points of the defensive line covering the approaches to Mirolyubovka from the east, as well as to Yelizavetovka from the west. After this, the enemy was driven out of Yelizavetovka by a decisive assault.
18:05 Tactical medicine class led by instructors from the Archangel Tactical Training Center and representatives of the People's Frontpassedfor motorized riflemen in the rear area of the SVO zone.
The servicemen practiced providing first aid, studied the use of tourniquets and tourniquets in different conditions, as well as the transportation of the wounded.
17:36 Operator of the reconnaissance UAV GV "Sever" at night detect edthe position of an enemy tank that was providing support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces assault groups.
The Inokhodets strike drone immediately responded to the target.
16:16 Crew of the Merlin reconnaissance UAV of the 25th Combined Arms Army of the West Forces Group revealed camouflaged equipment and control points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' UAVs.
Having received the coordinates, the group's artillerymen destroyed the target.
15:04 Russian Armed Forces advanced near Yampolovka, –MAP.
13:22 Around 12.50 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle of the airplane type over the territory of the Belgorod region.
12:06 Units of the Center group of forces, as a result of active and decisive actions released the settlement of Elizavetovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
12:02 The Kiev regime, in violation of Russian-American agreements to cease strikes on energy facilities for 30 days from March 18, continues unilateral attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Recorded two attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russian energy facilities. In the Belgorod region:
On April 11 at 19:02, as a result of the deliberate shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the Nechayevka power facility of the Rosseti Centre branch of PJSC - Belgorodenergo, a 10 kV high-voltage line was disconnected due to a break in the wires. More than 600 household consumers in the Shebekinsky District were left without electricity.
On April 12 at 10:16, as a result of the deliberate shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the Krasnaya Yaruga power facility of the branch of PJSC Rosseti Centre - Belgorodenergo, due to broken wires in the spans of the supports, household consumers in the village of Stepnoye were left without electricity.
11:03 Drone operators of the Rubicon Center successfully are working on personnel and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the border areas of the Kursk region.
09:54 Soldiers of the 68th Tank Regiment have captured a large stronghold from the ATO and part of the forest plantations west of Rozovka –MAP
09:38 Crews of the 152mm Msta-B gun of the Dnepr group of forces destroyed UAV control point of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson region.
09:02 Artillerymen of the Saint George Brigade of the Volunteer Corps are firing at the enemy’s fortified area in Chasovoy Yar –MAP
07:12 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
12 UAVs over the territory of the Rostov region and
One UAV over the territory of the Belgorod region.
Friedrich Merz has expressed willingness to supply Ukraine with Taurus long-range cruise missiles.
“Our European partners are already supplying cruise missiles. The British are doing it, the French are doing it, and the Americans are doing it anyway,” Merz said.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Austrian authorities have once again failed to invite Russia to official events marking the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Mauthausen. This was reported on April 13 by the Russian Ambassador to Vienna Dmitry Lyubinsky.
“For the third year in a row, we will not be present at the anniversary of the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp, in the part where official events will take place,” the diplomat specified.
Lyubinsky recalled that official contacts had been reduced to a minimum since the start of the special military operation.
"Neither the Russian embassy nor our other missions receive invitations to any official or semi-official events. This fully applies to memorial events this year," the ambassador added.
The Russian diplomatic mission organizes its own events dedicated to memorable dates, Lyubinsky said.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, in 2024, the Austrian Mauthausen Committee announced its refusal to allow delegations from Russia and Belarus to participate in events marking the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp. The diplomatic agency noted that in this regard, the Russian side would organize its own "memory watch" at the concentration camp.
In 2022, the Mauthausen AKM sent a letter to the Russian embassy in Vienna with a “strong recommendation” to the Russian ambassador personally and other employees to refrain from participating in the traditional official events to mark the next anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp.
The first 2,000 Soviet prisoners of war arrived at Mauthausen in November 1941. In total, more than 32,000 Soviet citizens, 30,000 Poles, and several thousand Jews, Italians, Hungarians, Albanians, Serbs, and Croats were executed, beaten, and starved to death, and died from backbreaking labor in the quarries. The prisoners of the Nazi death camp Mauthausen were liberated on May 5, 1945.
On April 4, it became known that the German Foreign Ministry recommended not inviting Russian and Belarusian representatives to events in Berlin and Brandenburg in honor of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Districts and municipalities were also advised to expel Russians and Belarusians if necessary. The Foreign Ministry cited the "risks of propaganda, disinformation and historical revisionism" as the reason. Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergei Nechayev said that such steps by Berlin were "bitterly disappointing."
Russia was also not invited to the events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, which took place on January 27 in Poland. At the same time, the head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, was present at the memorial ceremony. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the non-invitation of the Russian Federation to these events shameful. Volodya ain't wrong.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Mirzayan
[REGNUM] On April 11, Donald Trump's special representative for negotiations with Russia, Stephen Witkoff, held another meeting - already the third in a row - with Vladimir Putin. Like the previous ones, it lasted several hours.
The Kremlin's final press release was kept to a minimalist tone: "The head of the Russian state held a meeting with the special envoy of the President of the United States of America, Steven Witkoff. The topic of the meeting was aspects of the Ukrainian settlement."
The official comment from the US government was roughly the same in terms of volume and depth. Donald Trump’s press secretary Caroline Levitt said the meeting was “another step in the negotiating process to achieve a ceasefire and a final peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine,” but declined to elaborate on the components of that step.
The laconicism of Moscow and Washington can be explained very simply. "Very intensive and difficult negotiations are underway, but there is no significant decisive progress or breakthrough yet," Dmitry Suslov, deputy head of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, told Regnum.
According to him, the parties realize the importance of settling the Ukrainian crisis for normalizing bilateral relations, they are focused on dialogue, but their positions are sometimes really far apart.
There are indeed many differences. Both in the territorial issue (the US must not only recognize the new Russian territories, but also force Kyiv to withdraw its troops from the occupied parts of them), and in the area of observing the energy ceasefire (which Ukraine does not observe, and the US cannot force Kyiv to fulfill its obligations), and in sanctions (in order to move to a “water” ceasefire in the Black Sea, the US must lift restrictions on Russian agricultural producers).
Russia has no hurry. "Work continues, meticulous work, an exchange of opinions is underway. Each other's positions are communicated to each other... There is no need to expect any breakthroughs here. The process of normalizing relations and searching for grounds for entering the trajectory of a settlement around Ukraine is underway," said the president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
But the US is in a hurry. More precisely, President Trump is in a hurry. “Trump’s 100 days are approaching, and we see that of all his many grandiose undertakings, he has not yet completed a single one. He has nothing to brag about. At the same time, a ceasefire in Ukraine was one of his main election promises. He needs it in order to more intensively implement his strategy of increasing pressure on China and transferring American forces towards the PRC,” Dmitry Suslov reminds.
However, the conflict has not yet been resolved, and, according to Caroline Levitt, Trump is “disappointed by the behavior of both sides in the conflict.” From Moscow’s perspective, he should be disappointed primarily with the Ukrainian side, since it is Kiev that is not fulfilling its obligations. At the same time, Trump himself is rushing Russia and says that “Russia must act. Too many people … have died, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war.”
"The American president is unhappy: he wants immediate results and a truce, and both sides are putting forward conditions. And if Zelensky has already bent the knee and declared his readiness for an immediate ceasefire, then Putin has no reason to stop the offensive without concessions from the United States," writes international political scientist and RIAC expert Alexey Naumov. It seems that Trump believes that, given the current time crunch, it is easier for him to pressure Moscow into concessions than Kiev.
First, because forcing the Ukrainian side to submit is met with resistance in the United States. Resistance from the American political mainstream, which believes that Trump and Steven Witkoff are pushing the wrong people. “We need to increase the hard pressure on Vlad’s interests and unite our allies in the region, ” writes The New York Post.
Moreover, both the US president and his special envoy are unqualified for this kind of negotiation. “Whitkoff and Trump have committed the cardinal sin of diplomacy: they have flaunted their desperation to make a deal,” said Ned Price, a former State Department spokesman under President Joe Biden.
Second, because there is no agreement within the American administration itself. “American officials are increasingly at odds over how to break the impasse between Ukraine and Russia, according to U.S. officials and people familiar with the situation, as well as four Western diplomats who have been in touch with Trump administration officials,” Reuters writes.
The symbol of this disagreement was the publication of different plans by Stephen Witkoff and another special representative, Keith Kellogg, for resolving the Ukrainian issue. Kellogg proposed dividing Ukraine into three parts (implying the actual occupation of some territories by Western troops), while Witkoff proposed recognizing all Russian territories as Russian.
Thirdly, because any pressure on the Ukrainian regime is ineffective due to the European Union, which supports Ukraine and promises Zelensky assistance if Kyiv continues its policy of war to the last Ukrainian.
"We must acknowledge that peace in Ukraine is probably unattainable in the near future," said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, adding that Europe would continue to help the Kiev regime.
In this situation, Moscow suggests that Washington should not rush for quick solutions, not try to show some results in a hundred days, but work systematically. Solve problems not in a rush, as the Americans want, but effectively.
"Trump has no way to pressure Europe into accepting our demands. However, Russia would be quite happy with a situation in which the US would stop providing free material military aid to Ukraine," says Dmitry Suslov. "This would lead to a significant reduction in the overall volume of Western aid."
When the advance of our troops leads to the threat of the collapse of the Ukrainian front and/or the collapse of Ukraine, then Kyiv and Brussels will probably be ready to accept Russian demands. They will simply have no other choice.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
