This week, fighting continued to rage all along the front lines. Russia continued to strike Ukrainian cities and towns deep in the rear with missiles and drones. It has massed troops in Kursk along the border with Ukraine’s Sumy region. Russia has yet to present a promised “memorandum” on its demands for a peace deal.
Russia has recruited 1.3 million soldiers since its invasion of Ukraine. Its losses throughout the war near one million killed or wounded, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Lieutenant General Oleh Ivashchenko said. Russia sent nine Kh-101 cruise missiles and a record 355 drones at Ukraine overnight on Monday. All missiles and 288 drones were shot down or neutralized in flight, the Ukrainian Air Force said. Russia redeploys units to reinforce its grouping attacking into northern Sumy region, ISW reported.
Trump scolded Russia for striking Ukrainian cities. “I’ve always said that he [Putin] wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, (…) but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” Trump posted on Truth Social. At the same time, the U.S. is holding off on new sanctions against Russia. Moreover, the U.S. and EU have apparently stopped cooperating over the measures to counter Russia’s practices to circumvent sanctions, German media reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Wednesday. Germany will help Ukraine produce long-range weapons. Merz also alleged the possibility of sending Taurus missiles to the country.
U.S. could discuss with Russia its demand for NATO non-expansion eastwards, U.S. envoy says.
In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said Russia’s demand for NATO’s non-expansion eastwards is a “fair concern.” He alleged that the discussion can be on the table as part of the peace talks, but said a decision on U.S. views of NATO enlargement was for Trump to make.
“That’s one of the issues that Russia will bring up. They’re not just talking Ukraine, they’re talking the country of Georgia, they’re talking Moldova. And we’re saying ‘Okay, comprehensively, we can stop the expansion of NATO coming close to your border.’ That’s security concerns from them,” Kellogg said.
He also said that Ukraine coming into NATO is “not on the table,” adding that at least four other NATO countries oppose Ukraine joining the Alliance.
NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, earlier said that “the whole of NATO” is committed to Ukraine being on an irreversible path to the Alliance, but they never agreed on a guaranteed NATO membership for Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal.
