The diplomatic effort to end the war in Ukraine takes what, although arduous, are small steps. On the day in which Volodymyr Zelensky confirms that he is “ready to compromise”, the Kremlin openly expresses its hope to soon resume tripartite talks with Kiev and Washington: “There is a common political will to resume trilateral negotiations. We hope they will resume in the near future,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said a “roadmap” for resolving the conflict could emerge in the coming weeks. “There are contacts,” echoed councilor Yuri Ushakov, suggesting a return to Abu Dhabi to sit at the table. All signals that arrive in the aftermath of the phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, for whom in the meantime the possibility of a meeting in November, on the sidelines of the Apec summit in China, also with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping remains open.
Meanwhile, the plane of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was almost hit by a drone during the flight from Moldova to Oslo, where today he attended King Harald’s funeral. This was reported by the Norwegian state broadcaster Nrk. NRK contacted the Ukrainian prime minister’s office, which has not yet commented.
Zelensky: «Both sides must make progress»
Peskov’s statements seem to go hand in hand with the wishes already expressed by Zelensky, who would like a resumption of the three-way talks as early as this month. But the issue remains delicate: «We are moving towards a trilateral format for the talks, but I cannot reveal the details: we have agreed with the Americans to work internally first and then communicate publicly», Zelensky explained in an interview with La Stampa and other international media. «We are ready to compromise», clarified the Ukrainian leader, «but both sides must make progress. It cannot always be Ukraine that gives in: we have already made many compromises.”
Lavrov’s reading on Italy
The adage repeated by the Ukrainian president, however, does not convince the authorities in the Kremlin, according to which Kiev would not take any concrete steps to reach the end of the war. A position which, according to Serghei Lavrov, is fomented by the European allies. And regarding Italy, the head of Russian diplomacy stated that our country is part of that group of nations in which “signs of realism” regarding the conflict are periodically observed. But at the same time, Moscow does not see an attitude on their part that can promote peace. «Some, including the president of Finland and the Italian prime minister, are starting to talk about the need for an immediate ceasefire», but out of a «desire to gain time», is Lavrov’s reading.
The escalation of the raids and the request for Patriot
Moscow is in fact convinced that a temporary ceasefire would only help Ukraine strengthen its defense. In recent weeks, the escalation of Russian attacks has clearly shown Kiev’s difficulties in terms of anti-aircraft: in the last day the invaders’ raids hit the buildings of the capital again, causing at least one death and several injuries, while victims were also recorded in Mykolaiv. Russian bombs then reached a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, killing two people. To all this “an answer is necessary: Moscow cannot face the winter believing that it can continue with missile and drone terrorism without consequences”, commented Zelensky, reiterating the need for rapid supplies of missiles – Patriot first and foremost – and “effective” sanctions against Russia.
Slovakia blocks the renewal of sanctions
On this point, Robert Fico stepped in: as far as we know, Slovakia is in fact blocking the extension of the measures against Moscow and is asking for exclusion from the EU black list. To resolve the issue, the 27 will have until September 15th.
The attack in Novorossiysk and the drone in the Urals
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army is ready to continue its campaign of “long-range sanctions”: during the night, Kiev’s military intelligence claimed to have hit a Russian naval base and the Admiral Essen frigate in Novorossiysk, where the Russian governor instead spoke of raids on civilian buildings including a nursery and a church, with a toll of 4 dead and 29 injured. Furthermore, according to the admission of the Russian authorities themselves, a Ukrainian drone “hit for the first time the Arctic part of the Ural Federal District”, over 2,800 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, causing a fire at a fuel and energy plant.