Russia will liberate Donbass and ‘New Russia’ (the unilaterally annexed Ukrainian territories, ed.) Novorossiya by military or other means: President Vladimir Putin said this in an interview with the India Today television channel, quoted by Tass. “It all comes down to this: either we will liberate these territories by force, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories and stop fighting there,” he stressed.
Donald Trump? He is “sincerely trying to find a consensual solution to the Ukrainian problem, but this task is not easy”the Russian leader said.
Kiev confirms, Umerov will meet Witkoff and Kushner in Miami today
The chief of Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov will meet Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Miami in the next few hours. This was confirmed by the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna.
Putin: ‘Very useful meeting with Witkoff and Kushner’
The meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “was very useful”, Putin said again in the interview, on the eve of a mission to the Asian country, writes Tass. Putin then added that “Washington proposed to divide the 28-point plan into four separate packages. They proposed to discuss it with us”, he said, explaining that these are however the same issues discussed with Donald Trump in Alaska.
The meeting lasted five hours because “working on the peace plan for Ukraine is difficult” and “every point should be discussed in detail, since Russia does not agree with everyone”: Russian President Vladimir Putin said this in an interview with India Today. “That’s why it took so long,” he explained: “It was a necessary, absolutely concrete conversation.” Putin noted that there were issues on which no consensus was reached.
Moscow, 76 Ukrainian drones shot down tonight over Russian regions
Moscow says air defenses shot down 76 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions tonight. This was reported by the Tass news agency, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Australia announces 54 million euros in aid to Ukraine
Australia’s Labor government today announced 95 million Australian dollars (about 54 million euros) in aid to Ukraine as well as further sanctions on Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’, aimed at blocking revenue from its war machine, while announcing its first military support package for Kyiv in more than a year. The aid, communicated by Defense Ministers Richard Marles and Foreign Ministers Penny Wong, includes 50 million dollars (28.4 million euros) to the ‘Priority Ukraine Requirement List’, a financing mechanism operated by 17 countries, which combines funds for the purchase of high-priority weapons for Kiev, including long-range missiles, artillery and ammunition. A similar announcement of participation in the fund from New Zealand is expected shortly.
However, the new measures do not put an end to calls for the Canberra government to go further, joining the European Union and Great Britain in blocking the import of oil of Russian origin, including through intermediary countries.
“Australia is resolute in its support for Ukraine,” Defense Minister Marles said. “These are commitments that can make a difference in Ukrainian defense against the Russian invasion,” he added. “Ghost” tankers, which use false flags and other methods to evade sanctions, are believed to make up 62% of Russian crude oil exports by ship.