“Great progress”: this is how Donald Trump summarized a telephone conversation – the first in two months – he had with Vladimir Putin on the eve of the meeting scheduled at the White House with Volodymyr Zelensky. Results that the US president will discuss face to face with the Ukrainian one, before a meeting next week between Russian and American “high-level advisors”, and in view of a new summit between Trump and Putin themselves, which will be held in Budapest, even if the date has not been specified. To the great satisfaction of the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban: «Great news for those who want peace, we are ready», he posted on the social.
A summit that will follow the August 15th summit in Alaska and will take place on the soil of the European Union itself, which Moscow accuses of being the real obstacle to achieving peace. And where, in theory, there is a travel ban for Russian leaders, imposed by European sanctions. The two and a half hours of conversation between the Russian and American presidents were “very productive”, Trump said, underlining that Putin began the conversation by congratulating him on “the great achievement of peace in the Middle East”.
“I actually think that success in the Middle East will help in our negotiations to reach an end to the Russia-Ukraine war,” the tycoon added, reporting that he and the Kremlin leader spent “a lot of time talking about trade between Russia and the United States when the war with Ukraine is over.” “A frank and encouraging phone call,” Mosca also commented.
Trump’s report marks a clear change of tone compared to the statements of recent weeks, when he had repeatedly said he was “disappointed in Putin”, expressing all the frustration at not being able to close a peace agreement. The head of the White House had even hypothesized sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kiev, with a range of 2,500 kilometers, to be used against Russia. For his part, the Russian president warned that the supply of these carriers would represent “a new escalation” directly between the world’s top two nuclear powers. Also because, according to the Kremlin, such missiles should be launched by American military personnel. A high-level Ukrainian government official, who wished to remain anonymous, told the AFP agency that the central theme of the confrontation between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office will be Kiev’s request to obtain the Tomahawks. Although the Patriot anti-aircraft defense systems also remain of vital importance for the Ukrainians. A need confirmed by the latest heavy Russian bombing of energy infrastructures, which forced the Kiev authorities to impose power cuts in all regions for the second consecutive day.
«There is talk – the Ukrainian president wrote on Telegram – of attacks on our people, our energy sector and our civil infrastructures. Russia has used more than 300 drones and 37 missiles, a significant number of which are ballistic.” In particular, infrastructures in the regions of Vinnytsia, Sumy and Poltava were targeted. Russia confirmed for its part that it had carried out “a massive attack” against gas infrastructure, saying that it supports “the functioning of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex”.
Kinzhal hypersonic missiles were also used in the raids, the Defense Ministry reports, stating that the bombings were carried out “in response to terrorist attacks by Ukraine against civilian targets on the territory of Russia.”
Ukrainian forces also continue attacks, albeit on a smaller scale, on Russian energy sector targets. In the Volgograd region, the governor said debris from an intercepted drone fell on an electricity substation in Balashovskaya, causing a fire. While in the Belgorod region the governor denounced the killing of a civilian and the wounding of three others in Ukrainian drone attacks.