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Kiev proposes, Moscow first slows down, then freezes its interlocutor. The request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said he was ready to meet Vladimir Putin at the G20 in Miami, should the Tsar decide to participate in the leaders’ summit scheduled for December, with the aim of “talking and making decisions”, since what counts “are the results”, is sent back to the sender like a cold shower and dismissed with an icy: “Impossible”.
Peskov: «There is a willingness to meet him in Moscow»
In New Delhi, where the Brics countries summit is being held, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s position according to which a possible meeting between the two presidents could only take place in the Russian capital. Asked about the hypothesis that the Kremlin is considering an alternative location, Peskov then replied: “There is a willingness to meet him in Moscow.”
Lavrov and air defenses: «A game with fire»
To make things worse, Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrov, also in the Indian capital, defined Zelensky’s request to the West for new air defenses as “brazen”, writes the Russian agency Ria Novosti. According to the Ukrainian leader, with winter approaching his country needs at least 120 Patriot missiles per month, which “we could receive from the United States, drawing on stocks or production lines”, but “at the moment the production rates are not high; consequently, using existing stocks represents a viable option.” But for Lavrov, the supplies of arms to Ukraine actually hinder the resolution of the conflict, involve NATO countries and represent a “game with fire”.
American mediation and cross-raids
The vitriolic back and forth between the two warring capitals, despite the United States’ attempt to relaunch the talks, with the visit of Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow and Kiev last weekend, fuels tensions and distances a diplomatic solution, despite the willingness expressed – in words – by the parties for a trilateral. And it does not stop the cross-raids between the two countries which have been going on since the early hours of the morning with a toll of several dead and wounded.
Four and a half years after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia is intensifying missile and drone attacks on numerous civilian infrastructures, causing an increasing number of casualties. Kiev is also increasing long-range raids on Russian territory, hitting refineries and logistics depots in particular.
Four dead, 35 injured in Odessa
Russian attacks launched last night caused at least four deaths in Ukraine: two in Zaporizhzhia and two others at an ArcelorMittal plant in Kryvyi Rih, in the center of the country, according to local authorities and the company. In the southern port city of Odessa, overlooking the Black Sea, Russian missile and drone raids hit residential buildings, destroying entire floors and causing 35 injuries – including a five-month-old baby -, according to regional governor Oleg Kiper.
In the late afternoon, an unmanned aircraft crossed Ukraine and Moldova, crashing into the ground in Romania, Bucharest reported. The drone impact caused only a small fire.