Whether Putin will decide to escalate further remains unclear. What is certain is that no one is sitting at the dialogue table and the war continues for the 228th day.
By Athena Papakosta
Its commitment to provide aid to Ukraine for as long as necessary announced the G7 that met yesterday via video conference. The Ukrainian president also participated in the talks, Volodymyr Zelensky who asked for air defense reinforcements and observers at the Ukraine-Belarus border.
The war in Ukraine has entered a new phase and the Financial Times spoke of weaknesses in the country’s air defense. A senior official speaking to the FT stressed that Kyiv has moved some of its air defense systems in the front line in the east. At the same time, Russian missile attacks continued for the 2nd consecutive day across Ukrainian territory.
Already the American president, in the telephone conversation he had with his Ukrainian counterpart, on Monday, discussed the strengthening of the Ukrainian air defense with the Joe Biden to promise that the US will give Ukraine advanced anti-aircraft systems. A topic that was also high on the agenda of the G7 with Berlin already sending the first of four IRIS-T SLM air defense systems to the Ukrainian army, as it had announced some time ago.
For its part, the Kremlin did not hide its displeasure and Dmitry Peskov he stressed that “the United States’ promises to supply Ukraine with advanced anti-aircraft systems will only prolong the conflict and cause more pain in Ukraine.”
For Zelensky himself “only one is blocking peace and that is Moscow”. But, the Sergei Lavrov states that the Kremlin he is always willing to chat as long as there is an invitation that he will consider first. At the same time, he added that Moscow could talk to either the United States or even Turkey about ways to end the war for the White House to issue a statement and underline that Kyiv will determine the terms of the negotiations. As for Turkey, Putin and Erdogan will meet on Thursday in Kazakhstan, with Ankara saying it is ready to host peace talks.
Supporters of the Russian president have long pressed the Kremlin to take increasingly tough steps in the war in Ukraine as Moscow is counting losses in the east of the country. At the same time, they are asking Putin to persist by striking with the same intensity.
Already yesterday Moscow launched 12 missile strikes against Zaporizhia killing a man and destroying a medical infrastructure as well as a school and homes. Wounds were also reported in Lviv against energy facilities as well as in Vinnytsia. In Mykolaiv, Ukrainian citizens were asked to remain in shelters, while in Kyiv, in addition to the war sirens that sounded again, residents were confronted for the first time with the chilling sound of the alarm through their mobile phones. A text message warned them of possible new missile strikes. The Ukrainian military announced that it shot down 18 Russian-launched cruise missiles and eight kamikaze drones. At the same time, the Ukrainians announced that the operation to recapture Kherson is continuing.
The war is escalating and the nuclear debate continues. With statements by the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg he answered about the nuclear exercise that the Alliance is preparing. Downplaying the issue, he spoke of a nuclear deterrence exercise that takes place every year. “Russia knows that a nuclear war cannot be won and should never happen,” he said.
NATO does not have nuclear weapons. These remain under the control of three member countries: the USA, the UK and France.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov reiterated that Russia would resort to using nuclear weapons only for defensive reasons, accusing the West of encouraging speculation against the Kremlin’s intentions.
However, Belarus has already entered the war dance, while it is also worth underlining the difference recorded in the attitude of India, which remains on the side of Putin’s allies but expressed its concern about the barrage of Russian missile attacks on Monday.
Whether Putin will decide to escalate further remains unclear. What is certain is that no one is sitting at the dialogue table and the war continues for the 228th day.
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
