Since his re-election, Russia, Ukraine and their allies have been waiting to see what position the unpredictable American leader will adopt, particularly on crucial military aid for Ukraine, especially since he boasts of having a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Intensification of bombing
Ukraine fears being pushed to the negotiating table in an unfavorable position, because it is struggling on the front, and of being forced to cede its territories occupied by Russia. Illustration of these difficulties, the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Synegoubov, announced Thursday that “267 children and their families must be evacuated from 16 localities” close to the front line. This decision is due to “the intensification of enemy bombardments”, he added.
The area concerned is close to the city of Kupiansk, occupied by Moscow forces from the first days of the war, then recaptured by the Ukrainian army in the fall of 2022.
Russian troops, better armed and more numerous than Ukrainian soldiers, are now very close. An important railway hub, this city is crossed by the Oskil River, which further north has become the front line between Russian and Ukrainian troops. In the Donetsk region, Russian soldiers are also at the gates of Pokrovsk, an important town for the logistics of the Ukrainian army, and seem on the way to seizing the stronghold of Chassiv Yar.
Trump puts pressure on for deal
These towns, like many others, were emptied of their residents as the fighting approached, transforming their streets into deserted fields of ruins. In this part of the front, the Russian thrust continues westwards, towards the Dnipropetrovsk region. The village of Soloné, just 8 kilometers as the crow flies from the border of this region, is now under Russian control, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Thursday.
-Donald Trump, who has repeatedly praised his ability to quickly end the Russian invasion, on Wednesday threatened Russia with new sanctions if it did not conclude an agreement with Ukraine “now”.
The spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov, said Thursday that he saw “nothing particularly new” in the billionaire’s comments. He nevertheless assured that Moscow remained ready “for dialogue on an equal footing and with mutual respect”.
Can Ukraine count on its allies?
The spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, for her part called on Thursday the administration of the new president to “correct” the errors of his predecessor Joe Biden in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a publication on Telegram on Thursday summarizing an interview with the Bloomberg agency, made obtaining real guarantees from his allies a condition for the talks. “The question is whether Ukraine will be alone […] or if Ukraine will be with its allies,” he said.
