Ukrainians welcomed President Volodymyr Zelensky back from a wartime visit to the United States, hailing his trip as a success, while Russian officials sent a message today that the visit only fueled the conflict.
The US has announced a new package of military aid worth 1,8 billion dollars, which includes the delivery of the Patriot air defense system as the most powerful weapon of its kind delivered to Ukraine so far.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that if the Patriot is delivered to Ukraine, Moksva will "break the Patriot" and that the delivery of air defense systems will only prolong the fighting.
"Those who are doing it are doing it for nothing, it's just prolonging the conflict," he said.
Putin reiterated that Russia is ready for talks with Ukraine on ending the conflict.
"One way or another, all armed conflicts end with negotiations. The sooner this understanding reaches those who oppose us, the better. We have never refused talks," he said.
Zelensky landed in Poland today while traveling back to Ukraine.
He wrote on social networks that he met a "friend of Ukraine" on the way home.
In the video he posted, he can be seen being greeted by Polish officials after he got off the plane.
He and Polish President Andrzej Duda hugged, greeted each other and then sat down to talk.
Russian Ambassador to the USA Anatoly Antonov accused Zelensky and American officials of "focusing on the war and additionally tying the Ukrainian regime to the needs of Washington".
Although it is very expensive, many countries are snatched for it because it can really do a lot in protecting against air attacks.
Related Articles
The head of a private Russian paramilitary group, Wagner, dismissed as "gossip and speculation" the US claim that Russia had received a shipment of weapons from North Korea, reports Reuters.
"Everyone knows that North Korea has not been supplying Russia with any weapons for a long time," Yevgeny Prigozhin said.
The Kremlin has not expressed its readiness to end the war in Ukraine, said the head of US diplomacy, Anthony Blinken, commenting on the statement of Russian President Vladimir Putin that he wants the conflict to end "as soon as possible".
"Russia essentially showed no interest in engaging diplomatically to end the war," said Blinken, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia wants an end to the war in Ukraine and that all armed conflicts end with diplomatic negotiations.
"Our goal is not to start the flywheel of a military conflict, but on the contrary, to end this war. We strive for that and will continue to strive," Putin told reporters, as reported by Reuters.
"We will try to end this - and the sooner the better, of course," Putin stressed.
He added that the Patriot air defense that the US supplies to Ukraine is an old weapon system that Russia will be able to counter.
Putin also stated that the Patriot does not work like the Russian S-300 system.
"Okay, we'll take this into consideration and an antidote will always be found," he said.
Unsurprisingly, no official information has been released about the trip - security is tight around presidential visits even during peacetime, but for a leader whose country is at war the risks are even greater
Related Articles
American deliveries of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine, announced during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington, will not contribute to the resolution of the conflict or prevent Russia from achieving its goals.
This was said by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in a conversation with journalists, reports Reuters.
"This does not lead to a quick solution, on the contrary. And it cannot prevent the Russian Federation from achieving its goals during the special military operation," said Peskov.
Peskov said that during Zelensky's visit, there were no calls for peace or signs of readiness to "listen to Russia's concerns", proving that the United States is waging a proxy war with Russia "to the last Ukrainian".
The order that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented to US President Joe Biden yesterday is the Ukrainian Cross for Military Merit.
Zelensky said that the decoration was presented to him by a captain of the Ukrainian army who is fighting in the Donbass region, CNN reported.
Biden thanked Zelensky and said that he would send the Ukrainian captain a "US Army command coin" in return.
As part of his visit to Washington, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, addressed a joint session of both houses of the US Congress on Wednesday evening, where he thanked American officials and the people for their support to his country.
Related Articles
US President Joe Biden told reporters last night, after meeting with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, that the people of Ukraine and Zelensky's leadership are an "inspiration", and Zelensky promised that "there will be no compromise" in the war against the Russian aggressor.
Related Articles
President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that the Russian army must learn from the problems it faced in Ukraine and solve them. He promised to give the army everything it needs to fight the war which is nearing the end of the tenth month.
Related Articles
War in Ukraine - 301th day.
Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, was injured in the Ukrainian shelling of Donetsk, according to Russian news agencies.
"A hotel in the suburbs of Donetsk where a group of military advisers led by Dmitry Rogozin was shelled. Dmitry received a wound on his back and was taken to the hospital. His life is not in danger," his assistant announced, as reported by TASS.
That Russian news agency writes that two people were killed in the attack, and several others were injured, reports N1.
"It was obviously a targeted attack. "Experts believe that it was carried out with a 155-millimeter Caesar self-propelled howitzer manufactured by French Nexter," added Rogozin's assistant.
Along with Rogozin, the former Russian deputy prime minister, Vitaly Hotsenko, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, was also injured, reports Reuters.
Rogozin headed the Russian space agency until July of this year, and now he heads the group of military advisers Tsarski Vukovi in Donbass.
Bonus video:
