Vladimir Putin’s plans of achieving total Ukrainian capitulation have not changed despite his initial claims of interest in engaging in negotiations with Donald Trump, the incoming US president, a war monitor has claimed.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its latest update that the Kremlin does not appear “more willing to make concessions” to Mr Trump compared with the outgoing Joe Biden administration.
“The manner in which the Kremlin is trying to set its terms for negotiations strongly signals that Russia’s objectives remain unchanged and still amount to full Ukrainian capitulation,” ISW wrote.
It comes as Ukraine has responded to media reports that it been advised it could develop an atomic bomb in months by saying that it has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry was responding to reports on a briefing document, apparently prepared by a non-government think tank for the Ukrainian defence ministry, detailing how Kyiv could develop a rudimentary atomic bomb if the US withdraws its military assistance.
“Ukraine is committed to the NPT (the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons); we do not possess, develop or intend to acquire nuclear weapons,” foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on X.
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Germany rejects arrival of Russian LNG shipment at Brunsbuttel terminal, sources say
Germany has refused to allow a Russian liquefied natural gas shipment at the Brunsbuttel terminal in northern Germany in line with Berlin’s policy not to import LNG from Russia, industry sources said on Thursday.
The Financial Times reported earlier on Thursday that Germany’s economy ministry BMWK had instructed the Deutsche Energy Terminal not to accept any deliveries of Russian LNG after the company informed Berlin that its Brunsbuttel import facility was set to receive a Russian cargo on Sunday.
It was not clear who ordered the shipment. Three LNG tankers recently left the Yamal LNG facility in Russia and are awaiting orders, LSEG data showed.
“The cargo was destined for Brunsbuttel and someone tried its luck and it seems wanted to check how Berlin would react,” an industry source told Reuters, adding that this is “a bit of political PR stunt”.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy and once Russia’s largest importer of natural gas, has never directly imported Russian LNG and has stopped buying Russian pipeline gas following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: independent.co.uk