Ukraine-Russia struggle newest: Trump ‘demands control’ of pipeline in Ukraine carrying Russian fuel
The US is demanding control of a key pipeline in Ukraine used to send Russian gas to Europe, according to reports, while Kyiv negotiates a minerals deal with the Donald Trump administration.
Prospects for a breakthrough in the deal between Washington and Kyiv are scant given the “antagonistic” atmosphere of the talks, a source told Reuters following last week’s meeting.
As part of Donald Trump’s sweeping new demands for US control over all of Ukraine’s mineral and energy assets, Washington has proposed that its International Development Finance Corporation should take control of a natural gas pipeline running from the town of Sudzha in western Russia to the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.
Senior economist Volodymyr Landa told The Guardian that Washington’s bullying, “colonial-type” demands had little chance of being accepted by Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump said on Saturday that talks to end the war in Ukraine might be going well, adding that there was a time when you had to “either put up or shut up”.
His envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg for four hours to discuss a “Ukrainian settlement” on Friday.
Ukraine says Russia launched 55 drones overnight
Ukraine’s air defence units intercepted and destroyed 43 drones of 55 launched by Russia overnight targeting northern, southern and central areas of Ukraine, the air force said this moring.
In its post on Telegram, the Ukraine air force did not say what happened to the drones that escaped destruction.
Ukarine says Russia preparing for assault in Kharkiv
Russian forces are regrouping and preparing for a renewed assault in the Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine’s Operational-Strategic Group of Forces warned over the weekend.
The military group said Russians were actively replenishing their units and getting ready to resume offensive operations in the region.
At least four people were injured after a Russian guided aerial bomb struck a residential house in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast yesterday.
In pics: Ukrainians attend military training in Kharkiv
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of failing to pause strikes
Russia and Ukraine’s top diplomats yesterday used a high-level conference in Turkey to once again trade accusations of violating a tentative US-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the three-year-long war.
The two foreign ministers spoke at separate events at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum, a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss peace prospects. Ukraine’s European allies on Friday promised billions of dollars to help Kyiv keep fighting Russia’s invasion.
While Moscow and Kyiv both agreed in principle last month to implement a limited, 30-day ceasefire, they issued conflicting statements soon after their separate talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia. They differed on the start time of halting strikes, and alleged near-immediate breaches by the other side.
“The Ukrainians have been attacking us from the very beginning, every passing day, maybe with two or three exceptions,” Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said, adding that Moscow would provide the US, Turkey and international bodies with a list of Kyiv’s attacks during the past three weeks.
A representative of the Russian foreign ministry separately told state media yesterday that Moscow has been sharing intelligence with the US regarding more than 60 supposed breaches of the deal by Kyiv.
Russian missile targeted Indian warehouse, says Ukraine
Officials in Ukraine claimed a Russian missile deliberately struck the warehouse of an Indian pharmaceutical company in Kyiv.
“Today, a Russian missile struck the warehouse of Indian pharmaceutical company Kusum in Ukraine. While claiming ‘special friendship’ with India, Moscow deliberately targets Indian businesses – destroying medicines meant for children and the elderly,” Ukraine’s embassy in India said on X.
Ukrainian F-16 pilot killed in combat
A 26-year-old Ukrainian F-16 pilot was killed yesterday while performing a combat mission, the Ukrainian air force said.
Pavlo Ivanov is the second F-16 pilot to be killed since Ukraine recently added the fighters to its arsenal. A 30-year-old pilot died in August last year when a fighter aircraft crashed while repelling a Russian air attack.
“We express our deepest condolences to Pavlo’s family. He died in battle, defending his homeland from occupiers,” the air force said in a statement.
“Ukrainian pilots work at the maximum of human and technical capabilities, risking their lives each time they perform combat missions. Pavlo was one of them.”
Trump says talks on Russia-Ukraine war talks might be going OK
US president Donald Trump said yesterday that talks to end Russia’s war on Ukraine might be going OK, adding that there is a time when you have to put up or shut up.
At a meeting between US and Russian envoys earlier this week, it was reportedly said that the fastest way to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine was to support a strategy that would give Russia ownership of four eastern Ukrainian regions it attempted to annex illegally in 2022.
US demands control over Ukraine pipeline carrying Russian gas – report
The US has demanded control of a key pipeline in Ukraine that is used to send Russian gas to Europe, according to reports, while Kyiv negotiates a mineral deal with Donald Trump’s administration.
Prospects for a breakthrough in the minerals deal between Washington and Kyiv were scant given the meeting’s “antagonistic” atmosphere, a source told Reuters, following last week’s meeting.
The US has demanded that the government’s International Development Finance Corporation take control of a natural gas pipeline, which runs from the town of Sudzha in western Russia to the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod.
Senior economist Volodymyr Landa told The Guardian that Washington’s bullying “colonial-type” demands had little chance of being accepted by Kyiv.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week said a minerals deal should be profitable for both countries and could be structured in a way that would help modernise Ukraine.
The latest draft would give the US privileged access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits and require Kyiv to place in a joint investment fund all income from the exploitation of natural resources by Ukrainian state and private firms.
The proposed deal, however, would not provide US security guarantees to Kyiv – a top priority of Mr Zelensky – for its fight against Russian forces occupying some 20 per cent of its territory.
Source: independent.co.uk
