The US gives Kiev a stamp by opposing attacks on Russian territory

On Wednesday, the United States warned Kiev about its military operations on Russian territory. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, reminded Ukraine that the military support it receives from its allies is exclusive to defend and take over their territories. We agree that Ukrainians have the right to self-defense, but we do not want to encourage or allow attacks inside Russia, because we do not want the war to escalate beyond the violence that has already affected the Ukrainian people, he said.

Already on Tuesday, the spokeswoman of the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, noted that the Biden administration “was very clear. We’ll gather information and see what exactly happens. But we do not support attacks inside Russia“, he pointed out in a warning message to the Government of Volodymyr Zelenski.

Ukrainian president He denied that his army was behind it of the latest attacks on Russian soil – including Tuesday’s drone strike against Moscow – although the Kremlin holds him responsible. According to Zelensky, the drone commanders could find the same Russian militiamen who oppose the war and Vladimir Putin who have already carried out sabotage and incursions into their own country. However, the White House hints at a little belief.

His statements came after Ukrainian armed forces attacked Russian regions from their territory Belgorod, Krasnodar and Bryansk and the occupied part of Luhansk, leaving behind at least seven dead.

The Ministry of Defense announced this Wednesday that it destroyed last Monday “the last warship” of the Ukrainian Navy in the port of Odesa, named Yury Olefirenko in honor of the soldier who fell in the defense of Mariupol.

After the collapse of the USSR, this landing ship was taken over by the Ukrainian Navy in 1994. During the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, it was taken over by the Russian army and almost a month later handed over to the Ukrainian navy, which towed it to the port of Odesa.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR) pointed out that the Russian authorities had built morgue on more than 4000 square meters in Kursk and Rostov-on-Don regions. “The construction of these complexes on the territory of Moscow confirms that the Putin regime is sending its occupying army to the production line of death,” the GUR statement said.

the fights continue

Internal strife continued in Russia. Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, He again accused the military leadership in Moscow of demanding that defense officials be investigated “for crimes committed” by the military during the invasion.

“Today I asked the Investigative Committee and the Russian Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the commission of crimes during the preparation and march of a special military operation by high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defense,” he announced on Telegram. However, it is unlikely that Prigozhin’s statements have any significance, since his franchise of paid fighters is also under the scrutiny of international courts as perpetrators of war crimes.

As icing on the cake, Russian ultra-nationalist groups criticized Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov when he said that Moscow you need to improve your air defenses to prevent further attacks by suspected Ukrainian drones.

About a hundred European leaders staged a geopolitical unity against Russia in Moldova

O. Hernandez brussels /colpisa

Forty-seven leaders are meeting this Thursday in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, for the second summit of the European Political Community to deliver a message of unity against Russian aggression in Ukraine. This forum, conceived by President Emmanuel Macron, seeks to create open discussions among the countries of the European continent — both those that are part of the European Union and those that are not — to find solutions to the region’s most pressing challenges. In addition to discussions on energy and climate, the meeting in Moldova, the second of this format, comes with tensions in the north of Kosovo as a background.

President Volodímir Zelenski will participate in the event, although for security reasons his personal presence has not yet been confirmed.

Leaders will discuss issues of security, energy and connectivity at round tables; and then they will deal with other topics of interest in a bilateral format. However, as at the October meeting in Prague, the central topic of the meeting will be Unity against Russia. In fact, the fact that the summit is being held in Moldova, very close to Ukraine, is not a coincidence and has a symbolic meaning as a sign of getting closer to the country that borders Kiev and which last year received the status of a candidate country to enter the EU.

The participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains one of the big unknowns from the top, Ankara has a clear affinity with Moscow, and Erdogan’s friendly relationship with Vladimir Putin makes the country uncomfortable at a meeting that defends a united front against Russia. The Turkish leader, who has just been re-elected, is also in the middle of designing his new government, which could serve as an excuse for not attending the appointment in Chisinau.

This meeting is a key to discussing key issues for the continent, such as its strategic autonomy vis-à-vis giants such as China and the US. Also for smoothing out differences and approaching internal tensions: the differences between Greece and Turkey over the situation in Cyprus, the conflict in Nagorno Karabagh or the UK’s relations with the EU after Brexit.