Russia’s foreign minister has cast fresh doubt on peace talks, questioning “the legitimacy” of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to sign any future agreements after targetting a US factory in a large bombardment on Ukraine.
Sergei Lavrov affirmed to reporters that Putin had ”repeatedly said he is ready to meet, including with Mr. Zelensky,” caveating that they wanted to resolve “the issue of legitimacy” on “the Ukrainian side” when it comes to signing agreements.
Moscow has repeatedly questioned Zelensky legitimacy as his term in office was due to expire in May 2024.
It comes as Zelensky cast doubt over Moscow’s intentions for peace after launching 574 drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine, hitting a US electronics manufacturer in west Ukraine, which he said was “very telling.”
“The Russians carried out this strike as if nothing is changing at all. As if there are no efforts from the world to stop this war.”
Zelensky has said that Kyiv wants an understanding of security guarantees in the next week, before bilateral and trilateral leaders meetings can take place, as he warned that if Russia was not willing to sit down for a meeting, he wanted a “strong reaction” from the United States.
Watch: Putin is ready to meet with Zelensky, says Lavrov
Russia’s defence minister inspects troops fighting in Ukraine, Zvezda outlet says
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov visited the “north” group of forces fighting in Ukraine, where he was briefed on the battlefield situation there, Zvezda, the official outlet of the defence ministry, said on Thursday.
The RBC outlet separately reported that Colonel General Yevgeny Nikiforov was appointed commander of the “north” grouping.
Belarus says it is looking at how to arm its missile systems with nuclear warheads
Belarus is assessing how best to ramp up domestic production of missiles, including exploring how to equip its Polonez rocket launcher systems with nuclear warheads, a senior Belarusian security official said on Thursday.
Belarus, a close ally of Russia, said this week it would deepen bilateral ties with Iran, and has also cooperated with China on weapons development. It does not possess its own nuclear weapons but hosts Russian tactical ones which remain under Moscow’s control.
President Alexander Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, told officials at a meeting on weapons manufacturing on Thursday that Minsk needs to modernise and develop its missile production.
“The dynamics of military threats and the significant increase in military spending by our western neighbours force us to constantly pay close attention to the issue of the defence capabilities of Belarus, Russia, and our Union,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying by state media.
Lithuania declares no-fly zone by Belarus border in response to drone incursions
Lithuania has established a no-fly zone near its border with Belarus until October 1 in response to drones entering from there, NATO member Lithuania’s defence ministry said on Thursday.
“This was done with regard to the security situation and the threats to society, including risks to civil aviation due to airspace violations by unpiloted aircraft,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The no-fly zone will give Lithuania’s armed forces more time to react to airspace violations, the spokesperson said without specifying the exact location or size of the restricted area along the 679-kilometer (422 miles) border.
The decision comes after Polish officials reported on Wednesday that a Russian drone had crashed in a field in eastern Poland, an incident the country’s defence minister described as a provocation.
In July, an unmanned aircraft built from plywood and foam flew into Lithuania from Belarus and crashed, causing alarm before authorities determined it was not dangerous.
Watch: Russian foreign minister warns West over excluding Moscow from security discussions
Inside the Ukrainian factory building drones and cruise missiles to strike Russia
Russia’s Lavrov says some issues will have to be worked out before Putin and Zelenskiy can meet
Russian president Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said he is ready to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, but there are some issues that need to be resolved before such a meeting could happen, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
Putin has questioned the legitimacy of Zelensky due to the postponement of elections in Ukraine due to the war.
Lavrov said the legitimacy issue would have to be resolved before Moscow could sign any document with Kyiv.
Italy arrests Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating Nord Stream pipeline attacks
Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of coordinating the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines, Germany’s prosecutor general said on Thursday, adding that he would be brought before a German judge after being transferred.
Seen by both Russia and the West as an act of sabotage, no one has ever taken responsibility for explosions that severely damaged pipelines carrying gas from Russia to Europe in September 2022, which marked a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict and ramped up an energy supply crisis on the continent.
The suspect, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was part of a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in September 2022, a statement from the prosecutor’s office said.
He and his accomplices had set off from Rostock on Germany’s north-eastern coast in a sailing yacht to carry out the attack, it said, adding that the vessel had been rented from a German company with the help of forged identity documents via middlemen.
Authorities acted on a European arrest warrant for the suspect, who faces charges of collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of buildings.
Carabinieri officers arrested him overnight in the province of Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast, the German prosecutors’ statement said.
Lavrov accuses Europe of trying to undermine progress made in Alaska
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has accused European leaders of trying to undermine progress which he said had been made at last week’s U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska on a possible peace deal in Ukraine.
Speaking of the Coalition of the Willing, he said Kyiv’s European allies were trying to shift the focus away from resolving what Russia calls the “root causes” of the war.
“I hope such European adventurism fails,” he said.
He also reiterated Russian concerns about the way the European discussion on security guarantees for Ukraine was being conducted without Moscow’s input.
Any ideas which departed from those set out by Russia in talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in 2022 were hopeless, he said.
‘Putin wants us to panic’: How Russia has amped up its aerial strikes on Ukraine
As Russia launches yet another large aerial strike on Ukraine, here we look at the strategy behind the country’s approach to these attacks – and why they aren’t increasing the volume of missiles and drones every single day.
