Russia continues attacks after peace talks

GEAR CHECK: Our readers don't just follow the news - they stay ready. Featured gear from this story is below.

Jamie Goldstein

Tuesday's peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives appeared to bear fruit, but fighting in key regions of Ukraine continued.

Tuesday’s peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives appeared to bear fruit, but fighting in key regions of Ukraine continued.

Negotiators from both sides of the conflict met in a 19th century Ottoman palace in Istanbul joined by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. President Erdogan said before talks began, “As the members of the delegations, you have shouldered a historic responsibility… all the world is expecting good news from you.”

Coming out of the talks, Alexander Fomin, Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister, said that Moscow intended to “radically, by several times reduce the military activity” in Kyiv and Chernihiv. A mere hours after this promise was made, air raid sirens in Kyiv signaled the start of another intense volley of Russian shelling.

<iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" class="" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 649px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=PopSmokeMedia&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1509120490119512065&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.popsmokemedia.com%2Frussia-continues-attacks-after-peace-talks%2F&sessionId=dffa0358cdf334f0007969be1535e0b02613edb0&siteScreenName=PopSmokeMedia&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1509120490119512065"></iframe>

Officials from the US and Ukraine were highly skeptical of Russia’s promises to scale back attacks on and around Ukraine’s capital.

Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that even the most “positive” affirmations from Moscow can not “drown out the ruptures of Russian shells.” US president, Joe Biden stated that he will not “read anything” from Russia’s claim “until I see what their actions are.”

John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary, had his doubts as well. He described Russia’s draw back of troops on the ground as “repositioning” pointing to the fact that only a small amount of Russian forces have actually pulled back. He told reporters, “We are not prepared to call this a retreat or even a withdrawal,” and stated that the pull back could be indicative of yet another “major” offensive veiled under a guise of peace.

Spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov spoke more positively about the peace talks, saying, “What is positive is that the Ukrainian side has at least started to specifically formulating and putting on paper what it is proposing. Until now we had not managed to achieve that.”

Peskov cautiously added, “As regards the rest, we cannot, put it this way, at present state there have been any breakthroughs, anything very promising.” Peskov also indicated that they were a long way from finding a resolution.

According to the UK defense ministry, “Russia will likely continue to compensate for its reduced ground maneuver capability through mass artillery and missile strikes.”

 

You may also like

Blog

President Donald Trump reportedly confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a closed-door meeting at Camp David after learning the Pentagon's stockpile of precision-guided munitions had fallen to critical levels. The White House has denied the report, but the episode has intensified scrutiny over whether America's military can sustain a prolonged conflict with Iran while maintaining global readiness.
Taiwan has begun its largest and most realistic Han Kuang military exercise to date, mobilizing thousands of troops, reservists and civilians as Beijing continues to increase military pressure around the island. The 10-day drills are designed to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion and test whether Taiwan can keep fighting even after its command centers, communications and infrastructure come under attack.
A fast-moving wildfire tore through Spokane County, Washington, over the weekend, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. Authorities are now investigating the cause as firefighters race to contain one of the state's most destructive blazes of the year.
More than 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota were targeted in a coordinated cyberattack this week, and U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran was likely behind it. While investigators have not reached a final conclusion, officials say the incident fits a growing pattern of cyber operations against America's critical infrastructure since the U.S.-Iran war began earlier this year.
The Pentagon is facing criticism after moving some casualties from the Iran conflict into a new reporting category called "Overseas Operations." Defense officials say the change reflects the end of Operation Epic Fury and the start of a new phase of fighting, while veterans and several lawmakers argue it creates confusion over the true human cost of the war.

Like This Story? Check Out What Our Community Is Buying

Our best sellers are designed for real-world use - not hype.

View Best Sellers