After a meeting between US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington, the release of extensive Western weapons for Ukrainian attacks in the Russian hinterland remains uncertain. Biden, however, reacted with marked calm to threats from Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin regarding a possible Ukrainian use of weapons. When asked by a reporter what he thought about the Russian president’s recent threats, Biden said at the meeting with Starmer in the White House that he did not think very much about Putin. At the same time, the US president emphasized that the Kremlin chief would not win the war, but Ukraine.
Putin had previously said that the use of long-range Western precision weapons against targets deep on Russian territory should be viewed as NATO’s participation in the war. “This will mean that NATO countries, the USA, and European countries will fight with Russia,” the Kremlin chief said in response to a question from a journalist on state television in St. Petersburg. Russia’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya referred to Russia’s nuclear weapons in the United Nations Security Council.
At the meeting with Starmer, Biden wanted to discuss Ukraine’s desire to use long-range Western weapons against targets in Russia. However, the White House had already dampened expectations that there could be a US announcement on this after the meeting.
The communications director of the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said: “I would not expect an announcement today about the use of long-range weapons within Russia – certainly not from the United States.” There has been no change in the US government’s position on this issue.
Starmer also made rather vague comments after the meeting with Biden. “This is not about a specific decision,” said the British Prime Minister. But the issue will of course be taken up again in a few days at the UN General Assembly in New York with a larger group of people.
Washington on Putin threats: Dangerous, but not new
The US government, meanwhile, described Putin’s threats as “incredibly dangerous”. But this rhetoric is not unusual or new, said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. “This is the kind of propaganda we have heard from Russia during this war,” Jean-Pierre stressed, referring to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine that has been going on for more than two and a half years.
Selenskyj wants further clearance for deployment in the Russian hinterland
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also appeared unimpressed by the threats from Russia. In his daily video address, in which he first praised a prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kiev, he repeated the call for the release of long-range weapons. “This war can only be ended justly from a position of strength,” said the Ukrainian president.
Western-backed Ukraine has long been demanding that the US and Britain allow the deployment of long-range missiles in Russia’s hinterland. Its stated aim is to disrupt Russian logistics and attack air force airfields far behind the Russian-Ukrainian border.
According to official statements, the USA is limiting the use of its weapons against Russia to defending against the Russian offensive against the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The British government has not yet commented specifically on the question of what exactly it is allowing Ukraine to do with the Storm Shadow cruise missiles it has made available.
USA makes serious allegations against Russian broadcaster RT
While a decision on this is still pending in Washington, there are to be further sanctions against the Russian state television broadcaster RT. The US government has again made serious allegations against RT and accused the broadcaster of interfering in “the sovereign affairs of countries around the world”.
Thanks to new information, we know that RT has cyber capabilities and is involved in covert information and influence operations and works hand in hand with the Russian military, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. For example, the broadcaster is conducting covert operations to equip Russian armed forces with military equipment.
USA: RT supports Russian military
According to the US State Department, the broadcaster operates as a “direct arm of the Russian government.” RT is not only responsible for spreading misinformation, but is “a full member of the Russian government’s intelligence and operations in the war in Ukraine.” One project is a large online crowdfunding program in Russia, which is being spread on RT and through social media channels, to support Russian military units in Ukraine and supply them with military equipment and weapons, Blinken said.
Attacks at night
There were air raid warnings in many places in Ukraine on Saturday night. The Ukrainian Air Force reported several Russian attacks with combat drones. In the capital Kiev, there was damage after a drone attack, reported Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram. In the Obolon district, debris from a drone fell on the premises of a utility company. There were also reports of explosions from Kharkiv in the east, Poltava in the center and Odessa in the south of Ukraine.
Russia shifts direction of attack in Ukraine to the south
Despite Western support for Kyiv, the Russian military on the front lines is significantly better equipped with personnel, equipment and weapons than the Ukrainian defenders. This is why the Ukrainians remain under pressure on the defensive.
According to the Ukrainian military, heavy fighting is continuing, especially in the east of the country. There have been 115 battles, the General Staff in Kiev announced in its evening situation report on Friday. “The situation was hottest today in the direction of Kurakhovo, but the enemy was also active in the direction of Lyman and Pokrovsk,” it said. In the Kurakhovo area, Ukrainian defenders have so far repelled 30 attacks, and five more are still ongoing.
Kurakhove is a small town south of Pokrovsk. For a long time, Pokrovsk was considered the main attack direction for Russian troops. Recently, however, the Russians were only able to make a few gains in the area. Instead, they broadened their attack axis towards the south.
Near Kurakhove they are now trying to capture the mining town of Hirnyk in order to either encircle Ukrainian forces or force them to abandon their positions. The Russian military blog Dwa Majora wrote of major advances in the region for the Moscow military.
In the Russian region of Kursk, however, Moscow’s troops have so far made little progress in their attempts to recapture the area, according to Zelensky. “They wanted to break through there quickly. … We have not seen any serious successes so far,” the head of state said during an appearance in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.
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