The situation at a glance: Putin sees himself on the road to success – also in Ukraine

From President Vladimir Putin’s perspective, Russia’s military continues to have the upper hand in the war of aggression against Ukraine and has recently achieved further successes on the battlefield. At the end of the Brics summit in Russia, the Kremlin chief also spoke about China and Brazil’s clear desire for a peaceful solution to the conflict. Putin said at the final press conference of the summit in the city of Kazan on the Volga that they were still willing to negotiate, but only under certain conditions.

According to him, large parts of the Ukrainian armed forces have been surrounded in the western Russian border region of Kursk. “About 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers were blocked in the Kursk region,” Putin said. Although the Ukrainian side is trying to restore access to these troops, the Russian military is liquidating this group. Russian troops are making progress on all sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine, Putin also said. The Ukrainian soldiers who invaded Russian territory in a counterattack would also be forced out of the country.

At the Brics summit, he had already highlighted the military successes of the Russian army to the heads of state and government present there. The confederation was named after its first members: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It now also includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

More than 20 heads of state and government, mainly from Africa, Asia and Latin America, traveled to the summit in Kazan. The conference was the largest meeting of international leaders in the country since the war against Ukraine ordered by Putin began in February 2022. According to the Kremlin, the West has failed in its attempt to isolate Russia internationally.

Putin says he is willing to negotiate

Putin mentioned that China and Brazil wanted to see the conflict resolved peacefully and that Russia had never refused negotiations. But discussions must be based on the “realities on site”. He once again rejected Kiev’s demands for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. Russia’s military occupies around a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.

However, if negotiations were to be based on the current course of the front, this would also fall short of the demands previously expressed by Moscow for a complete withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces from the eastern and southeastern Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. So far, Russian troops only partially control the regions, although Russia annexed them two years ago and declared them its own national territory.

Putin when asked about North Koreans: “It’s our business”

The Kremlin chief evasively answered questions about reports of thousands of North Korean soldiers being sent to reinforce the Russian army. But he doesn’t want to see a problem. Russia and North Korea have concluded a strategic partnership, and the treaty contains a clause on mutual military assistance. “We have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously. What we will do within the framework of this article is our business,” Putin said in Kazan. Negotiations on the design of the article are still necessary. It remains to be seen how this will develop.

Putin responded to a question from a US journalist who pointed out satellite images of North Korean troop deployments. “The recordings are a serious matter. If there are images, then it means that they reflect something,” Putin said. It didn’t get any clearer.

Putin also said that Western countries have long since stopped only providing weapons and satellite information, but are also deploying trainers and officers in Ukraine to support the country’s armed forces. Following Putin’s argument, Russia would also be entitled to seek help from other states.

Strong warning about suspected troop aid

The USA and European countries had warned of a further escalation of the conflict after reports of North Korean soldiers being sent to Russia. A statement released by the EU foreign policy chief on behalf of the 27 countries said the deployment of North Korean troops would be a unilateral hostile act with serious consequences for peace and security in Europe and worldwide. It would therefore constitute a serious breach of international law, including the most fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter.

Turning to Russia, the statement said the country’s deepened military cooperation with North Korea shows that, despite its stated willingness to negotiate, it is not sincerely interested in a just, comprehensive and lasting peace. Russia is escalating the situation and is desperately seeking all possible help for its war – including from actors who are seriously disrupting global peace and security.

It is questionable how the EU could react to North Korea’s direct involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. EU Council President Charles Michel sees providing Kiev with even more weapons and money as one option. Escalation is an additional reason for more military and financial support for Ukraine, the Belgian said in an interview with the news agency network European Newsroom (enr).

UN Secretary General causes criticism with trip to Russia

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has come under fire after his visit to the Brics summit for a handshake with Putin and a warm hug with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. “It is the third year of the war, and the UN Secretary General has shaken the hand of a murderer,” wrote Russian Putin opponent Yulia Navalnaya on the short message service Penal camp, but also for the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its victims.