The situation at a glance: wrestling around Ukraine deal – Lawrov still wants to fine -tune

According to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrow, parts of a possible agreement between Russia and the USA to terminate the Ukraine War still need a fine adjustment. “We are busy with this process,” he said in an interview by the US broadcaster CBS. Lawrow sees the negotiations on the right track. “There are several signs that we move in the right direction,” said the chief diplomat. You are ready for a deal.

US President Donald Trump is also confident that there will soon be a peace agreement. In his view, the Kremlin of Ukraine is already accommodating in that Russia no longer wants to completely conquer its neighboring country. “Ending the war and not taking the whole country? A pretty big concession,” Trump said about the question of Moscow’s concessions in the negotiations.

The Russian military has been checking about a fifth of the neighboring country since the invasion of Ukraine – a share that has changed little despite the continuing fights in three years of war. So there is nothing to indicate that the Russian troops could currently fully take Ukraine.

“We want to end this war, we want to end it quickly. And I think we have made great progress and we will see what will happen in the next few days, because there will be very important meetings,” said Trump on the sidelines of a meeting with the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. He emphasized that he exerted “a lot of pressure” on Russia.

However, Russia calls for a waiver of Ukraine in Crimea and four other regions – as a way to close peace in the war that Moscow has been leading against the neighboring country for more than three years. Selenskyj categorically excluded territory to Russia, referring to the constitution of his country. In addition, he pointed out the 2018 Crimean Declaration in 2018, in which Russia was asked to withdraw from the Crimea, which belongs to Ukraine under international law.

“Ukraine will always act in accordance with its constitution, and we are absolutely certain that our partners – especially the USA – adhere to its strong decisions,” said Selenskyj in a message published by Telegram and on platform X.

Attacks on Ukraine continue

Meanwhile, Russia continues to attack Ukraine unabated. In the night of Friday, drones of the Iranian building type Shahed attacked the eastern Ukrainian city of Charkiw. According to Mayor Ihor Terechow, the result was damage to private houses and fires. The night before, at least twelve people died during air raids on the capital Kiev. Trump also criticized the procedure. “Vladimir, stop!” Trump wrote partly in capital letters on his platform Truth Social to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The attacks are not necessary and would come at a very bad time.

According to the first Ukrainian findings, Russia used a ballistic rocket from North Korean production. “If the information about the production of this rocket in North Korea is confirmed, this will become further evidence of the criminal alliance of Russia and Pyongyang,” wrote President Wolodymyr Selenskyj on Telegram. The Ukrainian secret services would check all the details. So far, the information on the origin of the rocket is still temporary.

Selenskyj also reported on his channel of almost 150 Russian attacks on the Ukrainian positions on the front and more than 4,500 times, even with heavy weapons. The most difficult was in the region around Pokrowsk.

NATO boss Rutte praises Trump for his role

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said after a meeting with Trump in the White House that he saw Russia as a long-term threat. “We all agree in NATO that Russia is the long-term threat to the NATO area and the entire Euro-Atlantic area,” he said. When asked about a possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, Rutte said with a view to Moscow that “something was on the table”. The ball is now on Russia’s side.

Rutte was positive about US President Trump and the role of the United States in the talks. He did not have the impression that the US government would withdraw from the negotiations on the end of the Russian war of aggression. Trump broke a blockade, under Trump’s leadership the negotiations could be “brought to a positive end”.