War in Ukraine: attack in General overshadow Ukraine conversation in Moscow

Shortly before the new negotiations of the US specialist Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin about an end to the Russian war against Ukraine, a Russian lieutenant general was killed in a bombattary. The 59 -year -old Jaroslaw Moskalik died at a car explosion in the Moscow suburb of Balaschicha, as the Russian investigation committee announced. The death of the senior employee of the Russian general staff overshadowed Witkoff’s talks with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin called the three -hour meeting useful.

The spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Sacharova, drew a direct parallel to the war in Ukraine. It is a “terrorist attack”. “There is reason to assume that the Ukrainian secret services are involved in the murder,” said Sacharova. In the past, moskalicism was involved in negotiations to solve the Ukraine conflict.

“If the investigation confirms the Ukrainian trace in this case, this will once again demonstrate the international community the barbaric and traitous character of the Kiev regime, which relies on an escalation of the military confrontation with Russia and ignores constructive suggestions for a peaceful solution to the conflict in an irresponsible way,” she said. In a similar way, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow said.

Search for the perpetrator is running

The investigators said that the detonation was triggered by a self -made explosive device. The perpetrators would be sought. Media -close media reported that the last holder of the vehicle was a Ukrainian who received Russian citizenship a few years ago. This was not officially confirmed. The war had to end, said Sacharova. “We see so many victims every day,” she said.

Rain -high officers in Moscow and propagandists have also been the target of attacks since the beginning of the Russian attack war against Ukraine. At first there was no official reaction from Ukraine.

Kremlin: Putin meets Putin in Moscow

The US envoy Witkoff again held talks with Putin two weeks after his last meeting with the Russian president. State television showed the two of them in the handshake. “How are you, Mr. President?” Witkoff said as a greeting. “So good to see them,” said the American.

It was talked about that Kiev and Moscow conduct direct negotiations, said Putin’s foreign policy advisor Juri Uschakow. Russia had agreed, but demands that a decree by Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj to prohibit such direct conversations.

US President Donald Trump’s envoy landed at Wnukowo’s capital airport in the morning. Witkoff met after arriving with Putin’s representative for economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitrijew. The head of the state fund for direct investments also took part in the conversation between Putin and Witkoff.

Trump: Crimea stays in Russian hands

Before his departure to Rome, Trump said to the funeral of Pope Francis that negotiations on a solution to the conflict around Ukraine should continue. He could also meet Selenskyj there. In an interview, Trump made it clear that the Black Sea Peninsula will remain in a Russian hand in a peace treaty.

“The Crimea will stay with Russia. And (the Ukrainian President) Selenskyj understands that, and everyone understands that the Crimea has been part of Russia for a long time,” said Trump in an interview of the “Time” magazine published on Friday. Russia had annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014 in violation of international law.

On Thursday, Trump declared the question of the Crimea that Ukraine lost the peninsula years ago: “Can you get it back? I think that will be very difficult.” A day before, he had sharply criticized Selenskyj to accept the occupation of the Crimea for his refusal. He accused him of extending the war. “If he wants to have the Crimea, why didn’t they fight for eleven years ago when they were handed over to Russia without a shot?” The Mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko forced the regional abduction less categorical than Selenskyj. “Unfortunately, as we see, this scenario is quite possible,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

In the “Time” interview, Trump also accused the Ukraine of causing war with her desire to join NATO. “I think what the war triggered was when they started talking about NATO accession. If that hadn’t been done, the chance that he would not have started (the war) would have been much bigger.” Trump also said that he didn’t think Ukraine could ever become a NATO member.

Lavrov: Fine Ukraine Deal

The Kremlin had recently spoken of tense negotiations, but issued the goal of finding a peaceful solution. In the interview of the US broadcaster CBS, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that a Ukraine deal still had to be fine-tuned. Russia demands that Ukraine not only do without the Crimea, but also in the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, SaProischschja and Cherson, but the Moscow does not fully check.

Witkoff has met Putin personally several times and always commented on him strikingly about him after the conversation. Most recently, he spoke to the Kremlin chief on April 11th in St. Petersburg for more than four hours. The American had already been negotiated in Russia in February and March. The new conversation with Putin is also a further step to a possible meeting of the presidents of both countries.

Under President Trump, the United States has a sharp change of course and are no longer ready to support Ukraine in the long term in its defensive fight against the Russian invasion. Washington mainly exerts pressure on Kiev to achieve a quick peace and give up territory. Trump and Putin have already phoned.