Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin makes surprise visit to Kursk as his forces close in on reclaiming region

The European Parliament has condemned the US for allegedly coercing Ukraine into surrendering to Russia, accusing Washington of prioritising a peace deal over Kyiv’s sovereignty.

In a decision handed on 12 March, EU lawmakers “strongly deplore any makes an attempt at blackmailing Ukraine’s management into give up to the Russian aggressor for the only real function of saying a so-called ‘peace deal”.

The assertion follows Ukraine’s announcement that it was ready to just accept a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire, contingent on Russia adhering to the phrases. Shortly after Kyiv signalled its willingness, Washington resumed army assist that had beforehand been suspended.

The decision criticises the US for making an attempt “to barter a ceasefire and peace settlement with Russia over the heads of Ukraine and different European states,” branding the method “counterproductive and harmful”.

It additional states that Russian president Vladimir Putin is successfully being “rewarded” for waging a full-scale struggle towards Ukraine.

The European lawmakers urged for stronger help for Ukraine, warning that shifting US international coverage poses a threat. They referred to as for measures to “improve the effectiveness and affect of sanctions on Russia” to cripple its capability to proceed army aggression and threaten European safety.

The decision was backed by 440 members of the 720-seat European Parliament.

Poland’s president has referred to as on the US to switch nuclear weapons to its territory as a deterrent towards future Russian aggression, a proposal he stated he lately mentioned with US president Donald Trump’s particular envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg.

“The borders of Nato moved east in 1999, so 26 years later there must also be a shift of the Nato infrastructure east. For me that is apparent,” Andrzej Duda advised the Monetary Occasions in an interview.

It might be safer if these weapons had been already within the nation, Mr Duda stated.

Ukraine hopes this may present that it has at all times been Russia that’s the one in the way in which of peace.

However even when Mr Putin agrees to a short lived truce, which is a giant if, Ukraine and Europe are clear that Russia has an extended historical past of breaking ceasefire agreements, stories Tom Walting.

Turkey has emerged as a key potential associate in restructuring European safety, diplomats and analysts have advised the Reuters information company, as Europe scrambles to bolster its defence and discover ensures for Ukraine beneath any forthcoming ceasefire deal urged by the US.

European international locations have been unsettled by US president Donald Trump’s plan to finish the Ukraine struggle, which has upended Washington’s coverage, halted Russia’s isolation with risk of rapprochement, piled strain on Kyiv after disastrous talks with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky and endangered transatlantic ties.

Analysts say Europeans’ push to keep up Ukraine’s army capabilities and agree safety ensures, whereas boosting its personal defence with out Washington, has created a uncommon alternative for Turkey to deepen ties with Europe regardless of lingering disputes over the rule of legislation, maritime points with Greece and Cyprus, and Ankara’s lengthy stalled European Union membership bid.

“European international locations that thought they’d the luxurious of excluding Turkey till in the present day at the moment are seeing that they can’t exclude Turkey anymore,” stated Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and director of the Centre for Financial and Overseas Coverage Research.

Talking after talks with Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk stated he introduced a “clear proposal for Turkey to tackle the best attainable co-responsibility” for peace in Ukraine and regional stability.

A senior European diplomat stated Turkey had “essential views” on what is required for peace in Ukraine.

Mr Erdogan had managed to steadiness his relationship between Mr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin through the struggle, the diplomat stated, “so it is smart to have him on board”.

Russia’s operation to eject Ukrainian forces from the western Russian of Kursk has entered its closing stage, state information company TASS reported on Thursday citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday visited the western Russian area of Kursk for the primary time since Ukrainian forces seized some territory within the area.

However whereas the world waits for the response from the Kremlin, present and former officers throughout Europe have advised The Unbiased Moscow would try and extract as much as possible from the US for any settlement – after which violate it anyway.

President Vladimir Putin donned army fatigues for a shock go to to troops in Russia’s western Kursk area on Wednesday, his first because the begin of a Ukrainian incursion final summer season.

MR Putin’s go to was clearly calculated to stress Russia’s good points within the area. He reportedly ordered his troops to proceed their advance and swiftly retake the remainder of the realm from Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine sprang one of many largest shocks of the struggle on 6 August final 12 months by storming throughout the border and grabbing a bit of land inside Russia, boosting residents’ morale and gaining a possible bargaining chip.

However after clinging on for greater than seven months to a steadily shrinking space, Ukraine has seen its place worsen sharply in Kursk up to now week after its predominant provide traces had been severed.

Mr Putin has stated he’s contemplating establishing a brand new buffer zone inside Ukraine’s Sumy area, which is adjoining to Kursk, to protect towards any future potential Ukrainian incursions.

He additionally stated international residents preventing with Ukrainian forces captured in Kursk weren’t entitled to benefit from the safety of the Geneva Conventions, and that Ukrainian troopers captured in Kursk needs to be handled as “terrorists”.

“Our job within the close to future, within the shortest attainable timeframe, is to decisively defeat the enemy entrenched within the Kursk area and nonetheless preventing right here, to utterly liberate the territory of the Kursk area, and to revive the scenario alongside the road of the state border,” Mr Putin stated.

“And naturally, we’d like to consider making a safety zone alongside the state border.”

G7 international ministers are to satisfy in Canada as Russia considers a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Peace in Ukraine is prone to high the agenda for Thursday’s assembly in Charlevoix, Quebec, with international secretary David Lammy stressing the necessity to guarantee Kyiv is “within the strongest attainable place”.

Mr Lammy stated: “If we don’t obtain lasting peace in Ukraine, the instability and insecurity that has hit the dwelling requirements of working folks in Britain will solely worsen and Putin’s urge for food for battle and chaos will solely develop.”

The assembly, which may also be attended by US secretary of state Marco Rubio, comes because the Kremlin considers a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire put ahead after talks between the US and Ukraine.

American officers had been anticipated to place the proposals on to Russian president Vladimir Putin in a single day on Wednesday, with Mr Rubio saying “the ball is actually of their courtroom”.

On Wednesday night, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Moscow was nonetheless awaiting “detailed info” on the proposal.