Putin Expects Upcoming Negotiations with the U.S. Regarding Ukraine

SadaNews - Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday, Sunday, that he expects a team of American negotiators to arrive in Moscow once Washington reaches an agreement with Iran regarding the war in the Middle East, while he acknowledged a fuel shortage due to Ukrainian attacks on his country's infrastructure.

Putin stated in an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, carried by Russian news agencies and also published by Zarubin on the Telegram platform: "We expect - after all these events and after the active phase on the Iranian track has passed - that we will witness the arrival of representatives of the U.S. administration whom we have met several times in Moscow."

In another context, Putin mentioned that Ukraine proposed a mutual halt to long-range attacks as a step towards peace, but Moscow views this as a means to distract attention from Russia's objective of complete control over four regions in its military campaign.

Putin remarked in an interview with a Russian television channel: "The reason for this proposal is obvious, as our counterattacks - which reach deep into Ukrainian territory - are much more powerful and have a greater impact, and frankly, they are more destructive."

He added that Russia does not intend to "save the Kyiv regime," noting that Ukrainian attacks "aim to distract us and our forces from achieving the main objectives, which is the complete liberation of the Donbas and Novorossiya regions," referring to Donbas, Zaporizhia, and Kherson.

Fuel Shortage in Russia

On another note, Putin acknowledged - in an interview published by the Kremlin on Sunday - that there is a "certain shortage" of fuel due to repeated airstrikes carried out by Kyiv on Russian energy infrastructure, in an attempt to undermine Moscow's war effort.

He stated: "Of course, these strikes on our infrastructure cause problems, this is obvious. We currently suffer from a certain shortage, but it is not critical."

He pointed out that the main task currently lies in increasing the capabilities of Russian anti-air defenses, and ensuring fuel supplies especially to the Crimean Peninsula.

Last Friday, local Russian officials declared a regional state of emergency in the annexed Crimean Peninsula, aimed at addressing the repercussions of recent Ukrainian strikes that caused significant shortages of fuel and electricity.

This came amid authorities suspending the sale of fuel to individuals and power outages due to Ukrainian strikes targeting supply routes and oil facilities across Crimea.

Four Killed in Russian Attack

On the battlefield, local officials reported that at least four people died yesterday, Sunday, in Russian attacks in southeastern and northeastern Ukraine.

The region's governor Ivan Fedorov stated via Telegram that strikes on the city of Zaporizhia in the southeast resulted in the deaths of two people and injured 16 others. Images posted by the governor online showed a burning building and parts of a neighborhood reduced to rubble.

In the northeastern border area of Kharkiv, Governor Oleg Synehubov reported the death of one person and injuries to eight others, including two children, in a missile attack on the town of Zmiiv. Kharkiv is a repeated target of Russian attacks.

Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been conducting a military offensive against its neighbor Ukraine, demanding that Kyiv abandon its bid to join Western military entities, which Kyiv considers an "unacceptable intervention" in its internal affairs.

Source: Agencies