As the Kremlin negotiates with the US for a possible ceasefire, Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine continue. At least 18 people, including 9 children, were killed in a Russian ballistic missile strike in the city of Krivoy Rog yesterday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for "serious pressure on Russia" after a day of missile and drone strikes that killed at least 23 people.
A Russian ballistic missile strike in the city of Krivoy Rog on Friday alone killed 18 people, including nine children, Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the local defense council, said in a post on "Telegram". At least 56 others were injured in the strike.
At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it had hit a group of Ukrainian soldiers and foreign military personnel training Ukrainian fighters in Krivoy Rog with a missile.
The city of Krivoy Rog in central Ukraine has been regularly shelled by the Russian army since the beginning of Russia's aggressive war in Ukraine. Earlier this week, four people were killed in a missile attack on the city.
Guarantees for Ukraine's security from the US?
At the same time, negotiations were underway in the US capital, Washington, between the US and Russia. Moscow's representative Kirill Dmitriev did not rule out guarantees for Ukraine's security. However, he specified that he could only discuss this issue hypothetically. "However, it is absolutely impossible for Ukraine to join NATO," Dmitriev added. This condition has already been largely accepted by the Trump administration.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the state-owned Russian Direct Investment Fund, is the first official Kremlin representative to visit Washington for talks since the war in Ukraine began. US media reported that sanctions imposed on Putin's special envoy for economic cooperation with other countries were temporarily suspended for the visit.
Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the issue of guarantees much more carefully, saying that "it is a matter of negotiations and consultations" and nothing concrete can be discussed in this context for now.
There will be no endless negotiations
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Washington will have clarity in a few weeks whether Putin has serious intentions to negotiate with Ukraine. US President Donald Trump will not fall into the trap of endless negotiations, Rubio said at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. "If Moscow wants peace, that would be great," he said. If not, the US should reassess "where we are and how we are acting." It is clear that Washington needs to see real progress soon, "or we should conclude that they are not interested in peace," Rubio said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte earlier praised Washington, saying that Trump and his administration had acted very decisively, but at the same time very thoughtfully. Now the ball is in Russia's court. However, some observers wonder whether Rutte's flattery strategy will pay off.
Ukraine must defend itself against Russian aggression
During the recent talks on ending the more than three-year-old war, Russia only set conditions for Ukraine. Security guarantees were not discussed. For Ukraine, however, it is essential that the peace agreement protect it from a possible resumption of Russian aggression.
According to the draft agreement between the two countries, signed a few months after the war began in 2022, security guarantees are mentioned. Russia wanted to be the guarantor itself, but with the right to veto against the intervention of other countries such as the United States or Britain.