Russian identity must be consolidated in seized Ukrainian territories — Putin
The Russian language and identity must be bolstered in parts of Ukraine seized by Russian forces, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin that was published on Tuesday.
The document, entitled “Strategy of Russia’s national policy in the period to 2036,” calls for measures to ensure that 95% of the population identify as Russian by 2036.
It said it was vital “to adopt additional measures to strengthen overall Russian civic identity,” to ensure the use of Russian and to act against “efforts by unfriendly foreign states to destabilize interethnic and interconfessional relations and create a split in society.”
Although many Ukrainians previously felt a close affiliation with Russia and most speak both Ukrainian and Russian, since Moscow launched its invasion in 2022, such sympathy has largely vanished.
The Russian language is also much less used, surveys show.
When launching the full-scale invasion, Putin said Russia’s aim was to “demilitarize and de-Nazify” Ukraine and free Russian-speakers in the east from what the Kremlin described as blatant discrimination.
Although Ukrainian has been the sole state language since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, authorities in Kyiv deny that Russian-speakers have been subject to any form of discrimination.
European lawmakers, media undermining US peace efforts — Russian Foreign Ministry
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that US efforts to secure a peace deal in Ukraine were being hindered by repeated “information attacks” by European politicians and media.
The latter are trying “to disrupt the possibility of political and diplomatic settlement” of the conflict in Ukraine, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.
European officials, along with Kyiv, have voiced vehement criticism of the initial US proposal recently put forward amid Washington’s peace efforts, saying it seemed to concede to many of Moscow’s maximalist demands.
That proposal was reported to have been amended following talks in Geneva on Sunday between US and Ukrainian delegations, but few details have been made public.
More work needed on US peace proposal — NATO chief
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said a US framework for peace in Ukraine contains some promising aspects but still requires further rounds of diplomacy.
Rutte described meetings held between US, Ukrainian and European delegations in Geneva on Sunday to discuss a 28-point plan put forward by the US Trump administration as productive.
But he said they were only an initial step toward structured US-Ukraine talks.
Rutte’s remarks to the German RND media group and Spanish daily EL Pais come as US President Donald Trump said only a few points in it remained disputed.
Officials from Kyiv and other European capitals, however, have said the plan heavily favors Russian demands, foreseeing as it does major territorial concessions they say would amount to a reward for Moscow’s military aggression
Rutte also said Russia has lost 20,000 soldiers each month while gaining little ground, with some 1 million Russian troops killed or severely wounded since Moscow’s full-scale invasion was launched in February 2022.
He said Moscow had captured only about 1% of Ukrainian territory this year while advancing just a few meters a day.
US negotiator Driscoll has ‘very right moral compass,’ Ukraine’s US ambassador tells DW
Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna struck an optimistic tone regarding the ongoing talks on a Ukraine peace plan and the upcoming visit to Kyiv by US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll. Driscoll is a key negotiator on behalf of US President Donald Trump’s administration and is also close to Vice President JD Vance.
Speaking to DW’s Misha Komadovsky on Tuesday, Stefanishyna said Driscoll was “extremely well briefed on the military situation,” expressing hopes that this translates to an understanding of Kyiv’s military needs.
She described Driscoll as having the “very right moral compass” for the task at hand.
The Ukrainian envoy also addressed the ongoing talks on Trump’s 28-point peace plan, saying that ongoing discussions since the plan was unveiled last week are helping reshape the proposal. The plan had been initially criticized for favoring Moscow.
“What I heard from our delegation, from the head of delegation and the team working around the document, that there was a lively interest in going through every element of 28 points and just see how many traps were there put in by Russians in terms of possibility of misinterpretation, you know, or double interpretation,” she said.
Stefanishyna said that following the Geneva talks, Ukraine succeeded in removing the “full amnesty” clause from the agenda — meaning Russia could still be held accountable for war crimes committed against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian ambassador stressed the talks “were not over,” referring to a Ukrainian team that was headed to Moscow as well as Driscoll’s visit to Ukraine.
Trump says US envoy Witkoff to meet Russia’s Putin next week
US special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week, US President Donald Trump said, adding that his son-in-law Jared Kushner was also involved in the negotiations.
“Steve Witkoff is going over maybe with Jared. I’m not sure about Jared going, but he’s involved in the process, smart guy, and they’re going to be meeting with President Putin, I believe next week in Moscow,” Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One.
When asked about security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump said: “We’re working that out with Europe. Europe will be largely involved.”
When asked about criticism of his 28-point peace plan for being too favorable to Russia, Trump described it as a “map, not a plan,” saying that it has been revised down to 22 points.
Trump also stressed that Moscow too was “making concessions,” adding that they come in the form that “they stop fighting, and they don’t take any more land.”
Trump moreover said there was no deadline for the talks.
“You know what the deadline for me is? When it’s over,” he said.
Source : https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-no-firm-deadline-for-peace-deal-trump-says/live-74899120