French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz have asked Putin to enter into "direct and serious negotiations" with Zelensky, but the Kremlin has limited himself to saying that "Russia is ready to resume dialogue with Ukraine".
In the same phone call, Putin said he is ready to facilitate solutions for the unhindered export of wheat, including Ukraine, from ports on the mine-infested Black Sea manned by Russian ships and submarines.
The EU is considering launching a mission to escort grain ships: the possibility will be examined at Monday's summit in Brussels.
THE BATTLE OF ODESSA
So far we have been given so many Harpoon missiles that we can sink the entire fleet (Russian, ed) of the Black Sea ", said the spokesman of the military administration of Odessa Sergey Bratchuk quoted by the UNIAN agency. In recent days, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced the arrival of the Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by Denmark, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and the 155 mm M109 self-propelled howitzers.
THE PHONE CALL
"Russia is ready to resume dialogue with Ukraine": Russian President Vladimir Putin said this, as reported by the Kremlin quoted by Interfax, during a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for "direct and serious negotiations" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have asked Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to free the 2,500 Azovstal fighters.
The question is not what I want to negotiate with him (Putin, ed), the question is that there is no one else to negotiate with.
He has built a state where no one decides anything.
Therefore it does not matter what the foreign minister says.
It doesn't matter if he sends a delegation to talk to us.
All these people are nobody, unfortunately. "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Dutch broadcaster Nieuwsuur about any direct talks with the Russian president, reports UNIAN news agency.
THE MISSILISTIC TEST
The Russian Armed Forces have announced that they have successfully completed a new
test of the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile
.
The missile was launched by the frigate Admiral Gorchkov from the Barents Sea to a target in the White Sea, both in the Arctic but a thousand kilometers away.
The first testing of the Zircon missile dates back to October 2020 and was hailed by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, as a "great event".
The development of hypersonic missiles, defined by Putin as "invincible", because they are very difficult to intercept due to their high speed, up to 10 times that of sound, represent the latest generation of strategic weapon.
They are potentially capable of carrying nuclear warheads, both in the ballistic version, the Kinzhal, and in the cruise version, the Zircon.
ANSA agency
Kiev, 30,000 Russian soldiers killed since the beginning of the war - World
About 30,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the invasion began, according to the Kiev army.
(HANDLE)
THE NEWS FROM THE FIELD
The Ukrainian region of
Kherson,
entirely occupied by Russian forces, has closed all access to the rest of the territory of Ukraine, according to the deputy head of the self-proclaimed Russian administration of the region, Kirill Stremousov.
"The border has now been closed for security reasons," said Stremousov on the Russian agency Ria-Novosti, cited by CNN.
"We advise against any trip to Ukraine, whatever the motivation".
The Russians have once again bombed residential districts of
Mykolaiv and there are civilian casualties
.
This was reported by the mayor of the city, Alexander Senkevich, reports the UNIAN agency.
The leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov
,
full control of the line of contact with "Ukrainian nationalists" in Severodonetsk
, blocking exits from the city.
This was reported by the Russian news agency Tass.
A 'line of contact' is the demarcation between two or more armies, be they allies or belligerents.
"A group of Russian volunteers from the Chechen Republic has taken complete control of the entire line of contact with the bandits: the first quarters of the well-fortified city have already been cleared of enemy units," Kadyrov said on Telegram.
"The hotel building, which had been prepared for a long defense from the bandits, has passed under the control of our fighters: the rabble of Banderites has been completely blocked in the city, since all retreat routes have passed under control of Russian troops ",
AZOVSTAL TRIAL
A Nuremberg-style court to try Ukrainian soldiers evacuated from Azovstal steel mill.
This is the project that the Russians are thinking of as an alternative to the exchange of prisoners and which would serve, among other things, to justify the invasion of Ukraine for the purpose of the 'denazification' repeatedly invoked by Moscow.
"We are planning to organize an international tribunal on the territory of the republic," said Denis Pushilin, leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, reports the Guardian.
THE WHEAT CRISIS
- The accusations against Russia on the blocking of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea and the Azov Sea are without foundation: the Russian Foreign Ministry said today, according to Interfax reports.
ANSA agency
EU evaluates naval mission to escort Ukrainian grain - World
El Pais, hypotheses on the table of the next summit on Monday (ANSA)
