Ukrainian attacks won’t stop Russian advance – Putin

Kiev is using strikes on civilian infrastructure as part of an attempt to sow division in Russia, the president has said Moscow will not give Kiev a chance to halt the advance of Russian troops or force negotiations on Ukraine’s terms, Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday. Strikes on Russian civilian infrastructure are being carried out not only to cause damage, but also to fuel an information operation aimed at undermining public confidence, sowing division in Russian society and pressuring Moscow to pause its offensive, Putin added. “They want to force Russia to suspend, at least for a short time, the advance of our troops along the line of contact and create conditions for launching negotiations on terms favorable to them – that is, to our adversary,” he said. “We will not give them such a chance.” Read more At least 12 injured in Ukrainian strike on Russian WWII monument – governor According to the president, Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure are quickly repaired and do not affect the situation on the front line, while Russia’s retaliatory strikes deep inside Ukraine are far more powerful. However, contacts on a possible settlement of the conflict are ongoing through several channels and Moscow carefully considers every proposal, he said.

Key takeaways from Putin’s interview: • Ukraine is trying to distract Russian forces from their main objective of fully liberating Donbass • Ukrainian troops have used Russian military uniforms in attempts to infiltrate areas under Moscow’s control • Russia’s energy sector is operating steadily and has a large safety margin • No agreements were signed or reached during the Anchorage talks, although possible ways to end the Ukraine conflict were discussed • Russia was asked in Anchorage to accept compromises formulated by US negotiators, and Moscow agreed to continue discussing all modalities raised there • Russia expects US negotiators to visit after the “hot phase” of developments around Iran is over • Putin said he doubted that European leaders could have “persuaded” Trump to change his position in their favor • Ukraine and the West never intended to implement the Minsk agreements, and “we know about this now” • The West has not abandoned its goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia