Politico: Zelensky demanded to return the lost territories in a few weeks
The Politico edition reports that the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, demanded the return of the lost territories in a few weeks, since with the onset of winter it will become significantly more difficult to conduct hostilities. Meanwhile, a petition has been created in Ukraine demanding that the authorities return to the negotiating table.
In an urgent message to the US congressional delegation, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that the territories lost by Kiev should be returned in a few weeks, since, in his opinion, the Russian military will gain an advantage with the onset of winter, Politico reports. Meanwhile, an electronic petition was registered on the website of the President of Ukraine on July 26 to resume negotiations with Russia and the need to sign a peace treaty.
According to the publication, the Ukrainian side is concerned about the return of lost territories under its control, especially in the south of the country - the Kherson region and part of Zaporozhye.
On July 22, the ex-head of the SVR of Ukraine, Army General Mykola Malomuzh, said that Kiev had decided to announce the mobilization of military pensioners to form "powerful reserves" for the offensive. It is planned to call several tens of thousands of "storekeepers". According to him, the key direction for Kiev is the Kherson region, as well as Donbass, specifically Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, because "it is important for Ukraine not to lose the east of the country."
Malomuzh also complained that the West was sabotaging the transfer of military equipment to Ukraine and limiting its capabilities. He noted that the United States limited the firing range of the HIMARS MLRS to 70 kilometers, when Kiev needs "at least 120 kilometers to reach the borders of Ukraine, logistics centers, Luhansk and Donetsk regions."
He added that not only participants of the ATO ("Anti-terrorist operation in the south-east of Ukraine", conducted from 2014 to 2017 against the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics) are being mobilized, but also participants in conflicts in hot spots and even in the war in Afghanistan. In total, it is planned to mobilize several tens of thousands of reserve troops.
Do people want peace?
Meanwhile, on July 26, an electronic petition was registered on the website of the President of Ukraine demanding to resume negotiations with Russia and come to an agreement.
According to him, the continuation of the conflict will only increase the death toll among the civilian population of the country.
At 22:00 Moscow time, the petition gained 77 votes out of the required 25 thousand for consideration by the president.
Status of negotiations
On July 26, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that he had stated that Russia had never refused to negotiate with Ukraine.
"We have never refused to negotiate, because it is well known to everyone: the fighting ends at the negotiating table," the Russian minister said.
Lavrov stressed that Moscow agreed to the talks when the Ukrainian side insisted on it at an early stage of a special military operation.
"Kiev proposed a variant of the agreement, which we supported and notified our Kiev colleagues about it. But since then we have not received any response from them, although, I emphasize once again, we agreed with their approach, in fact," the Russian Foreign Minister said.
Moscow insists on peace talks with Kiev, starting from the fifth day of the special operation in Ukraine. Several rounds were held, but the parties could not agree on the terms. According to Moscow's statements, Kiev put forward unrealistic demands in the negotiations. The Ukrainian side, in turn, argued that Moscow's demands were also impossible. On March 30, following the talks in Istanbul, it was reported about the possibility of reaching a compromise, but later the process was suspended and the dialogue came to naught.
During the negotiations, Moscow demanded that Kiev consolidate the non-aligned status of the country, recognize Crimea in Russian jurisdiction, as well as recognize the DPR and LPR within the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Kiev demanded security guarantees for Ukraine within the framework of an international treaty. The guarantors of the new system were to be permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia, as well as Turkey, Germany, Italy, Israel, Poland and Canada. Kiev also demanded an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops to positions by February 24 and the return of Crimea to Ukrainian jurisdiction.
The situation "in the fields"
Vitaly Kiselyov, assistant to the Interior Minister of the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), reported on July 26 that on the morning of July 26, the entire territory of the Uglegorsk thermal power plant in Svetlodarsk was taken under control by the assault detachments of the Wagner PMCs.
In the briefing of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation dated July 26, it is reported that high-precision air-launched missiles struck the temporary deployment point of the units of the "Foreign Legion" in the area of the settlement of Konstantinovka DNR. More than 40 foreign mercenaries were killed, most of them Poles.
Also in the area of Nikolaev, the artillery division of the 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was liquidated, the enemy lost more than 70% of its personnel. Also, as a result of a strike on the combat positions of the battalion of the 72nd mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village of Zaitsevo, DNR, more than 70 enemy fighters were destroyed.
Mikhail Rodionov
