The conquest of Donbass in eastern Ukraine is “the number one priority” for Russia, Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, September 5. “The enemy’s objective”by attacking the Russian region of Kursk, “was to make us nervous and agitated to redeploy our troops from one area to another and stop our offensive in key areas, especially in Donbass, the liberation of which is our number one priority”the Russian president said at an economic forum in the Russian Far East. In the Kursk region, “Our armed forces have stabilized the situation and have begun to gradually expel” the Ukrainian army, he added. Follow our live coverage.
Vladimir Putin says he is ready for negotiations. The Russian president said on Thursday that he was ready to hold talks with kyiv on the basis of those in spring 2022, if Ukraine requests them. Moscow had until recently ruled out any discussions due to the Ukrainian offensive in August against the Kursk region. “If a desire to negotiate emerges” in Ukraine, we will not refuse”he added.
The resignation of the head of Ukrainian diplomacy has been confirmed. The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday approved the resignation of Dmytro Kuleba, one of his country’s strong voices since the start of the Russian invasion. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy presented his resignation on Wednesday, as part of a major government reshuffle.
LThe death toll from the Poltava strike rises to 54. At least 54 people were killed and 297 others wounded in the Russian strike on Tuesday in the central city of Poltava, authorities said Thursday. The attack, carried out by two ballistic missiles, partially destroyed a military training center specializing in communications and damaged a nearby hospital.