Moscow [Russia], July 19: Russia and Ukraine both said they needed more momentum to push for peace talks, while Ukraine was discussing US investment in the production and purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Ukraine.
Reuters on July 18 quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that Russia agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that more momentum is needed for peace talks between the two countries.
Two rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Türkiye this year have produced agreements on the exchange of prisoners and bodies of soldiers. However, no date has been set for the next round of talks and the two sides remain far apart on the terms of a ceasefire.Writing on social network X on July 18, President Zelensky said that more momentum is needed for negotiations and asked the new Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov to "step up the negotiation channel".
"The implementation of the agreements from the second Istanbul (Türkiye) meeting is still underway. This process needs more momentum," he wrote.In addition, President Zelensky said he also directed Mr. Umerov to take charge of arms deals with Ukraine's allies.
"We must fully implement all agreements with our partners on the supply of weapons, as well as new special agreements on joint production and the construction of production facilities on the territories of our partners," Zelensky said.
Will Ukraine sell UAVs to the US?
New Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on July 18 that Ukraine and the United States are conducting detailed negotiations on an agreement regarding US investment in UAV production in Ukraine.
The announcement came a day after President Zelensky tasked the new government with boosting Ukraine's arms industry and strengthening ties with strategic partners, according to Reuters.
Speaking to reporters alongside several other new ministers in the capital Kyiv, Ms Svyrydenko said the deal would also lead to the US buying Ukrainian-made UAVs.
"We plan to sign an agreement on UAVs with the United States. We are discussing US investment in expanding the production of Ukrainian UAVs. That is, we are talking about purchasing a large batch of Ukrainian UAVs."
In another development, President Zelensky said he discussed interceptor missiles and drones to counter Russian attacks in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.
"I would especially like to emphasize our agreement on training pilots for Mirage aircraft. France is ready to train more pilots to use more aircraft," Zelensky wrote on X, adding that the two leaders had also coordinated further political steps.
The latest exchange between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Macron took place in the context of the European Union (EU) passing the 18th package of sanctions against Russia, including measures aimed at causing further damage to Russia's oil, gas and energy sectors.
President Macron said the new sanctions package is unprecedented.
Russia "immune" to sanctions
The EU will set a flexible price ceiling for Russian crude oil, 15% below the average market price, EU diplomats said on July 18. The new measure is an improvement on the $60-a-barrel ceiling imposed by the G7 from December 2022 that has been largely ineffective.
EU diplomatic representative Kaja Kallas said this is the strongest package of sanctions ever imposed by the alliance against Russia. The sanctions package aims to lower the ceiling on the purchase price of Russian crude oil to $47.6 per barrel.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had a certain level of immunity and had adapted to Western sanctions.
Asked about the new EU measures, Mr Peskov called them unilateral and illegal, saying they were in line with what he called "Europe's consistent anti-Russian stance."
"However, we have of course acquired a certain level of immunity to sanctions and have adapted to life under sanctions," Peskov told reporters.
He said Russia would analyze the new sanctions package to minimize the consequences, adding that each embargo has a negative impact on the countries that issue it because it is a "double-edged sword".
Regarding the threat of sanctions from US President Donald Trump, Mr. Peskov said that it did not reflect a tougher stance towards Russia regarding the campaign in Ukraine. Besides, Russia said that the threat did not mean the end of the Russia-US dialogue to restore bilateral relations.
Casualties mount
Regarding the war, The Kyiv Independent on July 18 quoted local Ukrainian officials as saying that Russia's attack killed at least 7 people, including a train driver in Dnipropetrovsk province, and injured 25 others.
Ukraine's air force said it shot down 11 drones overnight after Russia launched a wave of 35 drones, mainly targeting eastern frontlines. Six decoy aircraft were jammed or lost contact.
Russia has not commented on the information. Russia and Ukraine have always denied any accusations of targeting civilians during the conflict.
Regarding the possibility of the West sending troops to support Ukraine, TASS news agency on July 18 quoted Mr. Peskov as saying that Russia considers all military facilities in Ukraine as legitimate targets, including those operated by Western countries.
"Any military facility on Ukrainian territory is a legitimate target for our military," he stressed.
On July 17, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reiterated Moscow's position that the deployment of any foreign forces to Ukraine is unacceptable. Accordingly, Russia views any such actions as preparations for a foreign intervention and considers these forces as legitimate military targets.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
