Ukraine war live updates: Putin says he will run for re-election in March; US aid hangs by a thread after failed vote

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday dismissed the suggestion that Russia could hold peace talks in 2024 on terms set by kyiv.

“It’s absolutely unreal,” Peskov told reporters about the issue, Russian state news agency Tass reported.

Two sources told NBC News last month that U.S. and European officials had quietly broached “sensitive” talks with kyiv about possible terms on which it might be willing to negotiate.

Ukrainian officials and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have consistently maintained that Ukraine is not willing to cede any territory to Russia and will not engage in any talks suggesting this.

-Jenni Reid

Ukraine began using rail platforms on Thursday to avoid a border blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrzalynitsya, Ukraine’s railway network, said.

The first train deployed in the operation moved 23 trucks across the border from Ukraine to Poland, according to a statement.

Officials were looking for ways to speed up the procedure and efforts were being made to move the trucks in the opposite direction, toward Ukraine.

The drivers were being transported across the border by bus, according to the statement.

Polish truckers began blocking main corridors to Ukraine last month in protests against EU access conditions for Ukrainian trucks. The blockade has caused an increase in fuel and some food prices, as well as delays in drone deliveries to the Ukrainian military.

Valeriy Tkachyov, deputy head of the commercial department of Ukrainian Railways, earlier told the Interfax Ukraine news agency that the train was loaded and ready to depart.

Tkachyov said that the Ukrainian and Polish sides were currently harmonizing technical issues.

“As soon as this test train passes and everything is fine, we will launch it on a large scale,” Tkachyov said.

Ukrainian authorities say some 3,000 trucks are blocked on the Polish side of the border and authorities have been unable to reach an agreement with protesters on terms to stop the action.

The main demand of Polish transporters is to prevent Ukrainian truckers from having permit-free access to the European Union, something that kyiv and Brussels consider impossible.

– Reuters

The toughest part of the winter period is yet to come, a Ukrainian intelligence official said on Thursday, warning that Ukraine needs to strengthen air defenses ahead of expected Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

“Russia retains certain capabilities to produce various types of weapons. It is a serious challenge for the security and defense forces of Ukraine and for the pro-Ukrainian coalition. We need more support. The hardest part of the winter is yet to come,” said Andrii Yusov, the representative. the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Thursday during a nationwide telethon, media outlet Ukrinform reported.

Russia’s missile stockpiles are much lower compared to last year and the start of the full-scale invasion, Yusov said, but he warned that the threat of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s civil and energy infrastructure remains. .

Ukraine has braced for another season of intense attacks on its power grids after last year’s experience of attacks and blackouts. State power grid operator Ukrenergo said in April that Russian forces had used more than 1,200 missiles and drones to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since October 2022. With 250 of those weapons hitting their intended targets, more than 40% of the electrical grid was damaged, the operator said.

Ukrenergo described last winter as “the most difficult heating season in the history of the Ukrainian energy system,” stating that “no European energy system has experienced such a large-scale destruction attempt.”

-Holly Ellyatt

An emergency spending bill to provide billions of dollars in new security assistance for Ukraine and Israel was blocked in the US Senate on Wednesday as Republicans pressed their demands for tougher measures to control immigration in the border of the United States with Mexico.

The vote was 49-51, leaving the $110.5 billion measure short of the 60 votes needed in the 100-member Senate to clear the way for debate, threatening the president’s momentum. Joe Biden to provide new aid before the end of 2023.

The vote ran along party lines, with all Senate Republicans voting no along with Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who generally votes with Democrats but who had raised concerns about funding Israel’s “current inhumane military strategy” against the Palestinians.

The bill would provide about $50 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine, as well as money for humanitarian and economic aid for the government in Kiev, plus $14 billion for Israel in its fight against Hamas in Gaza. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, also voted “no” to be able to introduce the measure again in the future.

After the vote, Schumer noted the risks if Ukraine falls, saying it was a “grave moment that will have lasting consequences for the 21st century,” risking the decline of Western democracy. Republicans said it was essential to advocate for stricter immigration policies and control of the southern border.

“Today’s vote is what is needed for the Democratic leader to recognize that Senate Republicans mean what we say,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a floor speech Wednesday. “Then let’s vote. And let’s finally begin to deliver on America’s national security priorities, including here at home.”

Even if the bill passes the Senate, it would still need to pass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where dozens of Republicans have voted against aid to Ukraine, including Speaker Mike Johnson.

— Reuters