Russia Kiev signals readiness for talks with Moscow

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has expressed optimism about possible diplomatic progress during a trip by his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to Russia's ally China.

"There is a clear signal that China supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," said Selenskyj.

The Ukrainian foreign minister is currently in Beijing in order to bring Ukrainian and Chinese positions on a diplomatic solution to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine closer together. Kuleba also confirmed Kiev's interest in talks with Moscow. So far, the Kremlin has reacted cautiously.

China is Russia's most important ally. Beijing is therefore considered to have a major influence on decisions in Moscow. Selensky praised China for keeping the promise made by head of state and party leader Xi Jinping not to supply weapons to Russia. He is waiting for Kuleba to return for further information.

Response to offer of talks: Kremlin insists on war aims

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was skeptical about Kiev's signaled willingness to talk about peace. Russia will fully enforce its war aims, he said. "Whether through the special military operation or through negotiations - we have no alternative to achieving our goals. And we will achieve them in any case," said Peskov.

Negotiations were of course preferable, but talks were made more difficult by the fact that Zelenskyi had no legitimacy as President of Ukraine, he claimed once again. He saw Kiev's attempts to promote a diplomatic solution via Beijing as an emergency situation for Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had named Ukraine's renunciation of NATO membership and several territories in the east and south-east of the country as war aims. Moscow is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya and is also sticking to its demand for the "denazification of Ukraine", which in the Kremlin probably means the establishment of a government in Kiev that is dependent on Russia.

Kiev, in turn, had demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. However, the latest initiatives by Foreign Minister Kuleba indicate that the Ukrainians may be willing to compromise. During his trip to China, Kuleba attempted to coordinate his own peace plan with the diplomatic solution to the conflict offered by Beijing. He had mentioned direct talks with Moscow as a goal.

Kremlin sees disillusionment in Kiev, Selensky promises to strengthen the front

So far, the details of the offer are unclear to him, Peskov said. However, it is obvious that the Ukrainian leadership is in trouble. "Sooner or later - perhaps not as quickly as we had hoped - the number of people trying to take a sober look at what is happening will increase."

In his evening message, Zelensky only explained that Ukraine was continuing to strengthen the front alongside its diplomatic efforts. He had spoken with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov about further supplies for the combat units. He did not give any details.

Incident on the front line: Kiev's soldiers shoot at each other

First of all, however, the Ukrainian military weakened itself: Three men were killed and four others injured in a shootout between Ukrainian soldiers in the Kharkiv frontline area. The injured were taken to hospital and their condition was serious, the Chortyza battalion announced on Telegram. The reason given for the shooting was personal differences between those involved.

In the war, soldiers on both sides repeatedly attack each other. According to military experts, such cases are evidence of low fighting morale and discipline in the respective units.

Kremlin replaces air force chief

However, not everything is going according to plan for Russia either, which is indicated by changes at the top of the air force. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Sergei Kobylash is the new head of the air force. Kobylash previously commanded the fleet of Russian long-range bombers. Ukraine accuses the Odessa-born general of firing on cities and other civilian objects. Kobylash's successor as commander of the long-range bombers will be General Sergei Kuwaldin. Nothing is known about the future of the previous air force commander Sergei Dronov.