Three and a half years of war: waiting for security guarantees

"The teams of Ukraine, the United States and the European partners are currently working on their design. All developments will be completed in the coming days," Selensky wrote on Platform X.

Russia launched its war of aggression exactly three and a half years ago, on February 24, 2022. Independence Day is also being celebrated in Ukraine today. It commemorates the secession from the Soviet Union 34 years ago.

Discussions on the topic of security guarantees

Since last Monday's meeting between Zelensky and top European politicians with US President Donald Trump in Washington, discussions have been taking place on what military security guarantees for Ukraine could look like. This involves strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, but also possible troops in or close to Ukraine for security purposes. The main burden would be borne by the European NATO members, including Germany.

Selenskyj went on to say that there was now a real chance to end this war. Ukraine was ready for constructive steps that could bring real peace closer. However, Russia shows no intention of making peace and continues to bomb Ukrainian cities. "Pressure is needed to change their position, as well as a meeting at the highest level to discuss all issues."

Russian army continues advance

Meanwhile, the Russian army says it is continuing its advance in eastern Ukraine and is claiming the capture of further towns.

Ukraine is also continuing to fire on targets in Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that it had intercepted and destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones in Russian regions on Saturday. The areas affected include Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk and Moscow. The damage and casualties caused by the Ukrainian attacks are disproportionate to the many deaths, injuries and severe destruction caused by the Russian attacks.

Report: Pentagon blocks use of missiles on targets in Russia

The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon has been blocking the use of long-range missiles by Ukraine for attacks on targets in Russia for months. A Department of Defense approval process has prevented Ukraine from using US-supplied ATACMS missiles against targets in Russia since late spring, the officials are quoted as saying. At least once, Ukraine had tried to use these missiles against a target on Russian territory, but this had been rejected.

Under President Joe Biden, the USA allowed Ukraine to carry out attacks with long-range weapons against military targets in Russia last year. Trump posted last week that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking the invader's country.

Hopes of a meeting between Putin and Selensky soon are fading

Meanwhile, hopes of a summit meeting between Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyi in the near future are fading. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the US television station NBC that Putin would be prepared to meet with Zelensky if an agenda for the summit was prepared, "and this agenda is not ready at all yet". Among the points that would have to be clarified before such a meeting were territorial cessions and a Ukrainian renunciation of membership in the Western military alliance. "Zelenskyi has said no to everything," said Lavrov.

US President Trump had spoken out in favor of such a meeting to end the Russian war of aggression. In the course of the invasion that began three and a half years ago, Russia has almost completely taken over the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk and partially captured the areas of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson claimed by the Kremlin. In order to freeze the front in Zaporizhia and Kherson, Putin is reportedly demanding Kiev's complete surrender of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russia has controlled the Crimean peninsula, which is also claimed by Moscow, since 2014.