Photo : RIA Novosti/Kremlin.ru
Photo : RIA Novosti/Kremlin.ru
By Neha Tresa George
WAR ON THE GROUND
On 05 September, Swissinfo.ch reported on the appointment of new ministers in the Ukrainian parliament. There were nine ministers and two deputy prime ministers as the new appointees. This marks Zelenskyy’s “biggest government shakeup” since 2022. He said that the government needed “new energy” as the autumn was crucial for Ukraine. Andrii Sybiha, an experienced diplomat with a public figure is set to replace Dmytro Kuleba, as the foreign minister. Olha Stefanyshina took up the position of Justice minister along with her role in coordinating Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO. In addition, Herman Smetanin was appointed as the strategic industries minister and Oleksiy Kuleba, a former deputy head of Zelenskyy’s office was appointed as deputy prime minister in charge of reconstruction, regions and infrastructure and Herman Smetanin as the strategic industries minister. However, Ukraine’s foreign policy was unlikely to alter if Zelenskyy was in power. He is set to visit the US with a “victory plan” to present before Joe Biden, US President.
On 05 September, Daily Sabah reported on the rise in the death toll from the Russian missile strike in central Ukraine’s Poltava region. According to Ukrainian officials, the number of deaths had increased to 54 along with 300 casualties. Ukraine’s emergency services also informed about the chances of people being trapped under rubble. The attack faced widespread criticisms globally, especially from the US. Zelenskyy had ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the attack.
On 05 September, Deutsche Welle reported that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s President, was expected to meet the US top military leaders at the US Ramstein Air Base in western Germany. The gathering would take place with the “Ramstein” group also known as the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. It is an informal alliance of 50 countries formed in 2023 to support Ukraine against Russia. Zelenskyy was expected to request for increased Western support in the war, including new arms deliveries like long-range missiles and air defence systems. However, the German government has not yet confirmed his arrival. This came amidst one of the largest Russian airstrikes against Ukraine.
THE MOSCOW VIEW
Claims by Russia
On 05 September, RT reported on the keynote address delivered by Putin at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. He highlighted Russia’s interests in East Asia, cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region and the implications of the Kursk incursion. The meeting was attended by high-profile leaders including Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Prime Minister and Han Zheng, Chinese Vice President. In his speech, he highlighted the East Asian countries as a possible means to compensate for the sanctions imposed by the West. He said: “We have defined the development of the Far East as a national priority for the entire 21st century.” He noted that the world economy was facing de-dollarization, citing the BRICS way of using national currencies in transactions. On the Kursk incursion, he pointed out that it depleted Ukraine’s strong military forces in the Donbas which was advantage for Russia.
On 05 September, RT reported on the statements made by Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the Russian President on the Ukrainian government. According to him, Ukraine did not have a legitimate government since the Maidan coup in 2014. After Zelenskyy’s term ended in May 2024, he refused to hold a presidential election and imposed martial law citing the conflict with Russia. Peskov said: “The “de jure President Zelensky now is not the legitimate president of Ukraine.” He referred to the condition of the Ukrainian government as the “snowball of illegitimacy.” After Zelenskyy’s term ended in May 2024, he refused to hold a presidential election and imposed martial law citing the conflict with Russia. He also added that Russia was open to peace talks through the “political-diplomatic” route.
On 05 September, RT reported on Dmitry Peskov’s statements at the Eastern Economic Forum, condemning the Ukrainian attacks. According to him: “We see the Kyiv regime using cluster munitions on residential areas and purely civilian targets.” Meanwhile, he defended the Russian military strikes arguing that it struck only military targets. He added that the Russian military would continue enhancing its efficiency and moving forward until all its goals were achieved.
WEST VIEW
On 05 September, Le Monde reported on Putin’s readiness to initiate talks with Ukraine. The new announcement came at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum. However, it contradicted his previous stance that rejected peace talks due to the Kursk incursion led by Ukraine. Putin said that Russia was ready to negotiate with Ukraine based on an abandoned deal in Istanbul between Kyiv and Moscow back in 2022. However, the terms and conditions of the deal were never made public. Putin claimed that the deal never came into force as the US demanded Ukraine to reject it. Meanwhile, he also put forward his earlier demands to handover Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson to Russia.
On 05 September, Daily Sabah reported on the statements made by Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President on the advancements made in Donbas and Pokrovsk region. He revealed that the primary goal behind the war was to capture the eastern Donbass region, since Russia failed to secure Kyiv in 2022. He further said that the Russian troops were advancing around a dozen kilometres from the city of Pokrovsk, a prime logistics hub of Ukraine. In addition, he claimed the surprise Kursk incursion to have failed to curb the Russian forces from advancing in the already occupied Ukrainian territories. He said: “Ukraine aimed to force us to worry, hustle, divert troops and to stop our offensive in key areas, especially in the Donbas, the liberation of which is our main primary objective.” He argued that the Russian forces had started to push out the Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region. However, these claims were not verified and confirmed.
References
“Zelenskyy to visit US base in Germany to request weapons,” Deutsche Welle, 05 September 2024
“Zelenskiy overhauls cabinet with slew of new ministers, top diplomat,” Swissinfo.ch, 05 September 2024
“Cooling tower at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant requires demolition after fire, IAEA chief says,” The Kyiv Independent, 05 September 2024
“Russia’s main goal in Ukraine is to capture Donbass: Putin,” Daily Sabah, 05 September 2024
“Russia strike death toll in Central Ukraine’s Poltava climbs to 54,” Daily Sabah, 05 September 2024
“Putin says Russia ready for talks with Ukraine,” Le Monde, 05 September 2024
“Ukrainian governments since 2014 illegitimate – Kremlin,” RT, 05 September 2024
“Russia only strikes military targets, unlike Kiev – Kremlin,” RT, 05 September 2024