US DEFENCE CHIEF WARNS OF CONSEQUENCES
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that Washington would “impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression” if the conflict did not end soon.
Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s energy facilities for three consecutive winters, and Kyiv has called on Western allies for additional air defence systems to protect its grid.
KREMLIN CONFIRMS PUTIN-TRUMP TALKS, RUBIO-LAVROV CALL PLANNED
The Kremlin said on Thursday that preparations for the next Putin-Trump summit were underway, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expected to speak in the coming days to coordinate details.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the timing of the summit would depend on the pace of the preparatory work, adding that the phone call between Trump and Putin which was their eighth this year and had taken place at Moscow’s initiative.
He said Trump had proposed Budapest as the venue and that Putin had “immediately agreed.”
Ushakov said Putin reiterated that Russian forces held the “strategic initiative” along the front lines in Ukraine, while warning that potential US supplies of Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv would “cause significant damage” to US-Russia relations.
“Vladimir Putin reiterated his thesis that Tomahawk missiles will not change the situation on the battlefield but will cause significant damage to relations between our countries, not to mention the prospects for a peaceful resolution,” Ushakov said.
He added that Trump told Putin he would consider the Russian leader’s remarks when he meets Zelenskyy in Washington on Friday.
According to Ushakov, Trump also spoke of the “enormous potential for economic cooperation” between the United States and Russia once the war ends.
Source: CNA
