Wen Observer Network Lai Jiaqi

On August 24, local time, U.S. Vice President Vance stated on NBC's "Meet with the Media" program that Russia made "significant concessions" in the negotiations, including agreeing to provide security guarantees to Ukraine. But on the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov told NBC that the agenda for the Russian-Ukrainian leaders' meeting was not prepared at all, and differences between the two sides on Ukraine's security guarantees, territory and other issues still exist.

"I think the Russians have made major concessions to President Trump in this conflict for the first time in three and a half years." Vance said in a pre-recorded program that the concessions included Russia's admission that it could not establish a pro-Russian regime in Ukraine, acceptance of Ukraine's territorial sovereignty after the conflict, and "more importantly, they have agreed on the need to provide some kind of security for Ukraine's territorial integrity."

Vance denied that Russia was stalling the talks. He said there were "peaks and valleys" in the negotiation process,"we will eventually succeed or hit a dead end" and ending the conflict will not be "overnight".

Trump said on Monday that it would be necessary to see if Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky can do it, and after watching the progress of the negotiations, he would make "important" decisions about the Ukrainian peace process within two weeks, and warned that if the peace in Ukraine did not make substantial progress, the United States could impose "hard sanctions or high tariffs on Russia, or both," otherwise "do nothing, let them hit down themselves."

Wans said on the 24th on the show that possible sanctions against Russia would be considered according to the specific circumstances, but the new sanctions are unlikely to put too much pressure on the Russian side. he said he still hoped that the United States would work hard to get Putin and Zelensky to sit together to negotiate, "because this is the only way to end the matter."

On August 24, local time, video screenshot of US Vice President Vance's interview with US media

However, in the same program, Lavrov bluntly stated that there are currently no clear arrangements for the Russian-Ukrainian leaders 'meeting plan, and core differences such as Ukraine's security and territorial issues have not yet been resolved."Putin will not hold a meeting just for the sake of taking photos."

Lavrov said that Putin had made it clear that high-level meetings, especially meetings between Russian and Ukrainian leaders, must be properly arranged. Therefore, it is necessary for Russia and Ukraine to agree on a preparatory procedure. To this end, Russia proposes to raise the level of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiating delegation to discuss specific issues that need to be brought to the attention of the leaders of the two countries, such as humanitarian, military and political issues.

He pointed out that in the third round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, Russia proposed to establish three working groups, including a working group on political issues, but more than a month has passed and Ukraine has not yet made any response.

Lavrov said that Putin is willing to meet Zelensky, provided that the meeting will indeed bring substantial results, but at the moment the summit agenda is not at all ready, "Putin will not meet just for photography" and "meet, give Zelensky a chance to get on the stage, we think that will not work."

Lavrov accused Ukraine of hindering the peace process, as did European leaders who "don't want peace". He pointed out that European leaders said, "We cannot allow Ukraine to fail, we cannot let Russia win." This language to describe victory or defeat is not conducive to promoting peace.

¡°Zelensky said no to everything,¡± Lavrov replied, ¡°how can we meet a man who pretends to be a leader?¡±

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov interviewed by US media, video screenshot

Lavrov added that Putin was prepared to meet Zelensky when ¡°the agenda matured¡±, but the Russian side questioned Zelensky¡¯s legitimacy, saying it would not sign a peace agreement with him, ¡°we need everyone to be very clear that the signer is legitimate and that Zelensky is currently not legal under the Ukrainian constitution.¡±

On the issue of security in Ukraine, he reiterated that any international arrangement on this matter must include Russia and that "security must be decided by consensus."

NBC reported that from the evening of the 21st to the 22nd, Russia launched its largest attack since early July, launching 600 drones and 40 missiles. Several locations in Uzbekistan were attacked, including at least 15 people were injured at a US-owned factory that produces coffee machines and other electronic products in Mukachevo, Transcarpathian State.

Lavrov rejected that he had never heard of this and ironized that ¡°some people were really naive and thought that the coffee machine in the window was really making coffee machines.¡± he said that the Russian side ¡°has never targeted civilian facilities¡± and accused Ukraine of deliberately attacking churches and residential houses.

Responding to questions about Putin's relationship with Trump, Lavrov said Putin respected Trump's concern for U.S. national interests and believed Trump also understood Russia's position, regardless of what the two discussed was "not a secret", the two leaders "wish for peace in Ukraine".

Source | Observer.com

Further reading

According to the Ministry of Defense of Russia's August 23 war newspaper, the Russian army has re-controlled two villages in Donetsk and defeated the Ukrainian army in several locations.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian army lost 1,325 soldiers during special military operations over the past day and night.

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The current actions of the Russian military are mostly after the end of the US-Russian presidential summit.

Following a meeting between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin in Alaska, Trump met with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House.

Zelensky's second visit to the White House, although he was not as humiliated as he was in the White House in February under the "escort" of seven European leaders, Trump showed him a map of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield. This map shows that Russia occupies all of Crimea in Ukraine, most of Donbass, and parts of Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.

Trump asked Zelensky how to talk to Russia.

Zelensky, of course, wants to ensure the sovereign independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. But Trump said that it is possible to do a territorial exchange with Russia. In fact, many people first heard Trump say this, and mostly the second monk did not touch his mind. The reason is no other ¨C after all, Ukraine once invaded the Russian Kursk region, has become the yellow flower of tomorrow. At present, the Ukrainian army does not control the territory of the Russian native village.

As Trump said, it was intended that Ukraine would take control of a small amount of territory in the Donbass region in exchange for the territories of the Russian-occupied provinces of Herzong and Zaporozhye.

In the meantime, this is a ¡°territorial exchange¡± for Ukraine¡¯s own territory.

Trump showed Zelensky a map of the Russia-Ukraine battlefield situation at the White House. After returning to Kiev, Zelensky said that the map displayed by the White House was wrong. However, most of the four eastern Ukrainian states are currently The territory is indeed occupied by Russia

The so-called Donbass is roughly the state of Donetsk, Lugansk, which is now under Russian control. Before the Russian army crossed the Russian border, the border of Belarus, Ukraine in February 2022, and conducted a "special military operation" against Ukraine, Russia announced the recognition of the two states "independence", and recognized the "People's Republic of Donetsk" and "People's Republic of Lugansk" independence, and established relations with them. And after several months of "special military operation", Russia also through the so-called "referendum", declared the integration of the four states of Donetsk, Lugansk, Helsinki and Zaporozhye into the Russian Federation, and placed the flag of the four states in the Russian Duma (with the parliament), the flag of

Per, Trump believes that his mediation has turned the mind of Russia and can return the two states of Helsinki and Zaporozhye to Ukraine, and Ukraine is naturally grateful to Trump.

From Zelensky's second entry into the White House, he thanked Trump again and again, and seemed to see some such scenes. But it wasn't! After returning to Kiev, Zelensky directly stated that Ukraine would not give up an inch of land.

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The Russian military action in Donbass is also based on Trump¡¯s ¡°territorial exchange¡± allegation. If the Russian forces occupy the entire Donbass, that is, the entire territory of the two states of Donetsk and Lugansk, what does Ukraine get to do for the exchange of territory?

At that time, was Hershon and Zaporozhye not the place where the Russians continued to explore?

According to Xinhua Agency, citing Tass news agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense's war report showed that during the Donbas operation, the Russian army also destroyed many Ukrainian ammunition and material warehouses and electronic interference stations. The war report stated that control of the two villages marked a further advance by the Russian army towards Konstantinovka. Konstantinovka is an important town leading to Kramatorsk, the main logistics base of Ukraine.

Take a look at the equipment used by the Russian army.

The aircraft,

drones,

The gun,

As a result, a military factory in Ukraine and 143 strongholds of the Ukrainian army and "foreign mercenaries" were destroyed.

Russian air defense forces shot down four air-guided bombs and 160 fixed-wing drones.

Of course, after all, Russia and Ukraine have been wrestling for more than three years, and the Ukrainian side is not powerless to fight back. Even according to the Russian side, Russia is also being attacked by Ukraine.

Russian Volgograd state air defense system strikes attacked Ukrainian drones

Bocharov, governor of Volgograd Oblast in southwestern Russia, said on August 23 that the state was under concentrated drone attacks in the early morning of the day and Russian air defense forces intercepted it. A drone crashed next to a high-rise residential building in the state of Petrovvar, injuring three residents.

Hungary also claimed that Ukraine used drones and other equipment to bomb the "Friendship" oil pipeline from Russia to Hungary, causing the temporary interruption of Russia's oil supply to Hungary, Slovakia and other countries. Hungarian Prime Minister Orban was quite angry and sent a letter to Trump. Trump also returned a personal letter saying that "I am angry" about Ukraine's behavior.

But overall, in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia is gradually on the offensive! And want to get more "chips" on the battlefield!

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In general, it seems that the conflict in Ukraine is likely to enter the fourth year. and Trump said that ¡°24 hours to end the conflict in Ukraine¡± and gave him 240 days he could not complete this task!

On August 24th, the reference news sponsored by Xinhua News Agency quoted the Washington Post website as saying that Trump hinted that he would suspend his efforts to promote the peace agreement in Ukraine, and expressed dissatisfaction with the rising number of casualties and the failure of Russia and Ukraine to reach a peace agreement. The title of the reference news is, "Trump's' major change in position '".

Trump told a visiting reporter at the White House Oval Office on August 22 local time: ¡°I¡¯m not satisfied with any aspect of this war, I¡¯m not satisfied at all, I¡¯m not satisfied at all.¡±

This time, Trump also listed a timetable announcing that he would take an important decision on the future of the conflict ¡°within two weeks.¡±

On August 15, U.S. President Trump (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a joint press conference after meeting at the Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Military Base in Anchorage, Alaska, USA Photo: Xinhua Agency

Xiaoyin wants to say that these "two weeks" are mostly imaginary numbers in "Trump Grammar" and do not refer to specific numbers. Just like the previous "24 hours" of "ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 24 hours", it was later called a "joke" by Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy for Russia-Ukraine issues. At present, Mr. Kellogg, who was born in 1944, is also known as the U.S. Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine. However, in fact, almost all the actions of the special envoys who helped Trump mediate in Russia and Ukraine are carried out by the U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East, Witkov. Keith Kellogg is almost idle at home!

Smile and drink, regardless of the changes in positions and work arrangements in the United States, just saying that after Trump's position has changed "significantly", let Russia and Ukraine fight, how much chance does Zelensky have to win?