Putin Not Only Wants to Disrupt the Peace Summit, but He Is Also Afraid of What the Summit Can Bring – Address by the President

24 May 2024 – 21:00

Dear Ukrainians!

It has been a long day. This morning, I was in Kharkiv. I visited the site of a Russian missile strike on one of the largest Ukrainian publishing complexes. It’s absolutely terrible – people were killed. My condolences to the families and friends. Many people were injured. Also, books were burnt by the strike, and equipment was destroyed. The destruction of this printing facility alone resulted in the loss of about a third of the annual book production in the country. Russian terror constantly proves that its goal is the complete destruction of Ukraine and all life here on our land, of everything that lets people be human. We will do everything to defend our state and to hold the Russian evil accountable for what it has done. Today, the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the authorities of the Kharkiv region have received all the necessary instructions to help restore the work of the printing facility in Kharkiv. The industry also needs support at the state level. And please – if you have the opportunity – be sure to support our Ukrainian book publishers and Ukrainian authors. This is important. The terrorists will definitely get our response to this attack.

I held a security meeting in Kharkiv with reports from the military, heads of special services, regional and city authorities. Now our warriors have managed to take combat control of the border area, where the Russian occupiers have entered. And I am grateful to each unit that ensures the necessary results of destroying the occupier. Today we also discussed our next tasks, taking into account the information from the intelligence. Putin not only wants to disrupt the Peace Summit, and tries to do a lot for this purpose, but he is also afraid of what the Summit can bring. The world is capable of forcing Russia into peace and into compliance with international security norms. Russia has nothing to oppose the world majority: despite all of Putin’s lies, he depends on his environment – in the broad sense of this word. He also depends on the international environment. No one in the world is interested in this war, except the aggressor, and everyone is actually aware of this. The Peace Summit is a format that will not allow Putin to lie anymore. And without his lies, he is absolutely nothing. And I thank everyone in the world who is helping us organize the Summit and who is showing their leadership to bring real peace closer.

Today I spoke with the President of Côte d’Ivoire and invited him to the Peace Summit, and I am grateful for his willingness to participate. I also met today with the Marshal of the Senate of Poland – I thanked her for the support, told her about the situation in Ukraine and, of course, we discussed our preparations for the Summit. I am grateful to everyone who supports Ukraine and a real honest peace!

I thank everyone who fights and works for our country and people!

Glory to Ukraine!

Why are Russian “sources” suddenly telling the media that Putin is willing to halt the war at the current battle lines? It’s simple.

Putin is desperately trying to derail the Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15–16. He is scared of its success. His entourage sends these phony…

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) May 24, 2024

Why are Russian “sources” suddenly telling the media that Putin is willing to halt the war at the current battle lines? It’s simple.

Putin is desperately trying to derail the Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15–16. He is scared of its success. His entourage sends these phony signals of alleged readiness for a cease-fire despite the fact that Russian troops continue to brutally attack Ukraine while their missiles and drones rain down on Ukrainian cities and communities.

Putin currently has no desire to end his aggression against Ukraine. Only the principled and united voice of the global majority can force him to choose peace over war. This is what the Peace Summit is intended to achieve. This is why he is so afraid of it.

And this is why it is critical to have as many leaders as possible from all continents and parts of the world present. When the entire world speaks out in support of restoring the full force of the UN Charter and international law, Russia will be forced to choose peace.

Reuters has the details of what Putin is actually offering:

MOSCOW/LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.

Three of the sources, familiar with discussions in Putin’s entourage, said the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to rule out talks.
“Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire – to freeze the war,” said another of the four, a senior Russian source who has worked with Putin and has knowledge of top level conversations in the Kremlin.

He, like the others cited in this story, spoke on condition of anonymity given the matter’s sensitivity.
For this account, Reuters spoke to a total of five people who work with or have worked with Putin at a senior level in the political and business worlds. The fifth source did not comment on freezing the war at the current frontlines.

Asked about the Reuters report at a news conference in Belarus on Friday, Putin said peace talks should restart.

“Let them resume,” he said, adding that negotiations should be based on “the realities on the ground” and on a plan agreed during a previous attempt to reach a deal in the first weeks of the war. “Not on the basis of what one side wants,” he said.

More at the link.

This all part of the subversion line of effort of Putin and Russia’s genocidal re-invasion of Ukraine. Which is why Yanukovych is part of Putin’s entourage in Belarus.

Update:https://t.co/cSafDiwDF8

— Dmitri Alperovitch (@DAlperovitch) May 24, 2024

And we have an update regarding Yanukovych and how Putin handled him in 2014:

Disturbing to find out, 10 years later, that the FSB were secretly informed about Yanukovych being on the verge of signing the EU agreement, and that “the Maidan will not dissipate that easily”, by none other than an actual Member of European Parliament. Shortly thereafter the… https://t.co/gNIDsbGs46 pic.twitter.com/bg1ZE7w2rH

— Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) May 24, 2024

From The Insider:

Accused of working with the Russian security services, Latvian MEP Tatjana Ždanoka mockingly donned sunglasses at a press conference — as if in a spy movie. The accusations won’t be laughed off that easily: Re:Baltica has obtained almost 19,000 of Ždanoka’s e-mails detailing how she served the Kremlin.

By the end of January 2014, Kyiv was simmering with unrest in the wake of President Viktor Yanukovych’s about-face on a key issue that helped win him the election four years earlier. Bowing to Kremlin pressure, he’d decided against signing an association agreement with the European Union, a stepping stone for Ukraine’s greater integration with the West. Protestors swarmed and occupied the Maidan, Kyiv’s central square, demanding Yanukovych make good on his promise.

He didn’t.

On 16 January, the president signed a group of laws limiting people’s freedoms to hold protest rallies, thus prompting outpourings of anger that led to the first Ukrainian casualties in clashes with the security police.

On 28 January, the European Parliament (EP) dispatched an emergency fact-finding delegation. Several members of the body met with Yanukovych, Ukrainian opposition groups, and church leaders. Upon their return 48 hours later, on January 30, the delegation briefed their colleagues in Strasbourg, who adopted a resolution calling on the government to stop street repressions and release detained protestors and political prisoners.

Tatjana Ždanoka, an MEP from Latvia, was one of the delegates sent to Kyiv. But she did not report her findings to other legislators from the European Parliament. Instead, she sent a confidential report to her FSB handler Sergey Beltyukov, stating her view that anti-Yanukovych demonstrators, already two months in, were unlikely to disband in the near future. Three days before the trip to Kyiv, Ždanoka traveled to St. Petersburg and met Beltyukov, who had waited for her at the airport.

“My impressions are contradictory,” Ždanoka wrote to Beltyukov at his burner email account on February 6. “Yanukovych is too cunning to be unraveled in the course of a 1.5-hour conversation. But the feeling is that he is ready for a forceful scenario… On the other hand, some observers are inclined to believe that Yanukovych will sign a treaty with the EU very soon, getting maximum bonuses from all sides. He looked quite cheerful, calm and confident in his meeting with us on Monday. I thought he should have been more confused… [A]s far as the Maidan is concerned — where we walked on Sunday late in the evening, my feelings are mixed: some mixture of farce, drama, horror and comedy (with a preponderance of the third component in this list). It’s not going to all dissipate that easily.”

The same day, Beltyukov replied succinctly: “Thank you!!!”

It is not clear what Beltyukov, an officer of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), did with this private intelligence report from a member of the European Parliament (MEP), nor what role it may have played in shaping the Kremlin’s measures in the following days. However, two weeks later the FSB dispatched its own delegation to Kyiv, led by Sergey Beseda, the head of the organization’s Fifth Service, its foreign intelligence arm. Their mission was to pressure Yanukovych not to entertain an accommodation with the protesters, but rather to crack down harder on them. The following evening would see the bloodiest hours of Ukraine’s Euromaidan Revolution, with at least 21 protesters killed by snipers. By the end of February 2014, the embattled Ukrainian president would defect to Russia, and Russia would mount a stealth invasion and seizure of Crimea, kick-starting a war that, through periods of intensification and lulls, continues to the present day.

In January, The Insider, along with its investigative partner Re:Baltica, reported that Ždanoka, whose pro-Russian sentiments were hardly secret to begin with, had been an agent of the FSB for the better part of a decade. Those findings were based on a small tranche of emails of her correspondence with Beltyukov and another FSB handler. In response to our story, the European Parliament opened an inquiry that ultimately led to “sanctions” in the amount of €1,750 to be placed on Ždanoka. Her activities as an MEP were also limited. A Latvian State Security Service (VDD) investigation is ongoing.

The Insider and Re:Baltica can now reveal more of Ždanoka’s connivance with Russian intelligence, based on an even larger tranche of her correspondence with Putin’s spies. Specifically, Ždanoka corresponded with Beltyukov from 2013 until 2017, according to the almost 19,000 emails The Insider and Re:Baltica have examined. She also communicated with another FSB case officer, Dmitry Gladey, her longtime contact and first handler from the Fifth Service.

Much, much, much more at the link!

Here’s Illia Ponomarenko’s take:

I am absolutely convinced that Putin indeed wants a ceasefire to just stop at where he is in Ukraine and freeze the war — because he’s doing just fine, Kharkiv is about to fall, Odesa and Kyiv is next, Ukraine is doomed, he and Russia are as strong as never before, and Western…

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) May 24, 2024

I am absolutely convinced that Putin indeed wants a ceasefire to just stop at where he is in Ukraine and freeze the war — because he’s doing just fine, Kharkiv is about to fall, Odesa and Kyiv is next, Ukraine is doomed, he and Russia are as strong as never before, and Western aid makes no difference here.

It’s definitely not because he needs a comfortable pause in hostilities to regroup and give its military production to recoup the gigantic losses he sustains in Ukraine — and then attack again in a much better shape to crush and occupy the whole of Ukraine finally.

It’s not that Putin’s military is still spending months to seize several desolated towns in Ukraine’s east, despite the gargantuan resources allocated for a total war that lasts more than two years.

Putin is surely sending us a complex message of peace and goodwill that we just don’t fully understand yet.

I mean, he’s a man of his word, so this is definitely a genuine chance to de-escalate if we keep our minds open for a different view, as well as for Vladimir Putin’s legitimate security concerns we should be respectful towards.

Speaking of Putin’s subversion campaign.

Sweden:

Sure sounds more like an op than burglars.

— Aki Heikkinen (@akihheikkinen) May 24, 2024

Germany:

Germany has delivered another IRIS-T air defense system to Ukraine, which arrived today.

Modern air defense systems are crucial in saving the lives of the Ukrainian people from russian terror.

We express our deep gratitude to our German partners for their unwavering support!… https://t.co/5GGm6uzpcV

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 24, 2024

Germany has delivered another IRIS-T air defense system to Ukraine, which arrived today.

Modern air defense systems are crucial in saving the lives of the Ukrainian people from russian terror.

We express our deep gratitude to our German partners for their unwavering support!
🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪

According to SPIEGEL, Germany handed over the fourth IRIS-T SLM air defence system to #Ukraine today. The air defence system was originally announced for April, while the delivery was later postponed to May. Eight more have been announced for the future.

Additional aid from… pic.twitter.com/3cw6hJ5B4A

— German Aid to Ukraine 🇩🇪🤝🇺🇦 (@deaidua) May 24, 2024

We are grateful to our German friends for another military aid package for Ukraine, which includes:
◾️10 Leopard 1A5 tanks
◾️20 MG3 for Leopard 2, Marder and Dachs
◾️8,500 rounds 155mm ammunition
◾️20 Vector reconnaissance drones
◾️34 RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones
◾️1… pic.twitter.com/1fPdSPRNgq

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 24, 2024

We are grateful to our German friends for another military aid package for Ukraine, which includes:
◾️10 Leopard 1A5 tanks
◾️20 MG3 for Leopard 2, Marder and Dachs
◾️8,500 rounds 155mm ammunition
◾️20 Vector reconnaissance drones
◾️34 RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones
◾️1 Beaver bridge-laying tank
◾️1 Dachs armored engineer vehicle
◾️1 Bergepanzer 2 armored recovery vehicle
◾️4 Wisent 1 mine clearing tanks
◾️2 mine ploughs
◾️400 LED lamps
◾️16 Zetros tankers
◾️540 MK 556 assault rifles
◾️80 HLR 338 precision rifles with 60,000 rounds ammunition
◾️111 CR 308 rifles
◾️1.8 million rounds of ammunition for fire arms

Vielen Dank!
Together, we are stronger!
🇺🇦🤝🇩🇪
@BMVg_Bundeswehr

The US:

Today, @DeptofDefense announced a new security assistance package valued at $275 million to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs.

The capabilities in this announcement include:
* Ammunition for HIMARS;
* 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
* 60mm mortar rounds;
*… pic.twitter.com/DFLAao7RA4

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 24, 2024

Today,
@DeptofDefense
announced a new security assistance package valued at $275 million to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs.

The capabilities in this announcement include:
* Ammunition for HIMARS;
* 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
* 60mm mortar rounds;
* Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
* Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
* Precision aerial munitions;
* Small arms and additional rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades;
* Demolitions munitions;
* Anti-armor mines;
* Tactical vehicles to recover equipment;
* Helmets, body armor, and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment; and
* Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.

We are grateful to our 🇺🇸 partners for their unwavering support!
Together, we will win.

Hungary:

Orbán holds up Ukraine arms funding from frozen Russian assets, crippling efforts to rush the cash to Kyiv

“For the time being they are blocking everything connected to the military support to Ukraine”

https://t.co/5VcTTXZcjK @ft @paolatamma @AndyBounds @senoj_erialc

— Henry Foy (@HenryJFoy) May 24, 2024

Moscow:

Vladimir Putin has signed a decree outlining the procedure for Russia to seize US assets if the US moves forward with giving proceeds from Russia’s state assets to Ukraine.

There aren’t many US state assets Russia can get hold of, so it’s likely investors are the ones at risk. pic.twitter.com/JV5CMEsns8

— max seddon (@maxseddon) May 23, 2024

Kharkiv:

Kharkiv.

The sound you hear from inside the black bag is an incoming call that will never be answered because additional Patriots were not delivered to Ukraine on time.

Deliver them now. I urge everyone who can influence leaders of their countries to make their calls today. pic.twitter.com/mj1J8HqgCW

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) May 23, 2024

Overnight, russian troops hit a railroad facility in Kharkiv with a glide bomb, Ukrzaliznytsia reported, publishing photos of the aftermath. pic.twitter.com/XP1WZGc94X

— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) May 24, 2024

Russian occupied Donetsk Oblast:

Most epic video of ATACMS destroying Russian S-400 in occupied Donetsk region. Imagine how different the situation would be if Ukraine were allowed to do the same in Belgorod. pic.twitter.com/9Q2L1BbkPT

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) May 24, 2024

The Avdiivka front:

Full video including destruction of the first Bradley. pic.twitter.com/kRADaEj94V

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) May 24, 2024

Tatarigami has a new battlefield assessment of operations in the Donbas. From the Thread Reader App:

Donbas Area Situation Report: May 21-22

The frontline remains dynamic despite appearing static. Ukrainian forces reinforced Kharkiv to halt the Russian advance. The situation is still risky considering the thinned defenses. 🧵Thread

Before proceeding, please like and share
Image
2/ Chasiv Yar

Russia identified weak points in the Kanal quarter, deploying infantry deep but failed to establish a foothold, and assaulting forces were eliminated by Ukrainian forces. Another attempt can be more successful, as Russians have additional forces available.
Image
3/ Russian troops made minor tactical gains in the northern axis towards Chasiv Yar, from the Kalynivka area. Progress on the northern flank is still slow, despite initial efforts to reach the area quickly with a land bridge over the canal.
4/ South of Bakhmut

Russia periodically claims control of Klishchiivka, but it lies in ruins with no intact structures. It has been a grey zone for a while, which Russian tactical groups occasionally try to control but are eliminated by Ukrainian defenders on higher ground
Image
5/ The situation is marked by daily Russian assaults yielding small results. The frequent rotation of Russian forces may eventually lead to outcomes favoring them. While the area isn’t immediately threatened with capture, the situation is gradually tilting in Russia’s favor
6/ Ocheretyne

Ocheretyne has received little mention recently, our team deems it one of the most dangerous fronts presently. Russian forces have amassed troops in the area, indicating intentions for further advancement either north of Ocheretyne or northwest toward Vozdvyzhenka
Image
7/ The Solovyove area south of Ocheretyne is unstable, with Russians advancing tactically. Analysis shows that where Ukrainian artillery is scarce, Russian gains increase, indicated by reduced shelling or concentrated forces in staging areas.
8/ Krasnohorivka – Kurakhove area

Russian forces intensified assaults in Krasnohorivka with mechanized units, but gains were mostly limited. Since the Kurakhove area is well fortified, quick Russian advances are not expected. Yet, the threat of losing Krasnohorivka is high
Image
9/ Summary

Zooming out, it’s clear that Russians haven’t achieved significant operational results in this offensive yet. Despite multiple tactical successes, there is no frontline collapse. Our team observes the movements of Russian reserves, suggesting their availability
10/ With Russia having reserves and vehicles for offensive operations, we shouldn’t expect a reduction in their offensive pressure despite losses soon. Russian forces maintaining a presence in areas like near Sumy Oblast suggests the offensive hasn’t peaked yet
11/ For more comprehensive details, the full report is freely available on our website. Simply visit the site for further information:

Donbas Situation Report – May 21st
Operational and Tactical Analysis of the Situation
https://frontelligence.substack.com/p/donbas-situation-report-may-21st
12/ Thank you for taking the time to read my thread! If you enjoyed it, I would greatly appreciate it if you could consider liking and sharing the first message of the thread to help boost its visibility. You can also support us via tips:

The Marinka front:

/2. Same T-90M as in the post above.

«The grenade fell not on the engine compartment, but directly on the turret, tearing open the anti drone cage and setting fire to everything on top and a little inside, which made the crew abandon the vehicle.»https://t.co/C4078RNOKC pic.twitter.com/QkpY0pDZsC

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) May 24, 2024

Armanvir, Krasnodar Krai, Russia:

RU early warning long range radar Voronezh-DM near Armavir (~44.925, 40.9834) was damaged in an apparently UA attack (reported today).

Based on three sources the radar does cover southern Ukraine and could allow detecting some UA ballistic missiles.https://t.co/eM7bx6tNBf pic.twitter.com/ypSkmzoaoV

— D. mojavensis 🇺🇲 🇺🇦 (@Dmojavensis) May 24, 2024

Not sure where in Ukraine this is:

FPV drone strike on a house with Russian infantrymen and, as it turned out, with an explosives storage. pic.twitter.com/fT0s1dogLC

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) May 24, 2024

I’ve included it because I want to use it to make an important point. Whether it’s in Ukraine or Iraq or Afghanistan or anywhere else, when a strike goes bad it usually goes bad for one of two reasons. The first is that the identification of the target is incorrect. As in, the person and/or facility that is identified as the target is incorrect. The other reason is that the right person and right facility have been targeted, the weaponeering has been done correctly, but as in the video above stuff that really likes to go kaboom has been stored in the facility and there’s no way for those doing the targeting to know that. In the video, it’s not that big a deal. The Ukrainians had a legitimate target in the Russian soldiers, the weapon/drone is not designed to create massive damage, so the weaponeering is right, and the house is somewhat isolated on the property, which ensures a minimization of collateral damage. So when whatever munitions the Russians were storing in that house cooked off as a result of the strike we get a really impressive video, but there’s not much collateral damage because there’s not much else around the house. If you want to know more about mitigating civilian harm, you can read the SecDef’s memo, the Action Plan, and the DOD Instruction. They’re page turners!

Armavir, Krasnodar Krai, Russia:

RU early warning long range radar Voronezh-DM near Armavir (~44.925, 40.9834) was damaged in an apparently UA attack (reported today).

Based on three sources the radar does cover southern Ukraine and could allow detecting some UA ballistic missiles.https://t.co/eM7bx6tNBf pic.twitter.com/ypSkmzoaoV

— D. mojavensis 🇺🇲 🇺🇦 (@Dmojavensis) May 24, 2024

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

First, some footage from Ukraine’s tactical goose corps. Clearly trained by the Canadians! Also, I don’t know why Ponomarenko misspelled Kyiv. Probably text to talk.

Meanwhile, the Kiev regime army unwittingly confirms the combat use of genetically modified geese bred en masse in secret American biolabs as part of an unprovoked global war of aggression against Russia. pic.twitter.com/lkKWmkR6Ru

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) May 24, 2024

I wear it every day pic.twitter.com/TwucUhymop

— Patron (@PatronDsns) May 23, 2024

Here’s the full text of the first tweet:

Today, I went to my merchandising office and told them I developed Herrro ammunition for dogs because dogs are heroes to their people worldwide. I asked them to arrange international shipping. It seems to be working, so if you have a dog, know that its gear can help deminers: all profits will go to my foundation.
Link: https://patronshop.com.ua/en/product/1716366771/1716366841

Open thread!