US Secretary of State Antony Blinken does not rule out long-term negotiations on Ukraine's future borders. But the decision lies with the Ukrainians, he emphasized on Thursday before a parliamentary committee in Washington. Any possible peace agreement must be "just and lasting".
Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity must be preserved, Blinken said. "But how this is defined concretely in the territory, we are waiting for the Ukrainians to tell us." At the same time, the US Secretary of State added: "I believe that there are areas in Ukraine where Ukrainians are determined to fight on the ground. And maybe there are areas where they decide they want to try to get it back in other ways."
According to observers, the head of US diplomacy hinted that Washington does not consider a recapture of all Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia – especially Crimea – by Kiev's troops to be likely.
Zelenskyj asks EU for fighter jets
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj thanked Poland and Slovakia for the decision to provide Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets, Zelenskyi said on Thursday at an EU summit to which he was connected via video. "This will significantly strengthen the defence of our airspace. But we need modern aircraft."
Slovakia announced on Thursday that it had handed over the first four of its 13 promised Soviet MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine. Earlier, Poland announced the delivery of fighter jets of the same type. Zelenskyj has also long been pushing for the delivery of modern fighter jets from the West.
Zelenskyi asked the summit participants whether there was a rational reason for the delay in the provision of modern aircraft. He referred to the Russian threats before the delivery of the German Leopard main battle tank from the EU. "And what did Russia do then? We all have to get used to the fact that a terrorist state bluffs more often than it can escalate."
Zelensky emphasized: "Time is important. Not only months and weeks, but also days are important. The sooner we act together, the more lives we can save." At the same time, he referred to the previous support from abroad. "This is proof that Europe knows how to defend its values and has the courage to stand up to terror," he said.
Zelenskyj: Life returns to destroyed villages
After a visit to the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, which was largely recaptured by Ukrainian troops in the autumn, Zelenskyj drew a positive conclusion. "In some places, more than 90 percent of the buildings were destroyed," Zelenskyj said on Thursday in his nightly video address. "But even in such villages, people are returning, and this is proof that life is still winning." Ukraine will do its utmost "to rebuild our territories."
Even in the fields around Kherson, life is returning. "It is a pleasure to see how the fields cleared of Russian mines and shells in the Kherson region are cultivated and brought back to life," Zelenskyi said. However, there are still enough fields that are mined. "There is still plenty of work for our pioneers and pyrotechnicians." But he was confident, Zelensky said, that these areas would be freed from all the deadly legacies of Russia. "The whole of Ukraine will live."
In this regard, Zelenskyi addressed a special thank you to Finland. The government in Helsinki had decided on Thursday to hand over three Leopard minesweeping tanks to Ukraine.
Kiev: Russians launch 'cleansing' operation in Kherson region
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian troops and security services began so-called cleansing operations among the population of the Dnipro bank in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. There, the search for citizens with pro-Ukrainian attitudes, military pensioners and employees of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies began in various settlements, the General Staff in Kiev said on Thursday in its daily situation report on Facebook.
In the settlement of Nova Kakhovka, on the other hand, a large-scale raid had taken place. Large quantities of household appliances, jewellery and mobile phones were "confiscated" from the civilian population. The information could not be independently verified.
During a Ukrainian offensive in the autumn, the Russian military had withdrawn from the west bank of the Dnipro near Kherson. Since then, Russian troops have massively expanded their defenses on the south bank of the river.
Russian missile attack on Odessa
The Russian air force shelled the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa with several missiles on Thursday evening. According to initial reports from the Ukrainian military, two missiles were intercepted by anti-aircraft defenses. Further information was not initially available. The day before, Odessa had been attacked with several missiles.
What will be important on Friday
Also on Friday, new battles are expected around the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, which has been heavily contested for months. Ukrainian military officials claim to have recognized a decline in Russian combat power.