Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: Germany wants “war again”

Sleep through once. The visit of a US delegation to Kyiv with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Trump's golf partner Steve Witkoff had at least one measurably positive result for many residents of the Ukrainian capital: on Sunday night and on the day itself, after nine days, there were no Russian air strikes on Kyiv itself. There was only one air alert for 20 minutes during the night, otherwise everything remained quiet. Russia and Ukraine had previously agreed to refrain from attacks on their respective capitals during the delegation's visits to Moscow and Kyiv.

The two Trump envoys arrived in Kyiv by train at around 1 p.m. local time. A first for both of them. A column of black-painted, armored limousines then drove through downtown Kyiv at high speed with flashing lights. Television images showed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky receiving Kushner and Witkoff at the famous St. Sophia Monastery, which had been damaged in a Russian attack just two days earlier. Representatives from Germany, France and Great Britain should also be present.

However, the calm in the capital did not mean calm for the rest of Ukraine. Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least eight people and injured at least 69 people over the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian authorities reported. Cities with over a million inhabitants such as Kharkiv, Dnipro and Odessa continue to be attacked daily.

Ukraine had proposed a broader three-day ceasefire that would go beyond attacks on the two capitals and also include fighting along the front line. Russia did not respond.

On Saturday, Kushner and Witkoff met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the Moscow Kremlin. Apart from the usual flattery, statements about the outcome of the talks remained vague. A White House spokesman said they had “discussed plans for next steps.” The Russian side told US officials that Moscow was confident that it would be able to achieve its military goals - the conquest of the rest of the east of Ukraine, said Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov.

In Ukraine, public expectations of shuttle diplomats are low. As usual, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi thanked the US for its commitment to peace talks. We strive for a just and lasting peace. However, given the continued Russian maximum demands, which would amount to capitulation for Ukraine, no concrete result was expected.

The situation on the front has recently remained largely stable. In recent months, neither side has reported significant gains in terrain. As a result, the argument is shifting more and more into the air. Ukraine is largely defenseless against ballistic missiles due to the lack of missiles for its Patriot systems.

Now there seems to be another problem: the new jet-powered drones of the Geran-5 type are faster than their propeller-driven predecessors and fly around seven kilometers high. That's why they can hardly be stopped by the Ukrainians' mobile anti-aircraft guns. Planes are used instead. According to Ukrainian reports, these now also lack the necessary air-to-air missiles.

This mixture makes Ukrainians fear the coming winter. For years, Russian air strikes in the winter months have focused on energy supplies. Last winter, a significant portion of the electricity and thermal power plants in Kyiv failed. Only part of it has been repaired. A presidential adviser called on the city administration to provide more emergency generators and prepare for the evacuation of elderly residents in the event of damage.

MP Solomiya Bobrowska became clearer. "You have to tell society the truth about winter instead of fobbing them off with promises. Prepare, stock up, leave Kyiv, buy firewood," she told Ukrainian news agency Unian.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has further tightened the tone in the confrontation with the West. Germany's accusations that Russia was responsible for the drone attack at Leipzig airport are "largely the beginning of a real war," Lavrov said on Sunday, according to the state news agency Tass. "All of these statements from (Chancellor Friedrich) Merz about making Germany the leading military power in Europe again - they are now being put into action. He is effectively declaring war on us."