Ukraine war briefing: Moscow considers downgrading relations with West over Ukraine’s involvement | Ukraine

Russia is considering a possible downgrade of relations with the West due to the increased involvement of the United States and its allies in the Ukraine war, but no decision has been made yet, the Kremlin said on Thursday.A deterioration in relations – or even a breakdown – would underscore the severity of the confrontation between Russia and the West in Ukraine following the escalation of tensions in recent months following the war. Relations were maintained even during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when the Cold War came closest to nuclear war.

Ukraine‘The Syrian military said on Thursday its forces had expelled Russian troops from a district in the town of Chasiv Yar on the eastern front of the war, which is seen as Moscow’s next target in its slow advance through the area. Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesman for Ukraine’s southern group of forces, told Ukrinform news agency that Russian troops had withdrawn from the Kanal district of Khasiv Yar along the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal, which runs along the eastern edge of the city. However, a Russian report said Moscow troops had destroyed a communications tower near the city and continued to advance. It was not possible to independently verify either report.

Ukraine’s president met with the European Union’s 27 heads of state and government in Brussels to sign a security pact, two days after his country began formal accession talks with the bloc – a historic step that was unthinkable before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Volodymyr Zelensky said the security agreement between the EU and Ukraine would “enshrine the commitment of all 27 member states to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine, regardless of any internal institutional changes”.

Zelensky also told EU heads of state and government that Russia’s spring offensive in Kharkiv had shown that international pressure on the Kremlin was “not enough”. “Thanks to the courage of our people and the decisions of our partners, we were able to stop this Russian offensive,” he said. “But this new Russian offensive has shown that the existing pressure on Russia to wage war is not enough.”

The far-right French Rassemblement National (RN) will not allow Russia to annex Ukraine if it comes to power in the parliamentary elections, party leader Jordan Bardella said on Thursday.“I will not allow Russian imperialism to absorb an allied state like Ukraine,” Bardella said in a televised debate, promising both “support for Ukraine and avoiding escalation with Russia.”

At the same time, Marine Le Pen, the RN’s former parliamentary leader, said she expected the party to win an absolute majority in the French parliamentary elections, form a government and take over at least some decisions in the areas of defense and the armed forces, including the Ukraine issue. Le Pen has previously maintained friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has advocated closer ties with Moscow.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that the “resilient” military alliance could survive any political changes in the major powers ahead of crucial elections in the United States and France.In the crucial elections on both sides of the Atlantic, both Donald Trump and Le Pen are candidates from the extreme right, who have always been hostile to the military alliance and are known for their good relations with Russia, the alliance’s main opponent.