Ukraine War: Russia and US ‘discuss holding nuclear weapons talks’ as Putin’s troops ‘prepare for street fighting’ | world news


Russia and the United States are reportedly discussing holding strategic nuclear weapons talks for the first time since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine.

Talks between the two countries on strategic stability have been frozen since Vladimir PoutineUkrainian forces invaded Ukraine eight months ago – even as the New Start nuclear arms reduction treaty remains in force.

Now Russian newspaper Kommersant has said the talks could take place in the Middle East, adding that Moscow no longer considers Switzerland, the traditional venue, neutral after imposing sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has accused Russia of looting empty homes in the southern city of Kherson – as well as occupying them with plainclothes troops to prepare for street fighting.

The Ukrainian military said Russian forces, “disguised as civilians, are occupying civilian premises and reinforcing positions inside to conduct street fighting.”

He said in an update on Monday that Russian forces were “involved in looting and theft of residents and infrastructure sites and taking equipment, food and vehicles to the Russian Federation.”

Russia has ordered civilians out of Kherson in recent days, in anticipation of a Ukrainian assault to retake it.

It comes as the city, which has a population of about 300,000, has remained cold and dark following a power and water cut in the surrounding area for the past 48 hours, according to both sides.

Russian officials blamed Ukrainian “sabotage” for the power cuts, while Ukrainian officials said the Russians dismantled 1.5 km of power lines.

Please use Chrome browser for more accessible video player

Russia lacks ‘air superiority’

Elsewhere, around 100 disabled children were moved from a medical facility in Dnipriany in the Kherson region to the Moscow region, the Ukrainian military said.

Patients at a nursing home in Kakhovka have also been moved as Russian forces take over the facilities, he added.

Ukrainian forces around the recently liberated village of Nova Kamyanka in the Kherson region counted four Russian airstrikes in the vicinity.

The recapture of Kherson has been at the center of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south, which has accelerated since early October.

Other key developments:
• Ukraine has received its first delivery of NASAMS and Apside air defense systems, the country’s defense minister said.
• North Korea denies doing arms deals with Russia after US says it appears to be supplying Kremlin with artillery shells
• Putin said 50,000 Russian troops called up as part of his mobilization campaign were now fighting with combat units in Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported.
• The Russian Ministry of Defense has taken the rare step of denying allegations that a naval infantry unit suffered disastrous losses of men and equipment during a futile offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Read more:
What Are Iranian Kamikaze Drones and Will the US Send the Deadly MQ-9 Reaper?
Why Ukraine is different from the conflicts of previous decades
Meet the Georgian Legion joining the fight against the Russian invasion

Firefighters work at the scene of a residential building damaged after Russian shelling in the liberated region of Lyman, Donetsk
Image:
Firefighters work at the scene of a residential building damaged after Russian shelling in the liberated region of Lyman, Donetsk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday the eastern Donetsk region remained the “epicenter” of the fighting, saying hundreds of Russians were being killed every day.

The towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka in the Donetsk region are said to suffer the heaviest fighting.

In his Monday night address, Zelenskyy added that Russia should be forced into “real” peace talks.

Russia has faced major setbacks in the east and south in recent months and lost all territory it captured in northern Ukraine in the weeks following the February invasion.

President Putin responded by calling up hundreds of thousands of reservists and announcing the annexation of occupied lands.

malek

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GreenLeaf Tw2sl