While Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday inspected the headquarters of the “Dnieper” forces on the Kherson and Luhansk axes and listened to the reports of the commanders of the Airborne Forces, the Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of America, Canada and Britain to Moscow on the grounds of their interference in Russian affairs, at a time when the United States expressed its Concerned regarding the use of weapons provided by Kiev to hit the Russian lands.
Russia Today reported yesterday that Putin asked, during his meeting with the military at the Dnieper headquarters, to express their opinion on the situation in the directions of Kherson and Zaporizhia, and to exchange information on developments in this region.
Putin said at the outset of the meeting: “The forces are working in a practical manner for a short time, but accurately,” calling on their personnel to submit reports on the situation in the directions of Kherson and Zaporizhia.
Putin praised the role of the commander of the airborne military forces (airborne) and paratroopers in the Russian army, Colonel Mikhail Teplinsky, saying: “He was on the front lines for a long time, and he prepared a very detailed report on the situation in the region.”
Also, Putin visited the operations room of the “Vostok” group of forces in the Luhansk People’s Republic, and received reports from First Lieutenant General Alexander Lapin and other senior officers regarding the situation in this axis.
Earlier, the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, held a meeting in which he listened to reports regarding the current situation of the Russian forces deployed on the fronts, stressing that the amount of ammunition supplies that are required more than others has been determined, and the necessary measures are being taken to increase them.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: Putin learned regarding the progress of operations from military leaders and congratulated them on Easter.
Peskov added, “The president is now intensively visiting new areas, and it is natural that he also conducts inspections of headquarters, and receives real-time information and reports regarding the progress of the special military operation. This is very important to the supreme commander. This is how he manages his work.”
Regarding Putin’s assessment of the work and progress of operations at the headquarters of the Dnieper Group in the Kherson axis and the Lugansk headquarters, Peskov explained that this is the prerogative of the Ministry of Defense. .
On the other hand, Peskov said, commenting on peace initiatives regarding Ukraine from other countries, that “any other ideas, taking into account the Russian position, deserve attention, and Russia is ready to listen.”
He said in press statements: “Any ideas that take into account Russia’s interests and Russia’s concerns, of course deserve attention, and of course they should be listened to, and Russia is ready to do so. The main thing for us is guarantees.
Commenting on the initiative of the Brazilian side, Peskov indicated that “it is too early to make any assessment.”
Peskov also commented in response to a question regarding the Kremlin’s opinion regarding the news circulating regarding the French plan for a peaceful settlement of the situation in Ukraine, saying: “There were indeed some reports, they say, during a visit to China, the French side expressed some elements but so far they have not shown themselves in Anywhere, we are not aware of the existence of any French plan, and accordingly we have not received anything from the French side.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned yesterday the ambassadors of the United States, Britain and Canada to Moscow to protest their blatant interference in Russian internal affairs.
The ministry said in a statement that it had summoned the ambassadors of the three countries on the grounds of “blatant interference in Russia’s internal affairs and activities that are not compatible with the diplomatic situation,” without providing any further details.
In parallel, the United States expressed its concern regarding the Kiev regime using the weapons it provides to strike Russian lands, indicating that it is not interested in entering directly into the crisis and escalating it into a third world war.
According to Russia Today, US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs Colin Cole said in an interview with the American magazine Foreign Policy: “We expressed our concern that the equipment we provided might be used to strike targets inside Russia.”
“President (Joe) Biden has also made clear that while we do everything we can to support Ukraine, the United States is not interested in getting directly involved in the conflict and turning it into World War III,” Cole added.
At the same time, according to a Pentagon spokesman, the opinion that the United States is “backing away from a large number of issues due to fear of escalation is wrong.”
Earlier, John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator for the White House National Security Council, said: Washington does not encourage Kiev to direct strikes outside Ukraine and does not provide it with the funds necessary for such sorties.
On the ground, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced in its report yesterday, Tuesday, regarding the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine, the destruction of a number of American military equipment, in addition to the elimination of 460 Ukrainian soldiers.
The ministry indicated that the implementation of air and artillery strikes in the direction of Kobyansk, the repulsion of the actions of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Kharkov region, and the destruction of a tank, two armored vehicles, two cars and an American-made howitzer.
It pointed out that the enemy’s counter-attack was thwarted in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, as it inflicted losses estimated at dozens of soldiers, in addition to destroying combat armored vehicles.